Agenda and minutes

To approve as correct the minutes of the meetings held on 21^st March and 4^th April 2017

The minutes of the meetings of the Committee held on 21^st March and 4^th April were approved as a correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To receive any declarations of interest from Members of the Committee

There were no declarations of interest.

To receive any announcements from the Chairman of the Committee or the Chief Executive

There were no announcements.

The Head of Development reported that this outline planning application sought permission for a mixed use strategic development, with all matters, except for access, reserved for future determination. 

Details of the proposal, as set out in the report, included: up to 2,750 homes, to include 30% housing for local need; a number of education and community facilities; 46,450 square metre business park; retail facilities including local shopping facilities; open space and recreation facilities; and landscaping. 

Local transport infrastructure improvements, including works and contributions towards upgrading existing parts of the road network, were included in the application.  The legal agreement was still in development and the proposed Heads of Terms were set out in appendix 1 of the report.

The application had been amended since its submission in August 2016 to reflect existing ownership boundaries, and exclude Ancient Woodland to the north west of the site. 

The indicative housing provision comprised: Market Housing: 39 1-bedroom and 97 2-bedroom flats; 230 2-bedroom, 731 3-bedroom, 731 4-bedroom and 97 5-bedroom houses.  Housing for Local Needs: 169 1-bedroom, 251 2-bedroom and eight 3-bedroom flats; 239 2-bedroom, 100 3-bedroom, 51 4-bedroom and seven 5-bedroom houses. 

The application site was located adjacent to the northern boundary of Horsham, north of the A264 between Langhurstwood Road and Wimland Road.  The suburban area of Crawley was approximately two miles to the north east.  The site was predominantly made up of agricultural fields, with some copses and three areas of ancient woodland.  There was also a Scheduled Monument (Homestead Moat) and a Grade II listed building (The Moated House) and historic parkscapes within the site. 

Details of relevant government and council policies, as contained within the report, were noted by the Committee, in particular the policies regarding Land North of Horsham strategic site within the Horsham District Planning Framework. 

An addendum to the report was circulated to Members, which amended the recommendation so that the application would be determined in consultation with the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of Planning (South) Committee, and the Cabinet Member for Planning & Development, in addition to the Chairman and Vice-Chairman of this Committee.  The addendum also included: updates on consultation responses; a correction to paragraph 6.22 of the report; further details relating to the recommendations to follow paragraph 7.1 of the report with suggested revisions to conditions regarding time limits; and further recommended conditions and obligations regarding land ownership and the legal agreement. 

The responses from internal and external consultees, as contained within the report and addendum, were considered by the Committee. The responses from the Council’s Economic Development Team and Air Quality Officer, as printed in the addendum, were also noted by the Committee.  

A number of Neighbourhood and Parish Councils had commented on the application:  Colgate Parish Council raised objections to the original application and had not commented on the revised scheme. Denne Neighbourhood Council had objected to the original and amended application. Forest Neighbourhood Council had objected to the original application.  North Horsham Parish Council commented on both the original and revised  ...  view the full minutes text for item PCN/121