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sw/12/1483 - land adjoining community hall, shellness road/wing road, leysdown, sheerness
PRESENT: Councillor Barnicott (Chairman), Councillor Prescott (Vice-Chairman), Councillors Mike Henderson, Pat Sandle and Ben Stokes.
OFFICERS PRESENT: Kellie Mackenzie and Ross McCardle.
ALSO IN ATTENDANCE: Mr McCourt (Kent Design Partnership - Agent), Mr Rapley, Mr and Mrs Reed, Mrs Reed, Mr and Mrs Howell, Mr Pamplin, Mr and Mrs Cross, Mr and Mrs Hake and Mr Partis (local residents all in objection) and County Councillor Ken Pugh.
APOLOGIES: Councillors Bobbin, Andy Booth, Alan Willicombe and Jean Willicombe.
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sw/12/1483 - land adjoining community hall, shellness road/wing road, leysdown, sheerness
The Planning Officer explained that the proposal was for residential development of four two bedroom and one three bedroom single storey dwellings together with associated driveway parking at land adjoining Leysdown Community Hall, Shellness Road and Wing Road, Leysdown.
The Planning Officer advised that there would be two detached bungalows fronting Wing Road with the nearest bungalow to the hall measuring 8.5 metres wide, 10.5 metres deep and 5.1 metres to eaves height. There would be one detached bungalow and two semi-detached bungalows fronting Shellness Road. The two semi-detached bungalows would be nearest to the hall and would measure 17 metres wide, 10.4 metres deep and 6.4 metres to eaves height.
The Planning Officer explained that the rear gardens would be separated by a 1.8 metre close boarded fence, with a 2.2 metre close boarded fence along the boundary with the community hall. The Planning Officer spoke about the planning history of the site and that planning permission had been granted at the site as follows: a pair of dwellings in 1983; erection of two houses in 1984; and construction of six maisonettes in 1986.
The Planning Officer reported on views from consultees. He advised that Leysdown Parish Council had raised concerns with regard to parking, noise from the village hall would cause a problem to new residents and the planned development would be better used to provide additional parking for the community hall. Kent County Council (KCC) Highways raised no objection. The Head of Service Delivery raised no objection subject to a standard construction condition and a condition requiring submission of details of the proposed fence to prevent noise pollution. The Planning Officer reported that three letters of objection had been received raising issues which included: would lead to congestion due to lack of parking; new residents would have issues of noise; there was not a doctor or school in the locality to cater for new residents; the community hall was already well used and further development would exacerbate the already dangerous parking situation; and the site was a buffer between the holiday camps and the village hall.
The Planning Officer considered that in his opinion the impact on the local streetscene and harm to residential and visual amenities would be limited and recommended that the proposal be approved.
Mr McCourt, the agent, advised that they had submitted both a tree survey and ecological scoping survey and responded to all queries raised by planning officers. He stated that the site fell within the settlement boundary of Leysdown and the proposal was in accordance with both Swale Borough Local Plan 2008 policies and the National Planning Policy Framework.
The Ward Member spoke against the proposal and raised concern that the proposed 2.2 metre fence would shut out light to the Community Centre.
County Councillor Ken Pugh also spoke against the proposal. He raised the following concerns: would be an overdevelopment of the site; the site was within a flood plain so was against planning policy; would lead to an increase in traffic accessing the site; lack of parking and the land was currently a buffer between the holiday park and community hall.
Local residents raised the following concerns: the proposal would lead to an increase in traffic which was particularly bad in the summer; lack of parking was a serious problem with disabled and elderly either having to walk a long distance to the community hall or being unable to access it at all; if the community hall was built today there would be parking requirements so surely the adjacent site would be better used for parking; there were no doctors or schools to support more residents; disabled people felt discriminated against as it was already very difficult to access the hall by wheelchair or by motor-scooter due to current on-street parking problems and the proposal would exacerbate this problem; the Borough Council had a moral obligation to protect the amenity of all residents and surely allowing the proposal would lead to an increase of complaints about noise from the community hall; would be an over-development of the site; the hall was very important to local residents who were mainly elderly; the site was not the same as it was in the 1980's when the village hall was just a wooden building; the fencing adjacent to the hall may reduce noise but it would impact on light to the hall; and the area would become untidy.
In response to a query from a Member, the Ward Member clarified that the area of concrete land opposite the site in Shellness Road was currently owned by the bus garage and had permission for residential development.
A Member requested details of the height and design required to make the proposed acoustic fence effective. The Planning Officer agreed to provide such details at the Planning Committee on 11 April 2013.
A local resident suggested that in order to alleviate parking problems in Wing Road that signs be erected notifying motorists that there was parking for upto 400 vehicles at the car park adjacent to the Promenade, Leysdown.
Members then toured the site with the Planning Officer.
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