Agenda item

Part-Retrospective: Change of use of detached garage and pre-school nursery to Granny Annexe (amended description)

Former Garage South East of Kirkley Mill Farm House, Kirkley Mill, Kirkley, Northumberland

Part-Retrospective: Change of use of detached garage and pre-school nursey to Granny Annexe (amended description)
Former Garage South East of Kirkley Mill Farm House, Kirkley Mill, Kirkley, Northumberland

It was confirmed that members had watched the site videos circulated in advance of the meeting.

R. Campbell – Senior Planning Officer, introduced the application to the Committee with the aid of a power point presentation and it was noted that there had been no updates since the report was finalised.

Councillor K. Woodrow – Ponteland Town Council, addressed the Committee speaking in objection to the application.
Comments included the following: -

·       Ponteland Town Council initially made a “No Comment” in January 2021

·       The amended plan showed the location on a larger scale and there was concerns from neighbours about what was happening at the site.

·       The Town Council had felt mislead from the original planning permission of an agricultural shed, but it had been built from stone with a slate roof.

·       The Town Council asked the Committee that the building should remain as an Annexe in perpetuity, and a condition to be placed to prevent confusion and no further development be allowed on the site.

·       The site sits within the Green Belt, which placed a blanket ban on future development in the area.

·       The Town Council Planning Committee had seen small hamlet locations become over-developed and wished to prevent that from happening in the future.

Councillor L. Darwin also addressed the Committee as the ward Councillor.
Comments were as follows: -

·       There were no enforcement issues related to this building, which had been mentioned by a neighbouring objector.

·       Councillor Darwin endeavoured to protect the Green Belt and did not wish to see overdevelopment; however, he did not see Kirkley Mill Farm becoming a mini development site.

·       Councillor Darwin asked the committee that the building remained as an Annex in perpetuity.

Councillor Darwin left the room.

P. Elwell addressed the committee in support of the application.
Comments include: -

·       The comment uploaded from Ponteland Town Council regarding the application for “change of use” was unreasonable and a matter that would be appealed if made a condition.

·       There was no sound planning reason or legislation to place a blanket ban on development as each application should be considered on its own merit and the planning rules in force at the time of the application.

The Chair clarified for the Committee that any enforcement issues on a separate property, not included in this application, were to be disregarded and to be treat as an independent application.

In response to questions from Members of the Committee the following information was noted: -

·       There was an exception in the legislation that allowed retrospective applications.

·       The application accorded with planning policy and green belt policy.

·       It was not recommended to put a planning perpetuity clause into the conditions, however there was a condition already in the application (Condition 3) stating it had to be used as accommodation ancillary to the main dwelling house.

·       If the applicant wished to separate the residential site, they would have to submit another application.

·       Condition 3 was enforceable through the planning process and potentially if there was ever a future conveyance.

Councillor Dickinson proposed acceptance of the recommendation to approve the application as outlined in the report, which was seconded by Councillor Dunn.  A vote was taken, and it was unanimously

RESOLVED that the application be GRANTED for the reasons and with the conditions as outlined in the report.

The meeting adjourned for 5 minutes at 4.30 to allow officers to leave.