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  three additional mobile homes on the site, located on a strip of land adjacent to the northern boundary, abutting Emms Lane.  The proposed mobile homes would have their own parking spaces and be within three metres of the northern boundary and measure between ten to15 metres long.  The existing roadway would be extended up to the new homes.   The additional homes would be available to persons of 50 years of age or over.

The site was located outside the built up area on the eastern side of Emms Lane. The application site for the three additional homes comprised a tapering area of land currently designated as 'agricultural' land.  It was approximately  25 metres by 15 metres. The surrounding area was 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. To caravan sites Brooks Green Park and Larkins Park were to the north-east of the application site. 

Oaklands Park 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. 

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.  Since publication of the report, the Highway Authority had raised no highway objection to the proposal.

The Parish Council had objected to the application.  Eleven letters of support, two letters of objection, and one letter commenting on the proposal had been received.  One of the members of the public who had spoken in support of the previous application DC/15/2664 confirmed that their comments also applied to this application. The applicant’s agent 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 and reiterated that the site was not currently included within the emerging Neighbourhood Plan, and was contrary to policies within the HDPF.    

RESOLVED

That planning application DC/15/2663 be refused for the following reasons:

01     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, 15, 25 and 26 of the Horsham District Planning Framework (2015).

 02    The provision of housing in this location would diminish the rural and tranquil character of this particular part of the landscape, creating a prominent and uncharacteristically urbanised environment.  The development is therefore contrary to Policies 25, 26 and 33 of the Horsham District Planning Framework (2015).