Workshop retention and use at The Workshop At 159 Fitton Road Wiggenhall St Germans

What was proposed

The application sought to retain and continue using existing workshops at 159 Fitton Road, without any building operations.

“25/02010/CU Wiggenhall St Germans: The Workshop at 159 Fitton Road: Rentention and continued use of existing workshops: [name withheld]…”

“The case officer introduced the report and explained that the application was the retention and continued use of a workshop at 159 Fitton Road in the parish of Wiggenhall St Germans. No building operations were proposed as part of the application.”

Minutes

The site

The approximately 0.21-hectare site lies east of Fitton Road, in Wiggenhall St Germans parish, near Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen.

“The application site was approximately 0.21ha in size, located to the east side of Fitton Road, and approximately 441m from the junction of Fitton Road and The Granary which was located to the south. The site lies within the Parish of Wiggenhall St Germans but was closer in proximity to Wiggenhall St Mary Magdalen.”

Minutes

Why the committee considered it

The Planning Sifting Panel referred the application to the committee for determination.

“The application had been referred to the Committee for determination at the request of the Planning Sifting Panel.”

Minutes

Concerns about the use

An additional objection questioned the site’s current activity, employment justification, compatibility with the area and possible noise, dust and ventilation problems.

“- The activity of carpentry/timber fencing of the previous owner of the site ceased long before 2019. - The site is effectively dormant (there is no ongoing carpentry activity) neither the applicant, nor anyone else has hardly been on site for many months certainly in excess of a year -- other than to do routine maintenance-including recently on Sunday. Hence the times of activity noted in the report and attributed to the Planning Agent are erroneous.”

“These are small barns with no apparent noise insulation in situ currently, there may also be ventilation issues, which means that effectively at certain times, operating with the doors open is the only practical way of working - hence making noise abatement almost impractical/impossible. - Comments about the historic behaviour of the Applicant to neighbours when conducting commercial activities, noise and hours of operation.”

Officer report

Requested safeguards

The objector asked for a management scheme before woodworking began and referred to earlier planning-control breaches and enforcement action.

“- Requests that Committee consider a management scheme is submitted for approval prior to the commencement of any woodworking activities on site, with any carpentry to be carried out in compliance with the approved scheme. - Condition 4 restricts the use of the site but there have been previous breaches of planning control resulting in enforcement investigation and action.”

Officer report

Who spoke

An objector addressed the committee under the public speaking protocol.

Proposed controls

A management scheme was required to reduce noise, odour and dust and set out waste storage and collection arrangements.

“The request of a management plan is covered by condition 2 which reads: Within two months of the date of this planning permission, a management scheme to protect neighbouring residents from noise, odour, dust and waste issues will be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.”

“The scheme shall include measures to reduce the potential negative impacts of the workshop activities and demonstrate methods that will be used to control emissions of noise, odour and dust, and will state the arrangements in place for the storage and collection of waste from the workshop. The scheme shall be implemented as approved and thereafter maintained as such.”

Officer report

Why it was deferred

The application was deferred because the hours in one condition and the wording of other conditions needed amendment.

“The case officer advised that the hours in condition 3 should be amended to read 0800 to 1700 Monday to Friday, 0900 – 12 noon on a Saturday and no time on a Sunday or Bank Holiday.”

“The Planning Control Manager advised that she had spotted some errors within the wording of the conditions that also needed amending.”

Minutes

The decision

The committee agreed to defer the application so an amended report could be presented.

“In view of this, the Chair suggested that determination of the application should be deferred to allow for an amended report to be presented. This was seconded by the Vice-Chair and agreed by the Committee.”

“RESOLVED: That the application be deferred.”

Minutes