Meeting of the Plans Scrutiny Committee held on Tuesday 16 December 2008 in the Civic Chamber, Council Offices, Skelmanthorpe
Members Present: Cllrs T Sigsworth (Chair), R Allen, G Horton, E Shaw, S Simpson, A Stimson, K Waites and N Wilson
In Attendance: Hazel Chowcat (Clerk)
896 Public Session
Two members of the public, Christopher Ward and Helen France from the Skelmanthorpe Community Action Group attended the meeting to speak in opposition to the decision by Kirklees Council to approved planning application No. 2008/62/93577.
897 Agenda
It was RESOLVED to bring forward item 6 Planning Application 2008/62/93577.
898 Planning Application 2008/62/93577
The Clerk submitted information outlining the background to this application. She explained that this is the second application for the erection of a detached dwelling with detached garage (partly within a conservation area) on land to the rear of 17 Huddersfield Road, Skelmanthorpe. The Plans Scrutiny Committee had discussed the first application (No. 2008/62/92243) at its July meeting and objected for the following reasons: Council objects due to concerns for highway safety – proposed access is opposite the junction of Wood Street and Huddersfield Road about which the council is already in discussion with Kirklees Council in relation to safety issues. In addition, Council is concerned about the impact of the proposed development within a conservation area.
Kirklees Council subsequently refused the application on 7 August, for the following reasons: The proposed dwelling by reason of its design and materials would be detrimental to the visual amenity of the locality and fail to contribute to the preservation and enhancement of the character and appearance of the conservation area. It is therefore contrary to Unitary Development Plan Policies D2, BE1, BE2, BE5 and Planning Policy Statement 1.
The second application (2008/62/93577) was submitted on 1 October. Unfortunately, the Plans Scrutiny Committee could not discuss the application because the meeting was inquorate. The second application contains some minor changes but these do not address the issues which caused the first application to be refused. Despite this the application was approved last month. The Clerk explained that she had written to Kirklees Council to ask if there was a means by which the council could appeal against the decision but had not received a response. In the interim, she had visited the Planning Portal on the Kirklees Council website and found an appeal form which seemed to offer the means for members of the public to appeal. It was RESOLVED that the Council submit an appeal against the decision for the reasons given against the first application and because the development is out of character with the area.
899 Apologies for Absence
No apologies for absence were received.
900 Declarations of Councillors’ Interests
There were no declarations of interest.
901 Admission of the Public
It was RESOLVED that there were no items requiring the exclusion of the press and public.
902 Minutes
It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 25 November 2008 be approved as a correct record subject to the move of Cllr Wilson from those present to those submitting apologies for absence.
903 Planning Notifications and Planning Decisions
Planning notifications and decisions were considered and observations made thereon.
Signed: ………………………………….. (CHAIR)
