Agenda and draft minutes

The Chair advised those present of the procedure to be followed at the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Chicken, Daley, Dunbar, Ezhilchelvan, Ferguson and Taylor.

Unless already entered in the Council’s Register of Members’ interests, members are required?where a matter arises at a meeting;?

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1. Which directly relates to?Disclosable Pecuniary Interest (‘DPI’) as set out in Appendix B, Table 1 of the Code of Conduct, to disclose the interest, not participate in any discussion or vote and not to remain in room. Where members have a DPI or if the matter concerns an executive function and is being considered by a Cabinet Member with a DPI they must notify the Monitoring Officer and arrange for somebody else to deal with the matter.

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2. Which directly relates to?the financial interest or well being of a Other Registerable Interest as set out in Appendix B, Table 2 of the Code of Conduct to disclose the interest and only speak on the matter if members of the public are also allowed to speak at the meeting but otherwise must not take part in any discussion? or vote on the matter and must not remain the room.

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3. Which directly relates to?their financial interest or well-being? (and is not? DPI) or the financial well being of a relative or close associate, to declare the interest and members may only speak on the matter if members of the public are also allowed to speak. Otherwise, the member must not take part in discussion or vote on the matter and must leave the room.

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4. Which affects?the financial well-being of the member, a relative or close associate or a body included under the Other Registerable Interests column in Table 2, to disclose the interest and apply the test set out at paragraph 9 of Appendix B before deciding whether they may remain in the meeting.

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5. Where Members have or a Cabinet Member has an Other Registerable Interest or Non Registerable Interest in a matter being considered in exercise of their executive function, they must notify the Monitoring Officer and arrange for somebody else to deal with it.

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NB Any member needing clarification must contact?monitoringofficer@northumberland.gov.uk. ?Members are referred to the Code of Conduct which contains the matters above in full.?Please refer to the guidance on disclosures at the rear of this agenda letter.

Councillor Flux declared an interest as a local resident and local member and would be speaking in objection to the planning application 23/01737/FUL.

To request the committee to decide the planning applications attached to this report using the powers delegated to it.

Please note that printed letters of objection/support are no longer circulated with the agenda but are available on the Council’s website at http://www.northumberland.gov.uk/Planning.aspx

The report requested the Committee to decide the planning applications attached to the report using the powers delegated to it.? Members were reminded of the principles which should govern their consideration of the applications, the procedure for handling representations, the requirement of conditions and the need for justifiable reasons for the granting of permission or refusal of planning applications.  

RESOLVED that the information be noted.

New temporary access to site, land south of Beacon Farm, Beacon Lane, Cramlington, Northumberland, NE23 8AZ.

New temporary access to site, land south of Beacon Farm, Beacon Lane, Cramlington, Northumberland, NE23 8AZ.

Richard Whittaker, Planning Officer introduced the report with the aid of a PowerPoint presentation.

Councillor Barry Flux spoke in objection and addressed the Committee:

·       There had been 32 objections to the application.

·       The residents of Beacon Hill had consistently argued to against the temporary access, and he had met with residents as Ward Councillor.

·       Residents had raised concerns about the proposed temporary access as the footpath and cycle lane were used by children, pedestrians and cyclists.

·       The Councill would have no control when the access would be stopped up following completion of the link road.

·       The access was close to a busy path and school pedestrians.

·       He urged members to explore the highways danger and find good planning reasons to refuse.

·       Objectors had never objected to planning applications on their doorstep and urged officers to find another access.

Amy Ward, Planning Manager was in attendance on behalf of the applicant and responded as follows:-

·       Temporary planning permission was being sought for a secondary access into the development site at the Cramlington West Sector.

·       The central route would provide access to the parcel of development.  However, it currently ran through the construction site of the parcel of development.

·       The temporary access would enable new residents to access their homes via the secondary access for a period of 2 years, until the central road no longer ran through the construction site.  If the construction along the central spine road was completed earlier, the use of the temporary access would cease.

·       Planning permission was received in 2017 for the erection of 715 houses to the south west of Cramlington.  The permission also included the provision of playing fields, a pavilion, 3 play areas and a multi-use games area.

·       The site had commenced last year following an extensive programme of remediation and the purchase of the site from the Council.

·       The development was progressing well and between Barratt and Keepmoat, currently 182 houses had been built and over £800k paid to the Council in accordance with the S106 agreement.

·       The overall housing site was designed to deliver 715 houses from a new access created off Beacon Lane, which then formed a primary road through the development.  The houses were always envisaged to be delivered from this route.  However, because Barratt were building out under two brands, they were delivering slightly faster than Keepmoat.

·       The parcel of land where the 90 houses lay was a Barratt parcel, further to the east of the main road and east of a Keepmoat parcel of the site.  They were looking to bring the parcel forward ahead of Keepmoat’s parcel and ahead of the construction of the full extent of  the link road.

·       It would be unsafe to bring residents through an element of the site that would be a construction site to gain access to their homes, hence why they were proposing a temporary access from Langdale Drive.  The temporary access would  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

For Members’ information to report the progress of planning appeals.  This is a monthly report and relates to appeals throughout all 5 Local Area Planning Committees and covers appeals of Strategic Planning Committee.

RESOLVED that the information be noted.

The date of the next meeting will be held on 20 December 2023.

The next planning meeting would take place on Wednesday, 20 December.