Agenda item

(Councillor David Jenkins declared a personal interest in the application because he knew one of the public speakers.)

The Development Manager reported that this application sought to vary condition 1 of permission DC/14/2273 which stated that; “No more than 29 caravans and mobile homes stationed on the land shall be occupied for human habitation.”  The application sought five additional mobile homes on the site which would lead to a total of 34 mobile homes.

The site is located outside the built up area on the eastern side of Emms Lane. The surrounding area is predominantly rural, with a row of eight dwellings on the opposite side of the highway and two dwellings to the south west of the site.

Oaklands Park formed part of what had been the larger caravan park known as Brooks Green Park which originally consisted of 60 caravans/mobile homes.   Brooks Green Park had subsequently been subdivided and now formed two separate parks; the section still called Brooks Green Park was on the northern part of the original site and had planning permission for a total of 46 permanently sited mobile homes, 15 of which were subject to a legal agreement requiring occupiers to have a local connection. 

The application site, Oaklands Park, formed the southern part of the original site.  It had permission for 29 mobile homes for permanent residential use to be occupied by persons of 50 years of age or over, and with a local connection.  A further caravan park, Larkins Park, was to the north of Brooks Green Park and comprised 28 touring caravans with occupancy restricted to 11 months in any year.

Details of relevant government and council policies and relevant planning history, as contained within the report, were noted by the Committee. 

The responses from statutory internal and external consultees, as contained within the report, were considered by the Committee.   The applicant’s agent had submitted two emails from estate agents stating that there was a need for this type of small housing in the district.  The Parish Council had objected to the application.  Thirteen letters of support had been received.  Two members of the public spoke in support of the application and the agent also addressed the Committee in support of the proposal. 

Members considered the officer’s planning assessment which indicated that the key issues for consideration in determining the proposal were: the principle of development; its impact on the surrounding countryside; neighbour amenity; and highways.  

Members were mindful of the local support for Oaklands Park but noted that the site was not currently included within the emerging Neighbourhood Plan.  Members discussed the proposal in the context of planning policy, and noted that further development of this site, in a rural location, would be contrary to policies with the HDPF.  

RESOLVED

That planning application DC/15/2664  be refused for the following reason:

The proposed development is located in a countryside location, outside the defined built up area boundary, on a site not allocated for development within the Horsham District Planning Framework, or an adopted Neighbourhood Development Plan. The Council is able to demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply and consequently this scheme would be contrary to the overarching strategy and hierarchical approach of concentrating development within the main settlements. Furthermore, the proposed development is not essential to its countryside location and consequently represents an inappropriate, unsustainable and unacceptable form of development that is contrary to the aims and objectives of the NPPF and Policies 1, 2, 3, 4, 19 and 26 of the Horsham District Planning Framework (2015).