Democracy in Crawley

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Agenda and minutes

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Items
No. Item

1.

Disclosures of Interest

In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, Councillors of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to declare interests where appropriate.

 

Minutes:

No disclosures of interests were made.

 

 

2.

Lobbying Declarations

The Planning Code of Conduct requires Councillors who have been lobbied, received correspondence or been approached by an interested party with respect to any planning matter should declare this at the meeting which discusses the matter. Councillors should declare if they have been lobbied at this point in the agenda.

 

Minutes:

The following lobbying declarations were made by Councillors:

 

All Councillors in attendance had been lobbied regarding application CR/2019/0863/FUL – Tilgate Forest Golf Centre, Tilgate Drive, Tilgate, Crawley.

 

 

3.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 292 KB

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the Planning Committee held on 14 January 2020.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting of the Planning Committee held on 14 January 2020 were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

 

 

4.

Planning Application CR/2019/0619/TPO - Woldhurstlea Wood (Including Woldhurstlea Close), Buckswood Drive, Gossops Green, Crawley pdf icon PDF 452 KB

To consider report PES/329aof the Head of Economy and Planning.

 

RECOMMENDATION to CONSENT

Minutes:

The Committee considered report PES/329a of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

 

Tree works as detailed in attached schedule.

Area AMW1 – 17 trees – works to improve footpath/ safety, comprising coppicing, crown reduction, felling, thinning self seeded trees.

Area AMW2 – 9 trees – works to improve footpath /safety comprising sectional felling, coppicing, reduction of branch weight and thinning self seeded trees.

Area HSG – 70 trees – works to improve footpath/ safety/ clearance to buildings comprising sectional felling, crown lifting, crown reduction, removal of individual branches and epicormic growth.

 

Councillor Jaggard declared they had visited the site.

 

The Principal Planning Officer provided a verbal summation of the application, which had been submitted by Crawley Borough Council regarding woodland protected by a Tree Preservation Order.  The trees within the woodland and the subject of the application had been divided into three broad areas.  The various areas of the site had been assessed and the works were deemed necessary to ensure the health of the woodland, good tree management, and the safety of the public using the nearby footpaths.

 

The Committee then considered the application.  Committee members expressed concern at the number of trees to be lost at the site, and it was confirmed that the larger trees due to be removed would be replaced on a 1:1 basis.  The Committee requested that an informative be added to request that the applicant consider planting more replacement trees than the proposed five.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

Consent subject to conditions set out in report PES/329a, and the addition of an additional informative worded as follows:

 

1.       The Planning Committee expressed concern at the loss of Council trees from this woodland and requested that the applicant consider the replanting of further extra trees in addition to those required by condition 3 to supplement the areas where the trees are to be felled.

 

 

5.

Planning Application CR/2019/0863/FUL - Tilgate Forest Golf Centre, Tilgate Drive, Tilgate, Crawley pdf icon PDF 365 KB

To consider report PES/329dof the Head of Economy and Planning.

 

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT

Minutes:

The Committee considered report PES/329d of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

 

Adventure golf facility and associated works & reconfiguration of overflow car park for additional parking provision.

 

Councillors A Belben, Jaggard, Jhans, Mwagale, and P C Smith declared they had visited the site.

 

The Principal Planning Officer provided a verbal summation of the application and provided the Committee with an update to the application including one amended condition and one new informative, as follows:

 

Amended condition:-

5.         The development hereby approved shall only take place in strict accordance with the submitted Construction Management Plan provided by Greenspan Project Limited, dated 27 January 2020 and received on 7 February 2020.

REASON:  In the interests of highway safety and the amenities of the area in accordance with Policy CH3 of the Crawley Borough Council Local Plan 2015-2030.

 

New informative:-

2.         The applicant is advised to contact the local Highways Officer before work begins to inform them of what is proposed.  This can be done via the following web link, mentioning “Titmus Drive” on the web form:  https://www.westsussex.gov.uk/roads-and-travel/make-an-enquiry-about-a-road-or-pavement/

 

Jacky Bradley, on behalf of a group of Tilgate residents, spoke in objection to the application.  It was heard that during previous public meetings, residents had been assured that the car park would remain free and not be converted to the pay and display system that was now rumoured.  The planting of three trees to mitigate the loss of one was not deemed sufficient considering the space available and the need to offset carbon emissions.  It was also suggested that the current refuse disposal arrangements at the site were unsuitable.

 

Tom Brooke, as the applicant, spoke in support of the application.  It was heard that the applicant had made changes to the application following discussion with the Council and local residents which were compliant with planning policy.  The site had been leased to Glendale Golf by the Council in 2004 and this was considered a reuse of the land, upon which no footpaths were to be removed and one tree was to be felled.  The applicant currently had no intention of charging for car parking.

 

The Committee then considered the application.  Committee members welcomed the addition of a family attraction in Crawley, and raised various queries which were addressed by Planning Officers:

 

·         The materials to be used on the adventure golf course would be subject to condition 3, which required that samples be submitted for approval prior to installation.

·         The opening times of the proposed facility would be 9am-9pm, to which the Council’s Environmental Health department had not objected.

·         Access to the car park would be via the narrow access road, to which West Sussex County Council’s Highways department had not raised an objection. It was explained that the access road had sufficient forward visibility.

·         Issues with refuse disposal were a matter for the land owner and operator and it was to be noted in the minutes that the relevant department of the Council (as the landowner) would investigate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

6.

Planning Application CR/2019/0802/FUL - Bloc Hotel, South Terminal, Perimeter Road East, Gatwick, Crawley pdf icon PDF 376 KB

To consider report PES/329bof the Head of Economy and Planning.

 

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT

Minutes:

The Committee considered report PES/329b of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

 

Erection of extension to existing hotel to provide an additional net 231 bedrooms and associated back of house and support accommodation.

 

The Group Manager (Development Management) provided a verbal summation of the application and updated the Committee that further information had been sought from Sussex Building Control regarding fire safety in terms of the proposed means of escape and the building cladding, but detailed comments were unable to be provided.  Both aspects would be the responsibility of the appointed building control body (Approved Inspector).

 

The Committee then considered the application.  The development was considered an efficient use of space and visually in keeping with the surrounding area.  Committee members expressed concern over the provision of a number of hotel rooms without windows and the potential for this to set a precedent for future developments, but noted that the atypical purpose of the hotel as short-term pre-flight accommodation meant that windows were considered less of a necessity.  It was confirmed that, although preferred, there were no specific planning policies that required a hotel room to have a window, and the Council’s Environmental Health department had no objections to the application.  It was also explained that the adequacy of the air circulation system was a matter controlled under other legislation.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

Permit subject to conditions set out in report PES/329b.

 

 

7.

Planning Application CR/2019/0840/FUL - 23 Town Barn Road, West Green, Crawley pdf icon PDF 359 KB

To consider report PES/329cof the Head of Economy and Planning.

 

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT

Minutes:

The Committee considered report PES/329c of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

 

Erection of 2 storey rear extension to include Juliet balcony, single storey side extension, front porch, front bay window and roof atrium to existing rear projection.  Existing garage to be demolished & new parking space to be provided on semi permeable surface.

 

Councillors A Belben and Jaggard declared they had visited the site.

 

The Principal Planning Officer provided a verbal summation of the application.  The Committee then considered the application and, in response to a query from a Committee member, it was confirmed that applicant was a staff member at Crawley Borough Council and that there were no further reasons for the application being referred to the Committee.

 

RESOLVED

 

Permit subject to conditions set out in report PES/329c.

 

 

8.

Objections to the Crawley Borough Council Tree Preservation Order - Squires Garden Centre, Horsham Road, Gossops Green, Crawley - 09/2019 pdf icon PDF 2 MB

To consider report PES/346 of the Head of Economy and Planning.

Minutes:

The Committee considered report PES/346 of the Head of Economy and Planning, which sought as follows:

 

To delegate to the Head of Economy and Planning the power to consider any response received from the neighbour at 187 Buckswood Drive at the conclusion of the consultation period (to expire on 24/02/2020) and to thereafter but by no later than 28/02/2020 make a decision whether to confirm the Order with or without modification.

 

Councillors A Belben, Jaggard, Mwagale, and Purdy confirmed they had visited the site.

 

The Group Manager (Development Management) provided both a verbal summation of the application and an update to the Committee.  A response to the consultation had been received from the neighbour at 187 Buckswood Drive which detailed that, although the trees blocked some sunlight to their garden, the individual had no objections to the Tree Preservation Order (TPO) on the condition that the trees were regularly maintained in order to prevent encroachment upon the garden and property.  The neighbour had been informed that works to trim the trees had previously been agreed and ongoing requests for maintenance to ensure light was maintained to the garden were likely to be consented.

 

The Committee then discussed the application.  The visual amenity of the two tree groups was noted.  Following a question from a Committee member seeking the reasons behind making a TPO for the specific groups of trees in question, it was explained that usually, privately owned trees are subject to less control over their health and general arboricultural management, whereas trees with a TPO or on public land are subject to more regular inspection and maintenance.

 

 

RESOLVED

 

To delegate to the Head of Economy and Planning the power to consider any response received from the neighbour at 187 Buckswood Drive at the conclusion of the consultation period (to expire on 24/02/2020) and to thereafter but by no later than 28/02/2020 make a decision whether to confirm the Order with or without modification.