Agenda and minutes

Apologies were received from City Councillors Flaubert and Scutt and SCDC Councillors Hawkins and R.Williams, (City Councillors Levien and Gawthrope Wood and SCDC Cllr Garvie) attended as alternates).

The minutes of the meeting held on 21 December 2022 were approved and signed by the Chair subject to the following amendment (deleted text struck through, additional text underlined):

Reference 22/50/JDCC Response from the Principal Planning Officer to question 5 submitted in advance of the meeting: amend ‘Balance between meeting the requirements of the Highways Authority for adoption and achieving a mews street with character for place-making, such as narrower widths or more intrusions into the road line in which we plant out.

The minutes of the meetings held on the 15 February 2023 and 22 March 2023 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

The Committee received a reserved matters application for the third housing phase (known as BDW3) including 210 dwellings with associated internal roads, car parking, landscaping, amenity and public open space. The reserved matters included access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale and related partial discharge of conditions 8, 10, 14, 17, 18, 22, 25, 26, 28, 35, 40, 49, 58, 62, 66, and 69 pursuant to outline approval 07/0003/OUT

The Senior Planner updated their report by referring to the amendments contained within the Amendment Sheet summarised as follows:

-       A revised site wide plan and revised house type plan and elevations.

-       An additional condition number 27 to require the permanent retention of porches and private amenity space at the front of four properties fronting to the Orbital Cycle Route.

-       An amendment to condition 9 (plant noise insulation) to include the additional wording, viz ‘including for the avoidance of doubt air source heat pumps’.

-       An amendment to condition 23 (garages) to require details to be submitted and approved prior to the commencement of the dwelling to which they relate.

-       An amendment to condition 26 regarding bollard design and management to specify the three bollards to which the condition relates.

-       An amendment to the Officer recommendation relating to approval/refusal of outline planning conditions for BDW3 reserved matters parcel: at paragraph 24.2 of the Committee report under outline condition 49 Secure Parking of Bicycles the proposed Cycle Parking Plans are listed as DR_0126 Rev A and DR_0127 Rev A, these drawings were superseded and should be replaced by drawing numbers DR_0126 Rev B and DR_0127 Rev B.

The Committee received two representations in objection to the application. Written statements were read out on their behalf by the Committee Manager:

The representation from Windsor Road Residents’ Association covered the following issues:

      i.         Requested that conditions to secure the width of the

pedestrian/cycleway running northwest between Windsor Road and the primary road south of Central Park at no greater than 4.8 metres and to ensure that the active spaces and porches along the pedestrian/cycleway were preserved and unaltered.

Reason: to ensure that the route remained free of motor-traffic in perpetuity.

    ii.         Asked for condition 26 Bollard Design and Management to make specific reference to the folding bollards at the emergency crossing for fire trucks and to the permanent bollards at the junction of the pedestrian/cycleway with Windsor Road.

Reason: to ensure that the route remained free of motor-traffic.

   iii.         Requested the Committee was shown the relevant submitted drawings of the transition area between the pedestrian/cycleway and Windsor Road so that Highway Officers could explain how the colour-coding would relieve the conflict between pedestrians and cyclists travelling in both directions.

Reason: to ensure the safe passage of all at the transition.

  iv.         Commented that when the secondary school in Darwin Green 3 opened, Windsor Road Park may become an area where pupils gathered and asked if this had been considered in the design of the park.

Reason: to preserve the amenity for  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/19/JDCC

Councillor Carling left the Chamber for this application and took no part in the debate or decision.

The Committee received a reserved matters application which covered the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale for 160 dwellings, access roads, cycle and pedestrian routes, cycle and car parking, landscaping, utilities and associated ancillary structures at Lots M4 and M5, North West Cambridge Development following outline planning permission 11/1114/OUT as varied by ref:13/1402/S73.

The Principal Planner updated their report by referring to additional relevant site history, details of which were contained within the Amendment Sheet.

Jake Lambert (Applicant’s Agent) addressed the Committee in support of the application.

The Principal Planner and the Strategic Sites Manager said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.         The design of the development had evolved during the pre-application process and since the Quality Panel had provided comments on the application. It was Officer’s view that the grid work on the left-hand side of Blocks A-C at the southwest end of the site was acceptable and provided a strong visual appearance for views across the site. Blank elevations would be between buildings. The heights of Blocks A-C were in accordance with the Design Code and Parameter Plans.

    ii.         As part of the process of buying a house, usually a prospective buyer’s solicitor would undertake local authority searches which should provide information such as approved planning permissions on land adjacent to the property which may be built out in the future.

   iii.         Noted a typographical error on p151 regarding PV panels - the response should read that ‘PV panels should not be readily visible…’

  iv.         This application provided one vehicular access into the site with future phases of the development providing further vehicular accesses.

    v.         The underground waste collection facility collected recycling and general waste, there would be alternative arrangements for green waste.

  vi.         The streets within the development would not be adopted by the County Council however consideration had been given to a design-led / holistic approach for the use of the roads, which included for example cyclists, pedestrians and how planting could be incorporated within the street.

 vii.         The ratio of cycling parking was just over one space per bedroom which was in accordance with the Area Action Plan. The cycle parking would be covered.

viii.         A condition survey of the trees on the site had been carried out and mature trees would be retained where they were healthy. Advised that the hard/soft landscaping condition on the outline permission (condition 11) was not proposed to be discharged as part of this application. An informative to encourage the planting of mature trees could be included.

  ix.         Mechanical ventilation was proposed within the apartment blocks.

    x.         A condition could be added requiring hedgehog doorways in fences be installed while the development was being built.

  xi.         Guidance in the Design Code said that properties should be within 50m of an access point to the underground bins. There were a couple of properties outside this distance at 70m. The location of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/20/JDCC

Councillor Carling returned to the Chamber and Councillor Bradnam left the meeting before the consideration of the item.

The Committee received two reserved matters applications, namely 22/05018/REM and 22/05037/REM for the appearance, landscape, layout and scale for 351 residential units and associated car parking, cycle parking and landscaping, along with partial discharge of conditions 10, 11, 12, 13, 14, 17, 18, 19, 24, 26, 29, 30, 36, 37, 38, 40, 44, 45, 55, 59, 61, 64 pursuant to outline planning permission 18/0481/OUT as varied by reference: 22/01967/S73.

The Principal Planner updated their report by referring to:

i.               The updated information from the Highways Authority contained within the Amendment Sheet.

ii.             An amendment to condition 17 (removal of PD rights in respect of windows) to include reference to particular plot numbers (1-A, 1-B, 1-C, 1-D, 1-E, 1-J).

iii.            Reference to condition 20 (Overheating) of the outline permission should be added to the tables included in paragraphs 25.2 and 25.4 of the Officer’s report.

David Fletcher (Applicant’s Agent) addressed the Committee in support of the application.

The Principal Planner, Strategic Sites Manager and Principal Development Management Engineer said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.         There would be mechanical heat recovery in the non-dual aspect apartments which faced Airport Way, this would also be required to mitigate the impact of noise from the airport.

    ii.         Only apple and pear trees had been able to be introduced onto the site whilst it was still an active airport - once the airport was no longer operative more fruiting trees could be introduced through the Landscaping Management Plan.

   iii.         As many streets as possible were to be adopted by the County Council, however because of the place making design of the development this meant that some small areas would not be adopted as they would not meet the County Council’s specification requirements (i.e.: a requirement to serve more than five dwellings). 

  iv.         Car club spaces were secured as part of the outline planning permission. A couple of the car club spaces would be located in the local centre.  

    v.         As this was the lower density part of the site, there were no concerns about garden sizes as they were all a reasonable size.

  vi.         The wider play strategy would ensure that the site provided areas of play for different ages. A BMX bumper track and trim trail were approved as part of the infrastructure application for the site.

 vii.         The twenty-one single aspect homes were contained within the apartment buildings and were a mix of market and affordable homes.

viii.         All plots had EV charging provision. There would be some EV charging provision in the off-street parking spaces. There would be split provision of EV charging at the local centre (i.e.: quick and slow chargers).

  ix.         The wider Sustainability Strategy promoted air source heat pumps rather than solar panels. Expected PV panels to be offered to homeowners as an ‘add on’ if they wanted to purchase them. Self-build properties were hoped to come forward  ...  view the full minutes text for item 23/21/JDCC