Issue - meetings

To consider the above application.

Consideration was given to the above application.

(Mr Harris, the agent for the applicant attended the meeting and spoke in respect of the application.  In addition a statement was read out by the Planning and Place Shaping Manager on behalf of the Ward Councillor, Councillor D Brickhill).

RESOLVED

That the application be refused for the following reasons:-

1.    In the opinion of the Local Planning Authority the affordable housing provision would not be sufficiently “pepper-potted” throughout the development. This would be contrary to the provisions of the Council’s Interim Planning Policy: Affordable Housing and paragraph 50 of the National Planning Policy Framework in respect of the provision of inclusive and mixed communities.

2.    The proposed internal layout for the site does not provide sufficient quality of design in relation to the Manual for Streets, or a legible adoptable boundary to appropriately serve the end-user residents. This, coupled with the inappropriate location of the public open space, results in a layout which would fail to a create a safe, accessible and secure environment and high quality and inclusive design for public spaces which will function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short term but over the lifetime of the development. In so doing, the proposal will also fail to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions and to establish a strong sense of place, using streetscapes and buildings to create attractive and comfortable places to live and visit contrary to the provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework and policies BE2 (Design) and BE3 (Access and Parking) of the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich Replacement Local Plan 2011

3.    The proposed house types, which include 3 storey properties, and are a standard design, with little or no elevational detailing, do not establish a strong sense of place, using streetscapes and buildings to create attractive and comfortable places to live, work and visit; respond to local character and history, and reflect the identity of local surroundings and materials, or seek to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness and will not  function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short term but over the lifetime of the development. The proposal is not visually attractive as a result of good architecture and is therefore contrary to the provisions of policies BE2 (Design) and BE3 (Access and Parking) of the Borough of Crewe and Nantwich Replacement Local Plan 2011and the National Planning Policy Framework which states that permission should be refused for development of poor design that fails to take the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of an area and the way it functions.

(This decision was contrary to the Officers recommendation of approval).