48 affordable homes at Land North Of Carkeeks Close, St Stephen

What was proposed

The application sought 48 affordable homes with access, parking, open space, landscaping, drainage and related infrastructure.

“Application number: PA26/02227 Site address: Land North Of Carkeeks Close St Stephen Cornwall PL26 7EB Proposal: Construction of 48 dwellings (including affordable housing) open space, landscaping and associated infrastructure Application type: Full Application Parish: St.”

“The site lies outside, but immediately adjacent to, the St Stephen development boundary. Officers consider the proposal to be well related, in terms of its scale and location, to St Stephens. Its scale would clearly be ancillary to the role and function of St Stephens as a whole, whilst the location would provide future occupiers with options for sustainable modes of travel to access services and facilities, such as by walking, cycling and public transport.”

Officer report

What officers recommended

Officers recommended approval because housing need, sustainable travel and social benefits outweighed minor landscape and agricultural land harm.

“The proposal would not result in the loss of any Best and Most Versatile (BMV) agricultural land, with the land classified as a mix of Grade 4 (poor) and sub-grade 3b (moderate). It would result in the loss of land that could be used for agricultural purposes, and such weighs against approval. Given the relatively small extent of the land affected and that the land itself is not BMV, the extent of this harm is minor.”

“Information Classification: PUBLIC 8. When balancing the considerations, your officers give substantial weight to the benefits associated with increasing housing supply at the outskirts of a settlement a location which would help to promote an efficient use of land, encourage sustainable modes of travel and secure a well-designed place. The harm identified to the landscape and to our stock of agricultural land is minor and outweighed by the benefits of the scheme.”

Officer report

Who spoke

Three speakers opposed the application, while two speakers supported it; all were allowed to address questions from the committee.

What members debated

Members recognised affordable housing need but considered highway concerns, parking, construction management and the application’s finely balanced nature.

“She had brought the application to Committee due to concerns regarding access and highway safety; 2. She supports affordable housing, as does the parish and recognises the need for it however, it needs safe access; 3. She did not believe that the site could be safely accessed; 4. There was consistent traffic disruption in the locality at drop off and collection times at school. Photo evidence has been supplied illustrating this; 5.”

“4 5. Any refusal of this application for highways reasons would need to be evidence based; 6. Clarification that the Affordable Housing provision proposed within the housing mix was considered to be viable; 7. Clarification of the updated figures for housing need in the parish; 8.”

Minutes

The committee’s decision

The committee unanimously delegated approval subject to the report’s conditions, a Section 106 agreement and an additional construction method statement.

“RESOLVED that authority be delegated to the Service Director Planning and Housing to approve application PA26/02227 subject to the planning conditions contained within the report, and subject to the prior completion of a Section 106 Agreement to secure the necessary contributions in respect of the delivery of affordable housing, SAC mitigation payments and public open space contributions.”

“Condition 24. The development hereby approved shall not commence until a Construction Method Statement has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. This Statement shall provide for: (i) the parking of vehicles for deliveries, vehicles of site operatives and vehicles of visitors on location(s) off the local highways network; (ii) loading and unloading of plant and materials; (iii) storage of plant and materials used in constructing the…”

Minutes