Agenda item

Replace portacabin (office) with permanent residential unit including new site office.
Wingates Sawmill, Wingates, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 8RW

Replace portacabin (office) with permanent residential unit including new site office.

Wingates Sawmill, Wingates, Morpeth, Northumberland, NE65 8RW

J. Sharp – Senior Planning Officer, introduced the application with the aid of a PowerPoint Presentation and gave the following update:

·       Public Protection had submitted their consultation response and they objected due to lack of information relating to contamination and ground gases. “The proposed dwelling would be located within a working saw mill with potential anomalies, vibration, and dust to cause loss of amenity for any future occupiers. If the application were to be approved, it should be restricted to someone working on the site. Lighting should be designed to minimise light pollution and further information on the provision of water to the site was also required.”

·       Additional information was available to address highway concerns although was not made available prior to the report being published, so had not yet been assessed by Highways.

D. Troupe spoke in support of the application and gave the following information:

·       The purpose of building a log cabin at Wingates Sawmill was to provide a modest, 100% carbon neutral home for D. Troupe or a Sawmill worker.

·       The proposed log cabin would be built from Oak trees which blew down during Storm Arwen.

·       Heat and electricity would be provided by using a bio-mass boiler burning sawmill sweepings.

·       Wingates was a thriving working hamlet with two working farms and a sawmill.

·       The log cabin would be erected in a corner of the sawmill and provide a basic dwelling with lovely views in an unpolluted area of Northumberland and would fit both in appearance and the topography of the hamlet.

C. Tate, also spoke in support of the application and gave further information:

·       NCC had declared a climate emergency and had set out plans to be carbon neutral by 2030.

·       The proposed development structure would be made from wood from fallen trees from Storm Arwen and insulated from sheep’s wool.

·       The cabin would be south facing, making it perfect for solar panels to provide a renewable source of electricity and heating.

·       The cabin resonated with the NCC climate change plans.

·       The residents and the Parish Council were in support of the application.

Following questions from members to the planning officers, the following information was provided:

·       There had been no information submitted to support a rural worker dwelling.

·       Any new “off-grid” development should be accompanied by a sewage package treatment plan

·       The principle of development was not acceptable without further information however the Planning Officers stated that the design of the applicant was appropriate.

·       The Planning department would be happy to assist the applicant in advising which planning policies to look at and gather more information.

Councillor Castle proposed to accept the officer’s recommendation to refuse the application to allow the applicant to provide more information with an added note to the applicant that there was sympathy overall but would require more information to be submitted. This motion was seconded by Councillor Seymour.

Councillors agreed that there had been a lack of information and they were sympathetic with the applicant.

A vote was taken to refuse the application as follows: FOR; 10, AGAINST; 1, ABSTAIN; 1

RESOLVED that the application be REFUSED in line with the officers’ recommendation with a note to the applicant that the committee were sympathetic however there was not enough information to make an informed decision.

A comfort break was announced at 3:40 p.m. to allow Councillor Swinbank to receive legal advice, the committee reconvened at 3:50 p.m.

Councillor Swinbank confirmed that he would be taking part in the applications 22/00020/VARYCO and 22/00022/VARYCO, explaining that he had been involved in the original application however never expressed a view and he had an open mind about the applications.

Councillor Pattison disclosed that she was the portfolio holder for adult wellbeing and she had been involved in the discussion of the applications 22/00020/VARYCO and 22/00022/VARYCO and would leave the room.

Councillor Clark, Councillor Castle and Councillor Pattison left the room.