Agenda and minutes

Members were asked to suspend Standing Order 5.4 – the Member who is presiding at the meeting must do so from the specified location for the meeting and cannot join by video conferencing.

 

The requisite two thirds of Members present agreed to suspend Standing Order 5.4 to enable discussion of reports on the Agenda.

 

The Chair outlined the process that would be followed during the Skype meeting.

 

There were no apologies for absence intimated.

There were no declarations of interest intimated.

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.  He explained that no person present would be entitled to speak other than the Members of the Local Review Body and Mr Jackson who would provide procedural advice if required.

 

He advised that his first task would be to establish if the Members of the Local Review Body felt that they had sufficient information before them to come to a decision on the Review.

 

The Chair advised that he felt he had sufficient information before him to come to a decision and Councillor Freeman agreed.

 

Councillor Currie advised that he had experienced difficulty in understanding what the extension would look like and advised that a cross section plan would have been useful.  The Chair told him that the increase in ridge height of the proposed building was incongruous to the surrounding area. 

 

Mr Jackson directed Members of the Panel to pages 30 and 31 of the agenda pack and explained that the applicant was proposing to remove the existing roof from the white building shown on page 31 and extend the building upwards.

 

The Chair referred to the reasons for refusal on page 49 of the agenda pack advising that he agreed with the reasons for refusal; and taking into consideration the objections received, the comments by the conservation officer and the effect on the listed building, he proposed that the panel refuse the request for review for the reasons as stated on page 49 of the agenda pack.

 

Councillor Freeman referred to the comments made by Councillor Currie about the need for a cross section plan and advised that he agreed with this.  He raised the issue of car parking advising that it looked like parking could be available on the side street which was Victoria Street.  He advised that clarification on this would be helpful.  Councillor Freeman referred to the impact on the conservation area and given the work that had taken place already, advised that in his opinion the quality of the conservation area had already been reduced somewhat.

 

Councillor Currie advised that he felt some confusion around what building was the one that was to be extended and that the photographs did not show this clearly.  He also said that he was unsure what roads were shown on pages 30 and 31 of the agenda pack and which one the access to the property was from.

 

The Chair advised that he believed the access was from Victoria Road and Mr Jackson said that clarification on this could be sought along with Councillor Freeman’s query about parking.

 

Councillor Currie suggested that the panel be minded of the demand for workers accommodation in Tobermory when considering the application.  He advised that a site visit would be beneficial to allow him to envisage the effect the height of the extension would have on the surrounding area.  He noted his concerns about whether or not this could happen due to current restrictions on travel.

 

Mr Jackson advised that due to the timescales required for seeking further information and the Councillor recess, it may be August before the panel would be required to meet again and therefore the Scottish Government restrictions due to Coronavirus may be lifted enough to allow travel to the island for a site visit.

 

Councillor Freeman advised that he agreed with Councillor Currie and would also like a site visit to see how the proposal would fit into the conservation area.  He also said that he could not find anything within the papers advising what the increase in ridge height would be.

 

Mr Jackson suggested that it was good practice to request from the planning department at this stage, model conditions and reasons which could accompany an approval, as this would prevent the need to seek further information should the panel find that they were minded to approve the application at the next meeting.

 

Decision

 

The Argyll and Bute Local Review Body agreed –

 

1.    To request confirmation from the planning officer of the exact increase in ridge height between the existing roof and the proposed roof.

 

2.    To request, from the planning officer, model conditions and reasons that could accompany an approval if the panel were so minded.

 

3.    To request, from the planning officer, the plans submitted in relation to the proposed development.

 

4.    To request, from the roads department, confirmation of which road the access to the property was from and whether there was scope for public parking on Victoria Street.

 

5.    To hold an accompanied site visit at the earliest opportunity, taking into account the restrictions on travel put in place by the Scottish Government due to the Coronavirus pandemic to allow the Panel to gauge the impact the proposed extension would have on the conservation area and surrounding properties.

 

6.    To adjourn the meeting and reconvene at the earliest opportunity after the site visit.

 

(Reference:  Notice of Review and Supporting Papers and Comments from Interested Parties, submitted)