Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Stuart

The minutes of the 3 March 2011 meeting were approved and signed as a correct record subject to the following amendments:

·        Item 11/22/sac 12b – Councillors Taylor and Swanson declared a personal interest in this item as they are acquainted with the objector.

 

  

Matters arising for the Safer Neighbourhood item discussed at the last meeting will be covered at the July meeting when the Police are present.

Members of the committee are asked to declare any interests in the items on the agenda. In the case of any doubt, the advice of the Head of Legal should be sought before the meeting.

 

Cllr Swanson – Item – 11/30/sac 8a – Personal as a near neighbour of the applicant.

 

Cllr Al Bander – Item 11/30/sac 8b – Personal and prejudicial interest as the applicant. Vacated the room while this item was considered.

 

Cllr Pippas – Item 11/30/sac 8c – Personal and prejudicial interest as the applicant. Vacated the room while this item was considered.

 

11/30/SAC  - Items 8b and 8c were applications from City Councillors and in accordance with the constitution of the council must be considered by either the main Planning Committee or the relevant area committee.

All members recorded a personal interest in both items as the applicant is a fellow councillor.

The Chair announced forthcoming Councillors surgeries in the South Area.

 

The Olympic Torch would be visiting Cambridge on 7^th July.

 

There were no open forum questions raised.

 

The committee received a report from Chris Heaton, Head of Policy, Planning and Culture  (Cambridgeshire County Council) regarding the future of Cambridgeshire Library Services. He outlined the need for savings and the options being considered.

 

There are two libraries within the South area that are included in the report. Cherry Hinton Library had scored higher on the combined usage and community needs scale than Rock Road. Both libraries can expect some impact from the budget cuts. However, Rock Road is under greater threat and alternative ways of delivering the service are being considered. Creating a community hub that would contain the library and other services, such as the City Homes South had been suggested. Other options would be the use of volunteers and/or a community management structure.

 

The Committee asked the following questions regarding the report.

 

             I.      Q. Is the mobile library also facing funding cuts?

A. The mobile service was reviewed a short time ago and was reduced from a fortnightly to a monthly service.

 

          II.      Q. Is the Cambridgeshire Collection under threat?

A. No changes are planned.

 

       III.      Q. The review concentrates on existing provision. Is planned future provision, such as the site at Clay Farm, also under threat?

A. Future provision will be reviewed. However, it is expected that the agreed provision would be delivered to meet the needs of the new communities.

 

      IV.      Q. Have any other suggestions been made for any organisation that might join a Community Hub at Rock Road?

A. Currently, City Homes has been the only suggestion.

 

         V.      Q. Community groups might be able to deliver volunteers but would they also be expected to provide on-going funding?

A. It is difficult to give a definitive answer at this point. However, given the level of cuts, there is likely to be an expectation that community groups running libraries would need to provide both labour and funding.

 

 

      VI.      Q. If staffing levels are cut how will vulnerable groups access training in how to use the Internet?

A. Volunteers already provide these services in some areas and this could be expanded.

 

   VII.      Q. How many volunteers will be needed?

A. This is not clear at present. The staffing restructure may result in staff roles moving towards supporting volunteers to deliver services that direct front line provision in some areas. Six hundred people had already expressed an interest in volunteering.

 

VIII.      Q. Volunteers already deliver Fulbourn library services. Is this a model that could be copied?

A. No. The Fulbourn library received S106 funding and is a small library access point rather than a full library service.

The committee received a report from the Recycling and Waste Communications Officer regarding new provision for collection of additional materials at recycling point.

 

The public were invited to comment on the service and pre paid envelopes were available. Comments can also be made via the web site.

 

The following comments were made:

 

       I.      Colville Road car park recycling bins were due to be moved to a more convenient part of the car park and this will happen when the new bins are installed.

 

    II.      Collection of polystyrene was discussed. The officer advised that this was not currently viable.

 

 III.      Budgens on Perne Road and Wulfstan Way were suggested as suitable sites for recycling bins.

The committee received an application for the full planning permission for the erection of a part two and part single storey rear extension and single storey side extension.

 

The Development Control Manager directed members to the second amendment sheet and highlighted inaccuracies in the original site drawing.

 

The committee heard representations from Ms Ferguson, the applicant, who raised the following points:

 

             I.      The design had been amended three times following consultation with the planning department.

          II.      The current plan is the smallest possible viable design.

       III.      Neighbouring properties do not object

      IV.      The extra room is needed for a growing family with strong local connections.

         V.      The planned site had been moved further back from the boundary.

 

Resolved (by 1 vote to 4) to reject the officer recommendation to refuse the application.

 

Resolved (by 1 vote to 4) to approve the application for the following reasons and subject the conditions detailed below.

 

Subject to conditions

1.      CO1A and

2.      C13

 

Reason for Approval

Having heard:

the advice of the officer about the inaccuracy of the original plans (a matter raised the previous day by the attached neighbour);

that the officer had subsequently checked dimensions and spoken to both parties;

that the officer was in receipt of corrected plans submitted earlier in the day;

the request and giving of responses to questions from the attached neighbours;

the explanation of the applicant of their need for the proposal and how it had been reduced in scale and hipped to reduce its impact; and 

that the officer sustained the recommendation for refusal;

 

Committee asked questions and discussed the proposal before taking the view that the extension would not so dominate or be so overbearing in its relationship with the neighbours at 67, or result in so significant a loss of light, as to justify refusal, and was not therefore out of context.  

 

The development was approved, conditionally, because subject to those requirements it is considered to generally conform to the Development Plan, particularly the following policies:

 

East of England Plan (2008) Policy ENV7

 

Cambridge Local Plan (2006) Policies 3/4, 3/14

         

2. The decision has been made having had regard to all other material planning considerations, none of which was considered to have been of such significance as to justify doing other than grant planning permission. 

 

These reasons for approval can be a summary of the reasons for grant of planning permission only.  For further details on the decision please discuss the proposal with Peter Carter Planning Officer on Cambridge 457155 or by contacting him at peter.carter@cambridge.gov.uk. 

The committee received an application for full planning permission for the erection of a wooden log cabin (moveable which will be used as a study.

 

Resolved (by 5 vote to 0) to accept the officer recommendation and approve the officer recommendation.

 

Reasons for Approval

1. This development has been approved, conditionally, because subject to those requirements it is considered to conform to the Development Plan as a whole, particularly the following policies:

East of England plan 2008: ENV7; Cambridge Local Plan (2006): 3/4, 3/7, 3/11, 3/12;

2. The decision has been made having had regard to all other material planning considerations, none of which was considered to have been of such significance as to justify doing other than grant planning permission.

 

These reasons for approval can be a summary of the reasons for grant of planning permission only. For further details on the decision please see the officer report online at www.cambridge.gov.uk/planningpublicaccess or visit our Customer Service Centre, Mandela House, 4 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1BY between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

RESOLVED (by 6 votes to 0) to accept the officer recommendation and to approve the application subject to conditions for the following reasons 

 

1. This development has been approved, conditionally, because subject to those requirements it is considered to conform to the Development Plan as a whole, particularly the following policies:

East of England plan 2008: policies T2, T14 and ENV7 Cambridge Local Plan (2006): policies 3/4, 6/3, 8/2, 8/6 and 8/10

 

2. The decision has been made having had regard to all other material planning considerations, none of which was considered to have been of such significance as to justify doing other than grant planning permission.

 

 

With the addition of the condition 5 rehearsed on the amendment sheet.

 

 5.  The additional bed and breakfast rooms shall not be brought into use until a scheme for the provision of 2 secure, covered, on-site cycle parking spaces  has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the local planning authority. The approved scheme shall be implemented before occupation of the additional rooms, and shall be maintained thereafter.

Reason: To ensure appropriate cycle parking is provided to standard (Cambridge Local Plan 2006 policy 8/6)