The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions
were made.
Charles Reppke, Head of Governance and Law, advised of two
letters that had been handed to him prior to the start of the hearing, one from
Erica Thornhill and the other from Brian Sutherland. He advised that they were unable to attend
the hearing today due to work commitments but wished to indicate their support
for this application. Mr Reppke then
outlined the hearing procedure that would be followed and invited anyone who
wished to speak at the meeting to identify themselves.
The Chair then invited the Planning Officer to set out his
recommendations.
PLANNING
Peter Bain presented the case on behalf of the Head of
Planning and Regulatory Services. He advised
that the application sought detailed planning permission for 11 dwellings,
formation of 4 vehicular accesses, highway improvements and the installation of
a private sewage treatment system. He
advised that the applicant was the Church of Scotland General Trustees although
there was a partnership arrangement with Fyne Homes who intended to undertake
the affordable housing element of the development. He advised that the application related to a
site area of almost 1 hectare located adjoining the southern built limits of
Ardfern. The application site was
bounded to the north by the grounds of Ardfern House and Craignish Parish
Church – both of which
were B listed buildings. The application
site was adjoined by the B8002 public road to the east with an open aspect over
Loch Craignish; to the west the site was contained by a steeply rising, wooded
escarpment. The site terminated in the
south at a wooded common boundary with the existing detached single storey dwelling,
Traighmhor which formed the northern limit of the loose cluster of residential
development at Barfad. Referring to the
earlier site inspection, he advised that Members would be aware that the
application site was an undeveloped edge of settlement location which lay
between the edge of Ardfern and the loose, dispersed grouping of residential
development at Barfad to the south. The gap between the existing Ardfern
settlement edge and Barfad was similarly evident from further afield when
viewed in the panoramic views of Loch Craignish. He advised that the application site itself
was essentially a long, narrow strip of some 260 metres in length which varied
in width from 25 metres to 55 metres. In
terms of the proposed site layout he advised that the application sought
detailed planning permission for 11 dwellings in total which included 6
affordable units which would be contained in 2 blocks located in the northern
third of the application site with each block containing 2 flats and 1
house. He advised that the affordable
housing would be served by a single new vehicular and pedestrian access onto
the B8002 with a shared parking court located between and slightly in front of
the two housing blocks and with private garden areas adjoining each of the
properties. He advised that the proposal
also included 5 private dwellinghouses to be located within sizeable plots
which would occupy the southern half of the application site. He advised that access to the private housing
would be via new shared accesses to plots 2&3, 4&5 with plot 1 served by
a new access which would also provide agricultural access to the Upper Glebe
land to the north west. The existing field access in the south of the
application site would be closed off. He
advised that the proposal as submitted included some minimal road widening
works and provision of pedestrian refuge points with the intention of seeking
to avoid introducing an urban footpath into this rural location. Water supply would be by connection to the
existing public water main and it was noted that Scottish Water have not raised
objection. In relation to foul water, he
advised that the proposal included the installation of 2 biodisc sewage
treatment plant with a combined outfall to Loch Craignish and that SEPA have
not raised objection to the proposed drainage arrangements. He advised that since its original submission
the proposal has been augmented by detailed proposals for the management of the
adjoining woodland areas which would be affected by the development. These
proposals include for the removal of up to 25 trees which are either dangerous
or in poor health and longer term management of these areas include replanting
with native species. He then went on to
explain in detail the proposed design of each of the housing units. He advised that the Head of Planning &
Regulatory Services report of handling dated 3 May and accompanying
supplementary reports dated 21 May and 12 June set out the material
considerations which have been taken into account by Officers in addition to
the provisions of the Development Plan in assessing this planning application
and in making a recommendation to Members.
He highlighted on the Argyll and Bute Local Plan 2009 Policy Map the
extent of the Potential Development Area 12/80 which the site lay within and
also Ardfern ‘settlement’ area and the Knapdale/Melfort Area of Panoramic
Quality which the site was also located within.
He referred to the key Development Plan policy considerations which were
relevant to the proposed development and advised that a detailed assessment of
the proposal in relation to these policies was set out in the report of
handling. He advised that these policies
could be loosely broken down into the following issues: Settlement Strategy,
Landscape, The Historic Environment, The Natural Environment, Development
Design, and Access and Servicing. He
advised that Policies STRAT DC 1 and LP HOU 1 set out a general presumption in
favour of up to and including ‘medium’ scale residential development on
appropriate locations subject to compliance with all other relevant provisions
of the Development Plan. He advised that
the Local Plan sets out within PDA 12/80 a requirement for 100% affordable,
high density housing with open space provision and that these aspirational
provisions of the PDA were also echoed in the Craignish Community Plan
2012. He ... view the full minutes text for item 3.
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