Agenda and minutes

Venue: Council Chamber, Civic Offices, Bridge Street, Reading RG1 2LU

Contact: Simon Hill - Committee Services Email: (simon.hill@reading.gov.uk)  0118 9372303

Link: Link to watch meeting (Live or on demand)

Media

Items
No. Item

45.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 56 KB

Minutes:

The Minutes of the meeting held on 7 September 2022 were agreed as a correct record and signed by the Chair.

46.

Potential Site Visits for Committee Items pdf icon PDF 71 KB

Minutes:

The Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a schedule of applications to be considered at future meetings of the Committee to enable Councillors to decide which sites, if any, they wished to visit prior to determining the relevant applications, and a list of previously agreed site visits.

 

Resolved –

 

          That the under-mentioned application, together with any additional applications which the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection Services might consider appropriate, be the subject of an accompanied site visit:

 

221235/FUL – 138-144 FRIAR STREET

Demolition of No’s 138-141 & 142-143 Friar St, partial demolition of No. 144 Friar St and erection of ground, mezzanine and 1st to 6th floor (7 storey) hotel building with 163 bedspaces (Class C1), with ancillary ground floor lounge, bar and restaurant and associated works.

 

47.

Planning Appeals pdf icon PDF 61 KB

Minutes:

(i)       New Appeals

 

The Executive Director for Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a schedule giving details of notification received from the Planning Inspectorate regarding three planning appeals, the method of determination for which she had already expressed a preference in accordance with delegated powers, which was attached as Appendix 1 to the report. 

 

(ii)      Appeals Recently Determined

 

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a schedule giving details of two decisions that had been made by the Secretary of State, or by an Inspector appointed for the purpose, which was attached as Appendix 2 to the report.

 

(iii)     Reports on Appeal Decisions

 

There were no appeal decision reports submitted.

 

Resolved –   

 

(1)      That the new appeals, as set out in Appendix 1, be noted;

 

(2)      That the outcome of the recently determined appeals, as set out in Appendix 2, be noted.

48.

Applications for Prior Approval pdf icon PDF 95 KB

Minutes:

49.

Objection to a Tree Preservation Order - 24 Eldon Road pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Minutes:

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report on an objection to Tree Preservation Order No. 4/22 relating to 24 Eldon Road.  A copy of the TPO plan was attached to the report at Appendix 1.

 

The report noted that the property sat within the Eldon Square Conservation Area and that six weeks prior notification was required to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority where tree works were proposed within a Conservation Area.  On 24 June 2022, a Notice of intention to fell the Monterey cypress had been received.  Officers had not accepted the reasons for felling as being justified and considered the tree to provide high amenity value, contributing to the Conservation Area.  A TPO had been served on 27 July 2022 in order to prevent the felling and a copy of the formal response was attached to the report at Appendix 2.

 

The report summarised an objection to the TPO that had been made by the neighbour at 22 Eldon Place and set out officer comments in response.  It concluded that the TPO was warranted and did not unduly impact on the objector’s property, with there being scope to prune the tree to alleviate concerns.  The recommendation was therefore to confirm the TPO.

 

Resolved –

 

          That the Tree Preservation Order be confirmed.

 

50.

221049/HOU - 33 Jesse Terrace pdf icon PDF 6 MB

Proposal

Replacement of wooden windows with UPVC (retrospective)

Recommendation

Application Permitted

 

Minutes:

Replacement of wooden windows with uPVC (retrospective)

 

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report on the above application.

 

Comments and objections were received and considered.

 

Objector Evelyn Williams, representing Reading Conservation Area Advisory Committee, and the applicant Jon Henshall, attended the meeting and addressed the Committee on this application.

 

The Committee noted that the handling of the application raised concerns around the 2004 Article 4 Direction for Jesse Terrace and requested a report back to a future meeting.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)      That retrospective planning permission for application 221049/FUL be granted, subject to the conditions and informatives as recommended;

 

(2)      That a report be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee on the concerns raised regarding the 2004 Article 4 Direction covering Jesse Terrace, including the clarity of the requirements and its availability and visibility on the Council’s website.

51.

220776/FUL - Land At 362 Oxford Road pdf icon PDF 6 MB

Proposal

Erection of a mixed-use development comprising two commercial units on the ground floor (157.5 sqm), 26 residential units (Class C3), associated landscaping, car and cycle parking. 

Recommendation

Permitted subject to Legal Agreement

 

Minutes:

Erection of a mixed-use development comprising two commercial units on the ground floor (157.5 sqm), 26 residential units, associated landscaping, car and cycle parking.

 

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report on the above application.

 

Comments were received and considered.

 

Resolved –

 

          That planning permission for application 220776/FUL be refused for the following reason:

 

          That in the absence of a completed legal agreement to secure an acceptable amount of Affordable Housing, the proposal fails to contribute adequately to the housing needs of Reading Borough and the need to provide sustainable mixed and balanced communities. As such the proposal is contrary to Policy H3 of the Reading Borough Local Plan 2019 and Affordable Housing Supplementary Planning Document 2021.

52.

212037/REG3 - Land adjacent to Reading Sewage and Treatment Works, Island Road pdf icon PDF 5 MB

Proposal

A gypsy and traveller transit site intended for short-term use while in transit. It will comprise 7 pitches, bin store, outdoor seating area, play area, and a new access onto Island Road. Each pitch comprises a kitchen/toilet block and space for two caravans and two cars. 

Recommendation

Application Permitted

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

A gypsy and traveller transit site intended for short-term use while in transit. It will comprise 7 pitches, bin store, outdoor seating area, play area, and a new access onto Island Road. Each pitch comprises a kitchen/toilet block and space for two caravans and two cars.

 

The Executive Director of Economic Growth and Neighbourhood Services submitted a report on the above application.  Attached to the report at Appendix 1 were the consultation responses received from statutory consultees and at Appendix 2 a summary of the public consultation responses with comments from officers.  An update report was tabled at the meeting which set out additional information on flood risk and on the assessment of potential gypsy and traveller transit sites that had resulted in this site being identified.

 

Comments and objections were received and considered.

 

Objector Adam Boulding, Rob Shrimplin the applicant’s agent, and Daryn Inston also representing the applicant, attended the meeting and addressed the Committee on this application.

 

Resolved –

 

(1)           That, pursuant to Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992, the carrying out of the development 212037/REG3 with temporary planning permission for 10 years be authorised, subject to the conditions and informatives as set out in the original report, with an additional condition regarding one toilet unit being an accessible toilet and an additional informative that the future use of the site after expiry of the temporary planning permission be reported to the Committee at the appropriate time;

 

(2)           That the detailed landscaping scheme, the ecological mitigation scheme, the site management plan and the details of boundary treatment including noise suppression characteristics (recommended conditions 12, 13, 15 and 18) be submitted to a future meeting of the Committee for approval prior to commencement of the development, and that the site decommissioning plan (recommended Condition 2) be submitted to a meeting of the Committee for approval at the appropriate time;

 

(3)           That prior to occupation of the site Environmental Protection be requested to submit an updated air quality assessment to the relevant Committee.