Agenda item

Recommendation: Conditional approval, subject to a Legal Agreement.

Proposal: Reserved Matters application (Appearance, Landscaping, Layout and Scale to be considered) pursuant to outline planning consent O/2006/8687 relating to the erection of 433 dwellings, associated amenity space, car parking including garaging, internal access roads (accessed from approved Phase 1 Winnersh Relief Road between King Street Lane and Lower Earley Way) and private drives, pedestrian and cycle links, hard and soft landscaping including public open space, infrastructure provision including provision of surface water drainage and foul drainage (including foul water pumping station), undergrounding of power lines and other associated works.

Applicant:Persimmon Homes & Bovis Homes

The Committee received and reviewed a report about this application, set out in Agenda pages 5 to 80.

The Committee was advised that the Members’ Update included:

·       clarifications on school land, the country park, car parking, flooding and the relief road;

·       alterations to the report; and

·       additional information on drainage strategy, window design and residents’ concerns.

It was noted that Members visited the site on Friday 11 March 2016 to assess the relationship of the major development with adjoining land uses and nearby residential properties.

Councillor Bill Luck, representing Earley Town Council spoke on the application and expressed concerns about road traffic, flood risk, parking, window design and construction lorry wheel washing.

Paul Robertson and Tony Johnson, representing local residents, spoke in objection to the application.  They queried if the relief road had full planning permission and raised the issues of noise, housing density and landscaping.

David Hutchison, Agent, spoke in favour of the application.  He pointed out that there were no objections from the Parish Council or the statutory consultees.

Prue Bray, Local Ward Member, spoke to the application.  She asked that Local Ward Members be consulted about the implementation of condition 9 relating to drainage.

Philip Houldsworth, Local Ward Member, spoke to the application.  He said that additional housing was needed but that the Council had to ensure that there was adequate flooding protection.

Clare Lawrence, Head of Development Management and Regulatory Services, stated that permission for the relief road was included at outline stage. 

Members asked about the enlarged drainage ponds, possible flooding of the relief road or housing and concerns expressed by Thames Water.  Boniface Ngu Azeh, Principal Flood Risk and Drainage Engineer, explained that the larger ponds were to improve flood protection, the design of the relief road was to ensure that it would not flood in a 100-year storm plus 30% for climate change, there were no houses in Flood Zone 2 and full drainage details must be provided prior to commencement of development under condition 9.

In response to questions about the provision of schools and public transport, the planning officers stated that there was capacity for these to be provided at a later stage.  There is land reserved for educational use and room to place bus stops.

Members asked about certain roads in the development that were not of a standard that could be adopted by the Council.  Chris Easton, Service Manager, Highways Development Management, explained that some roads did not meet the Council’s adoptable requirements on service margins but that the carriageways themselves were of acceptable width.  Those roads will be the responsibility of the Management Company in perpetuity and residents will be made aware of that as set out within a Section 106 legal agreement.

Members expressed concern about potential traffic problems until Winnersh Relief Road Phase 2 is completed and, in particular, possible extra traffic on King Street Lane.  Chris Easton stated that he believed that the completion of Phase 1 may provide some relief for King Street Lane and that in assessing the planning application officers consider all aspects including the development in its completed state.

Clare Lawrence, Head of Development Management and Regulatory Services, stated that she would write to the developer about mud on the road. Also, that local ward Members would be consulted about any discharge of condition submission in respect of drainage.

RESOLVED: That application No. 152359 be approved, subject to the completion of a Legal Agreement and the conditions set out on Agenda pages 7 to 13.