Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Rory Colville, Robin Currie, Mary-Jean Devon and Graeme Archibald Hardie.

There were no declarations of interest.

Report by Head of Planning, Housing and Regulatory Services

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.  He then outlined the procedure that would be followed and invited the Head of Governance and Law to identify all those present who wished to speak.

PLANNING

Tim Williams presented the application on behalf of the Head of Planning, Housing and Regulatory Services.  A summary of his presentation is detailed below:

The matter that Members will consider today at this pre-determination hearing is an application seeking planning permission in principal in order to establish a general ‘green light approval’ for a potential future residential development upon a well-contained site of approximately 1.75 hectares, situated within the clearly defined, long-established and formally adopted extended Main Town settlement of Oban. Key planning policies LDP DM 1, LDP 8 and associated supplementary guidance SG LDP HOU 1 offer a general presumption in support of up to ‘large scale’ residential development upon appropriate sites in order to promote the sustainable economic growth of our town, to secure an appropriate housing supply to meet the varied socio-economic needs of our population, and to support key national and local planning policy aims, not least to reverse population decline.

The site has a ten year history of previous planning permissions for residential development and associated road infrastructure. The principal of residential development upon the site the subject of this current planning application and its adjacent land was granted by elected Members in March 2010 following a discretionary local hearing similar to this one. This permission was reaffirmed in November 2012 and was the subject of a detailed planning permission for the access and internal road layout granted the year before.

These permissions expired in November 2015 and this very recent history of both detailed and ‘in principal’ planning permission must be afforded substantial material weight in the consideration and determination of the very similar planning application before Members today.

The site is situated within a long-established residential area on the periphery of the Main Town of Oban, the localised extent of which is shown by the pink shading on the slide. The hatched areas to the top of the slide are Open Space Protection Areas associated with the Soroba development and the Oban High School sports pitches.

The site is accessed from the end of Lonan Drive beyond which it opens out to form a well-contained small glen with steeply sloping wooded valley sides to the north and a more gently sloping periphery to the south and south-east. The site is bounded along its eastern boundary by the established residential development of Nant Drive. To the west and north west the proposed development site adjoins the steeply sloping and wooded valley side with an area of elevated and undeveloped plateau beyond and then sloping down steeply to meet McCaig Road and the residential development of Soroba. Due north of the proposed development site is Feochan Gardens which is a small residential spur off Nant Drive and due south of the application site lies the residential developments of Etive Gardens, Creran Gardens, Lonan Drive and Orchy Gardens. This existing residential development appears to be predominantly privately owned individual detached and semi-detached homes which are largely single storey in design.

Members will have observed from our site inspection earlier that the proposed development site is so well contained, both by its topography and existing mature vegetation that the existing residential development rarely makes its presence felt.

The development site is limited primarily to the valley floor with the substantial undeveloped sloping and elevated wooded land due north and west, and existing residential development to the south and east.

Although this current application is simply for planning permission in principal only, indicative details of a possible potential future residential development have been provided by the Applicant’s architect, Mr Beaton. Whilst it is important to stress that any planning permission which might arise from this application would simply consist of a consent to establish the broad principal of residential development within the identified site, the submitted indicative details are helpful as they demonstrate the Applicant’s potential future aspirations for the site and, specifically, that those aspirations have been carefully and sympathetically considered; even at this initial stage.

These submitted details indicate a potential future development restricted to areas of the valley floor, below the level of the existing path where it climbs towards the northern part of the site to meet with Feochan Gardens; avoiding the wooded valley sides; and with a considerable separation distance between existing and proposed residential development.

These indicative details suggest a relatively low density development of 44 residential units comprising a mix of flats and semi-detached dwellinghouses arranged in 12 development blocks along a simple curvilinear spine road. These indicative details suggest that the development could be a mix of single storey, two storey and three storey properties.

In terms of the ‘scales of development’ as published within the adopted Local Development Plan, such a development would, if approved following the proper consideration of a future, detailed planning application, constitute ‘large scale’ development (i.e. a development exceeding 30 dwelling units) as supported within the Main Towns by planning policy.

Any residential development of 20 units or more would be required to provide 12 square metres of casual public open space per unit and 6 square metres of equipped play space per unit. The indicative details indicate how this might be provided.

Any residential development of 8 units or more is required by planning policy to secure a minimum of 25% of the development as affordable housing. Whilst such provision would be secured through a planning condition attached to any permission, the Applicant has stated that it is his intention that 100% of the development be affordable and that it be provided and secured through a registered social landlord.

Whilst the submitted indicative details suggest that a future residential development of this site could include some three storey flatted development, detailed sections of the site have been provided which show how such a development could be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3.