Delegated Decision Report – 5th August 2024
DELEGATED DECISION REPORT _- 5th AUGUST 2024
As the Town Council does not generally meet in August unless there is some compelling reason to do so, a Delegated Decision Report was prepared by the Clerk and Chairman on items that needed a decision and distributed to members for consideration and comment:
Planning Applications
- a) Applications for consultation response:
| Application No: | PL/2024/05361 |
| Application Type: | Removal/variation of conditions |
| Proposal: | Variation of Condition 2 of PL/2022/01547 (Demolition of existing garage and erection of a new 2 bedroom dwelling). New application seeks to extend ground floor into the existing bank by form of semi basement construction. |
| Site Address: | The Drying Fields, Castle Hill Lane, Mere, BA12 6JH |
| Planning Register Link: | https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ3000006ooSn |
Consultation deadline: 8th August 2024
PLEASE NOTE THAT WE HAVE RECEIVED REPRESENTATION FROM A NEIGHBOUR (A redacted copy is included in the Clerks Report at the end of this document).
Delegated Response:
The Town Council feels that there is nothing in this new planning application that would alleviate or cause a revocation of its previous objection to PL/2022/01547. Indeed, the proposal to excavate the existing bank to form a semi basement construction adds to members concerns – particularly as to the result of a cramped form of development in an unsuitable site. Reiterate previous objections as follows:
Reasons:
The Town Council is unable to support this planning application for the following reasons:
1) Members consider that it is overdevelopment of the site as it is an extremely small space to accommodate a 2-bedroom house with 2 parking spaces which will result in a cramped form of development with low-quality accommodation.
2) Members felt that this house will look out of keeping with the character of the area and have a detrimental impact on existing properties and amenities in the conservation area and the change of street scene in Castle Street will have an impact on the immediate neighbourhood and their amenities.
3) Members were extremely concerned about the accessibility and viability of the two parking spaces which would be accessed from an extremely narrow road just around the corner from a blind bend. Members felt that these parking spaces would be fairly difficult to manoeuvre in and out of and would present a hazard for other drivers using Castle Hill Lane and that, ultimately, occupiers and visitors to the proposed property would end up parking on Castle Street exacerbating the existing parking congestion problems on the main road through Mere.
| Application No: | PL/2024/06583 |
| Application Type: | Householder planning permission |
| Proposal: | Excavation at rear to form a lightwell, demolition of conservatory, reconfiguration of single-storey rear element, alterations to rear elevation, installation of a rooflight and alterations to dormers |
| Site Address: | The Silk House, Water Street, Mere, Warminster, BA12 6DZ |
| Planning Register Link: | https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ3000007iuC9 |
Consultation deadline: 19th August 2024
Delegated response:
This house is in a Conservation Area although not a Listed Building (The Grange, next door, is a listed building). The proposed works do not appear to be unreasonable although the change of windows from wooden windows with glazing bars to what will be (I assume, wooden windows without glazing bars) will alter the appearance of the building, especially from the road along Waterside and from Dark Lane.
To wait until nearer the deadline response time & check to see that there have been no neighbour objections. If not, to submit a ‘No objection’ response but to ask that the Conservation Officer is consulted and is happy with the proposed window design/materials etc.
| Application No: | PL/2024/04831 AMENDED PLANS/ADDITIONAL INFORMATION |
| Application Type: | Full planning permission |
| Proposal: | Erection of a timber welfare building and change of use of land for use in association with agricultural and equestrian land and associated works (Part retrospective) |
| Site Address: | Land at Wet Lane, Mere, BA12 6BA |
| Planning Register Link: | https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0iQ3000006THI9 |
Consultation deadline: 9th August 20244
Delegated response:
It would appear that the ADDITIONAL INFORMATION for this planning application includes Amended Site location plans, Amended elevations and floorplan of the building, new planning statement and plans showing the location of the bund. We cannot see that any of these amended plans or additional information would change the response that the Town Council submitted on 18th June: see link https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/web-comment/a07Q300000PyzOlIAJ/mere-town-councils-comment?tabset-ae70b=2 Therefore it is suggested that the Town Council should reiterate its previous objection.
Allotments
Request for structures on the Southbrook allotment site:
Having recently let a vacant allotment at Southbrook allotments, the new tenants have written asking if they could erect the following structures: (these are all outside the authority delegated to the Town Clerk [6’ X 8’]
- Greenhouse, maximum size nominally 12’ x 8’; we will be looking for a second-hand greenhouse and from research it seems unlikely that we will be able to get one with polycarbonate glazing, so it will need to be glass.
- Polytunnel, maximum size nominally 12’ x 35’
- Fruit cage, maximum size nominally 13’ x 26’
Delegated response:
Approve – No issue as allotments at Southbrook are all quite large and contain a plethora of different sized structures.
Finance
Please see attached payment schedule for August.
Delegated response: Recommend all payments for approval.
Matters Arising
Fairground for Mere Carnival
Following a site meeting held with Mr. Charles Coles and his PR Manager Tim Thorn, Mr. Coles immediately said that he did not really want to bring the fairground to the Recreation Ground. He had previously visited the field in Angel Lane and announced that this was his preferred venue. I also showed him a potential venue along Shaftesbury Road which I think was considered but has been ruled out because Mr. Coles said that people wouldn’t attend. Unfortunately, permission for the use of the field in Angel Lane is not granted and it would now appear that there is going to be no fairground for the carnival for 2024.
Beaumont’s Building
Following a second fire on weekend of 15 July, I wrote to Conrad Carruthers, Wiltshire Council’s Senior Building Control Surveyor, asking if Wiltshire Council could take some action to try and get this building secured in order to avoid the public nuisance aspect, the anti-social behaviour that is taking place within and try and stop children and young people from gaining access. I said that I believed that there were last resort enforcement options available to Wiltshire Council i.e. Section 29 of the Local Government (Miscellaneous Provisions) Act 1982 and Sections 79 & 80 of the Building Act 1984.
On Friday, 19th July I received an email from Sam Townley, a Community Safety Officer at Wiltshire Council who had been made aware of the issues of unauthorised entry and associated anti-social behaviour and recent fire report on the site and asked if I might be available for a meeting.
A teams meeting was set up for Thursday, 25th July and I attended along with Conrad Carruthers, Sam Townley, Chris Horan (Wiltshire Council Enforcement Officer, and Georgina Russell our Neighbourhood Police Constable.
Georgina Russell agreed to get the police to include the site more regularly within their rounds. Conrad Carruthers confirmed that he had written to Mr. Henderson and asked him to make the site more secure but confirmed that the site did not meet their criteria to use Enforcement under the Dangerous Structures Act. However, both he and Chris Horan admitted that they were not familiar with S.29 of the LGA 1982 and didn’t know where this suggestion had come from. I informed them that I had looked it up and I have subsequently sent them links to other Councils that use the ACT.
EV Charges for Salisbury Street Car Park
Just to report that progress is being made on this. Meetings have been held and Mr. Hytch is hopeful that Ultrafast EV chargers will be installed in the car park during September 2024
WALC Executive Committee meeting
I have just received the following email from the Local County Secretary:
Following last night’s Executive Committee meeting it was resolved that we would hold the Wiltshire Association of Local Councils Annual General Meeting on Wednesday, September 25th. If your Council intends to send representation to the AGM, please let me know. Once I have an estimated number for those attending, I will consider options for the most appropriate venue to host this meeting.
Clerks Report – August 2024
Redacted copy of email received from
RE: PLANNING APPLICATION NO: PL/2024/05361
This letter is to state our objections to the proposed amendment to plans for The Drying Fields application PL/2024/05361.
The original application was granted in 2022 in spite of being in a conservation area, the removal of a 55 year old retaining wall on Castle Street and the project being smack on a blind 90 degree corner on Castle Hill Lane.
The amended plans being proposed, have further amplified our concerns. Much deeper excavations are now required, that go considerably further back towards Castle Hill Lane where much of the work would be carried out. The blind corner and the close proximity of the 200-year-old granary building and boundary wall remain foremost concerns with the additional vibration and excavation.
Further objections to the plans are as follows: –
- Two car parking permission on the blind corner poses safety concerns. There is a history of the granary, Linden House front gates and the wall along Castle Hill Lane sustaining damage from vehicles. Manoeuvring cars in and out of this parking space will generate a constant hazard.
- Inadequate space for council bins, air source heat pump, electric car charging facilities, washing line, dog space, etc
- Lane disruption during construction
- Continued concerns for increasingly complex construction on an unsuitable site.
I hope the parish council can agree that the amended plans are unsuitable for Castle Hill Lane and encourage Wiltshire Council to reject them.
Thank you for your attention.
The Town Council Chair attended a Strategic Planning meeting in Trowbridge on 10th July to consider Application No., PL/2022/08186 – the extension to the existing Gypsy and Traveller site with 10 additional pitches, each pitch to consist of 1 Mobile Home, 1 Touring caravan and parking. You will recall that the Town Council lodged an objection to this planning application and the Chair made a good case against it. For a short while it seemed like Cllr. Jeans was going to get the decision deferred but the decision was made to approve the application with conditions. NB One of the conditions is that the existing red brick piered wall is removed.
Application Ref PL/2022/08186 – Full Planning Permission
Address: The Stables, Mapperton Hill, Mere, BA12 6LH
Proposal: Extension to existing Gypsy and Traveller site with 10 additional pitches, each
pitch to consist of 1 Mobile Home, 1 Touring caravan and parking
Applicant Name: Mr M Doe Case Officer: Lynda King
Decision Date: 10-07-2024 Decision: Approve with Conditions
Application Link: https://development.wiltshire.gov.uk/pr/s/planning-application/a0i3z000019
Wiltshire Council – Gypsies & Travellers Development Plan Document Consultation
Following its approval at our cabinet meeting last week and Full Council this week, Wiltshire’s Gypsies and Travellers Development Plan will now move to the next public consultation stage.
The public consultation begins on Tuesday 20 August until 5pm on Friday 4 October. To enable you to find out more about the Development Plan document and ask questions, we are holding five engagement events at different locations around the county and one online engagement event.
Please do attend one of these consultation events and help to promote the events amongst your contacts and networks.
Full details here: Gypsy and Travellers – planning – Wiltshire Council
This matter will be discussed at the September meeting so you may want to read the documents beforehand.
Open Consultation – Proposed reforms to the National Planning Policy Framework and other changes to the planning system
I have received the following report in an email from Civic Voice:
Today (30th July 2024) the Government unveiled a major overhaul of the planning system aimed at tackling the nation’s acute housing crisis and stimulating economic growth. This ambitious plan includes new mandatory housing targets for councils and reforms to both the planning system and housing policies. An eight-week consultation has begun immediately, with the final document expected to be adopted in late September. Please visit the consultation here.
Key elements of the consultation include:
- Annual Housing Target: In a statement in Parliament today, Deputy Prime Minister Angela Rayner announced that the new annual housing target will be 370,000 homes per year. This new target represents a significant increase from previous goals and aims to address the severe housing shortage across the country.
- Mandatory Housing Targets: All councils in England will now be assigned new, mandatory targets to deliver an additional 1.5 million homes. This initiative is designed to address the most pressing housing needs and spur housebuilding in regions where it is most required.
- Local Plans and Community Engagement: Local plans will play a crucial role in determining how homes and infrastructure are developed with Raynor indicating in her statement to Parliament that this will be the main area of engagement.
- Green Belt Review: Councils will be required to review their green belt land and prioritise ‘grey belt’ land where necessary. Development in the Green Belt will be governed by new “golden rules,” mandating that 50% of homes built must be affordable. Additionally, developments must enhance access to green spaces and ensure the provision of essential infrastructure such as schools and GP surgeries.
- Definition of Grey Belt: For the purposes of plan-making and decision-making, grey belt will be defined as land in the Green Belt comprising Previously Developed Land and any other parcels and/or areas of Green Belt land that make a limited contribution to the five Green Belt purposes (as defined in paragraph 140 of the Framework), but excluding those areas or assets of particular importance listed in footnote 7 of the Framework (other than land designated as Green Belt).
- Grey Belt Land: In areas where councils lack up-to-date plans or fail to meet local housing targets, homebuilders will be permitted to propose developments on grey belt land.
- Brownfield Development: The Government will prioritise brownfield sites for new development, with a clear directive that the default position should be “yes” to brownfield proposals. This is to encourage higher-density housing in urban centres.
- Well-designed or Beautiful: The consultation will also address whether to retain references to well-designed buildings and places but remove references to ‘beauty’ and ‘beautiful,’ and to amend paragraph 138 of the existing Framework.
- Support for Social and Affordable Housing: Reforms will include changes to the Right to Buy policy, granting councils greater flexibility to use receipts for building and acquiring more social homes. The Government also plans to reverse the decline in social rent homes and will detail further investments in affordable housing in the upcoming spending review.
- Local Authority Housing Fund: The third round of the Local Authority Housing Fund will proceed, allocating £450 million to councils to create homes for families at risk of homelessness.
- Infrastructure Projects: The reforms aim to facilitate the development of key infrastructure, including laboratories, gigafactories, data centres, and large-scale wind and solar projects.
- Additional reforms will be introduced through the Planning and Infrastructure Bill, focusing on strategic planning and streamlining the planning process.
The Government will respond to the consultation and publish revisions to the National Planning Policy Framework before the end of the year, aiming for swift implementation of policy changes.
Consultation Details: An eight-week consultation has started immediately, with the adoption of the final document planned for late September. The consultation comprises 106 questions, covering a wide range of topics related to the planning reforms.
I have also had a brief conversation with Cllr. Jeans who says that the Forward Planning team at Wiltshire Council have announced that the 4.2 year housing land supply is now INSUFFICIENT and has reverted back to 5 years. They have also warned that Wiltshire will now need to provide nearly double the number of houses previously envisaged within the Local Plan.
This matter will be raised on the September agenda but we thought you may want to gather information prior to the meeting.
Completion of Mere Water stream support phase two (redacted copy of email sent my Wessex Watter 12.7.24)
Completion of Mere Water stream support phase two
Earlier this year, we wrote to you about the second phase of our trial work to protect watercourses in and around Mere.
This project saw construction work in fields to the north of the town, to the northern side of the A303, installing new underground pipes to allow water to be pumped and added to Mere Stream during the summer months, as part of a trial project to support this watercourse.
The project was in response to concerns raised by Mere residents about the low flow of streams during dry periods, including the impact of abstraction for drinking water from our source in Mere.
An initial phase saw a borehole pump and underground pipework installed to allow water to be pumped and added to the Ashfield Water, enabling us to trial stream support in 2021. Those trials proved successful, even maintaining flow along the Ashfield during the 2022 environmental drought.
This second piece of work got under way in February of this year and I am pleased to inform you that it has now been completed.
We would like to thank the local community for its patience and understanding while this work was carried out.
What happens next?
The trialling of stream support will now begin in summer 2024 and we’ll be assessing the project’s effectiveness – how much of the added water stays in the stream – by measuring the flow of the stream at our weir gauge on the Shreen, in Mere, and by weekly spot-gauging of the flow at four locations along the stream.
We will shortly be writing to customers in Mere to advise them about the completion of this work and I attach a copy of this letter for your information. We also remain in regular contact with Mere Rivers Group with regard to progress.
In the meantime, should the town council have any further questions about this project, please do not hesitate to contact me via this email address.