Agenda and minutes

The Evacuation Procedure was noted.

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 8 May 2024 were confirmed as a correct record subject to the following amendments.

1. Paragraph 3, of page 14, minute number P/14/24

‘It was suggested, by a Member, that a Bio-diversity report was needed to set a benchmark and to eventually measure any net gains and ascertain Nitrate Neutrality’.

2. Paragraph 9, of page 14, minute number P/14/24

‘Officers confirmed that the application was prior to net gain legislation’.

The Planning Protocol was noted.

Consideration was given to planning application 18/0195/OUT Land Adjacent To Low Lane And Thornaby Road, Thornaby, Stockton On Tees.

At the Planning Committee meeting on the 31st July 2019 Members resolved to grant planning consent for the above application subject to planning conditions and the development entering into a Section 106 agreement. Further amendments were then agreed at planning committee on the 3rd June 2020 in relation to removing the requirement for a recreational route and footbridge leading from the site to Ingleby Barwick across Bassleton Beck.

However, as the Section 106 agreement was not completed prior to the March 2022, the application was caught by the introduction of nutrient neutrality into the Tees catchment. The applicants had subsequently been working on a scheme to address the resulting impacts from increased levels of nitrogen arising out of the development and a suitable mitigation scheme had been agreed with Natural England.

In addition, given the passage of time a review of the section 106 requirements had also been undertaken and these were outlined within the Heads of Terms contained within the main report. As these changes were considered to materially affect the decision Members reached in 2020, the matter was referred back to Planning Committee to make a decision on the merits of the scheme in view of the revised Heads of Terms.

All material planning considerations remained as outlined within the original committee reports unless otherwise addressed within the officers planning report being considered today.

The consultees that had been notified and the comments that had been received were detailed within the main report.

Neighbours were notified and the comments received were detailed within the main report.

The planning policies and material planning considerations that were relevant to the consideration of the application were contained within the main report.

The Planning Officers report concluded that whilst there had been changes to circumstances surrounding the application and associated Heads of Terms, the site remained a housing site within the adopted Local Plan and the current proposals sought to provide facilities to meet an element of the future residents’ day-to-day needs.

The application site was considered to remain a sustainable location for a future housing development and in view of all the identified material planning considerations outlined in this and the other previous reports, the proposals remained acceptable in planning terms.

The Applicants Agent attended the meeting and was given the opportunity to make representation. Their comments could be summarised as follows:

.This was the third time the application had been to Planning Committee which was due to the introduction of nitrate neutrality and a review of Section 106 requirements.

. In terms of nitrate neutrality there was additional woodland planting proposed.

. Although there would be an accessible bus route on the proposed site, it would be difficult to get an operator to agree to provide a bus service.

. There would be a footpath connecting the site to Thornaby Road which had bus links.

. The original application had proposed  ...  view the full minutes text for item P/20/24

The Appeals were noted.