PLANNING & REGULATION COMMITTEE - 9 SEPTEMBER 2002

Minutes of the Meeting commencing at 2.00 pm and finishing at 3.55 pm

Present:

Voting Members: Councillor Mrs C. Fulljames - in the chair

Officers:

Whole of meeting: G. Warrington (Chief Executive's Office); C. Cousins, T. Clark, J. Duncalfe and J. Griffin (Environmental Services).

Part of meeting: R. Hanson (Business Support Directorate).

The Committee considered the matters, reports and recommendations contained or referred to in the agenda for the meeting, together with a schedule of addenda tabled at the meeting, and decided as set out below. Except insofar as otherwise specified, the reasons for the decisions are contained in the agenda, reports and schedule, copies of which are attached to the signed Minutes.

52/02 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE AND TEMPORARY APPOINTMENTS

Apologies for absence and temporary appointments were received as follows:

53/02 DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST

Councillor Ludlow declared a personal interest under Item 5 (Applications S.09/02 and S.10/02) insofar as she was a member of Thame Town Council.

Councillor Mrs Fulljames declared a personal interest under Item 5 (Application C.09/02) insofar as she was a member of Cherwell District Council and her intention not to participate in any voting thereon.

Councillor Mold declared a personal interest under Item 7 (Manor Farm, Hornton) in that he had friends living in the village of Hornton.

Councillor Reynolds also declared a personal interest under Item 7 (Manor Farm, Hornton) insofar as he was a member of Cherwell District Council and Chairman of the North Oxfordshire Ironstone Liaison Committee.

54/02 MINUTES

The Minutes of the meeting of the Committee held on 29 July 2002 were approved and signed subject to paragraph 13 of Minute 51/02 being amended to read "In response to Councillor Wyatt, Mr Griffin undertook to inform him of the estimated cost of replacing all temporary school buildings".

Minute 47/02 (Minute 36/02 - Waterstock Golf Course) Minutes

In response to Councillor Power, Mr Cousins advised that he had written on 2 August 2002 to all members of the Committee informing them of the Hinksey Heights Public Inquiry decision. It was not intended to report formally to Committee on this matter.

Minute 51/02 (County Council Planning Applications)

In response to Councillor Wyatt, Mr Griffin advised that the estimated cost for the replacement of temporary school buildings was £56 million.

55/02 PETITIONS AND PUBLIC ADDRESS

The Chair reported that the following requests to address the meeting had been agreed:-

Request from Agenda Item

Mr J. OffordHornton Parish Council ))) 7 - Hornton Quarry))

Mr T. NunnellyOwner of the Application Site

56/02 ORDER OF BUSINESS

RESOLVED: to take item 7 immediately before Item 5.

57/02 EXTENSION OF HORNTON GROUNDS QUARRY TO EXTRACT CONSERVATION STONE AND AGGREGATE AND USE OF MINERAL WASTE FOR RESTORATION OF SITE TO AGRICULTURE AT MANOR FARM, HORNTON - APPLICATION NO. 02/00729/CM

The Committee considered a report (PN7) which set out an application to extend the existing quarry to Manor Farm, Hornton.

Mr Offord addressed the Committee. The proposed extension would have a huge impact on the environment; reneged on earlier agreements not to work that area; was in conflict with Oxfordshire County Council's planning policies and set a precedent for future quarrying. The community accepted that whilst quarrying was a traditional industry in this area the noise and dust problems were severe and there was overwhelming local opposition. Furthermore the workable value of the sites to be given up was very questionable. He asked that the application be refused.

Mr Nunnelly addressed the Committee. He referred to problems of dust and confirmed that levels at the existing site were monitored very closely and were within recommended levels, he added that dust could also be attributed to agricultural work. As the application site was further away from the village than current workings he would expect noise and dust levels to be less rather than greater. He disagreed with references to the existence of an earlier agreement on areas to be worked and felt the current report adequately covered those issues. He also disagreed that working would seriously affect the environment and quoted as an example the abundance of skylarks over the area of quarrying.

The Committee noted two amendments to the report as set out on the schedule of addenda.

Following a long discussion regarding the alleged agreement entered into with the quarry operators in 1997, Councillor Mackenzie moved and Councillor Sibley seconded that consideration of the application be deferred to allow an investigation of Parish Council records to ascertain the validity of any possible agreement.

Mr Cousins confirmed the existence of a note of a village meeting, which referred to such discussions but advised that the County Council was not bound in any way by an agreement.

Councillor Mackenzie with the agreement of her seconder withdrew her motion but stressed that such information was fundamental in reaching an informed decision.

Councillor Reynolds could not support the application feeling that it was too close to Hornton and therefore contrary to County Council buffer zone policies.

Councillor Cooper recognised that the application was finely balanced and despite doubts over the workable quality of the land offered in exchange, did represent a reduction in the potential workable area of about 50%. He moved and Councillor Bryden seconded that the recommendations as set out in paragraph 59 of the officer's report be approved.

The motion was put to the Committee and lost by 10 votes to 3 (Councillor Dawes voting for the motion).

RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Sibley, seconded by Councillor Mold and carried by 10 votes to 3, Councillor Cooper voting against the motion) that planning permission be refused for the development proposed in Application No: O2/00729/CM because:

"(a) the development is contrary to Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan policy SD4 in that the reserves offered in exchange are not workable, and there is no need to release any additional land for ironstone working during the plan period.

(a) the development is contrary to Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan policy SD3, and the provisions of paragraph 2.21 in that there is no need for additional limestone resources as a landbank of permitted reserves has been maintained throughout the plan period, in line with Government guidance.

(b) the development is contrary to policy PE1 of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan in that it would harm local residential, landscape and natural amenities and not provide adequate buffer zones to protect residential and natural amenities.

(c) the development is contrary to policy PE3 and paragraph 4.8 of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan in that it does not provide appropriate buffer zones to protect residential amenity.

58/02 ST ALOYSIUS RC FIRST SCHOOL, 143 WOODSTOCK ROAD, OXFORD ERECTION OF FIRST FLOOR EXTENSION TO EXISTING BUILDING TO PROVIDE THREE CLASSROOMS, ITV ROOM, STAFF ROOM AND CLOAK ROOMS, EXTENSION TO EXISTING HARD PLAY AREA AND LANDSCAPING AND PROVISION OF TEMPORARY CONTRACTOR'S ACCESS

This item had been included on the agenda at the request of Councillor Roy Mold under Section FF, paragraph 5(d) of the Constitution.

In April 2002 the Committee had approved an application for the erection of one double classroom prefabricated building for a temporary period of 3 years at St. Aloysius RC First School subject to conditions one of which had been to prevent the demolition of an existing greenhouse/conservatory on site. Building work commenced on the classroom but neither the architect for the Diocese nor the contractor had appeared to take notice of the planning condition and work had begun on removing the building with the aim of re-erecting it elsewhere.

As soon as the Director of Environmental Services had become aware of the situation a request was made to stop work and for the building and the removed parts to be protected from the elements. This had been done. The Diocese architect was now considering making a planning application to vary condition 10 of the current permission, which would enable the removal and re-erection of the building. If submitted, the application would be likely to come before the Committee on 2 December and the building protected until that time.

RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Mold, seconded by Councillor Dawes and carried nem con) to:

(a) note with approval the actions to date of the Director of Environmental Services;

(b) request the Director to take all necessary steps to ensure that the building was securely protected, pending any application for its removal;

(c) ask the Director to keep all members of the Planning & Regulation Committee fully informed of developments;

(d) request the Director to liase with Oxford City Council to ensure their full co-operation in protecting the building and with the school to ensure that their rights of ownership were fully protected and that their responsibilities as guardians of an object of historical importance were fully observed.

59/02 COUNTY COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS

The Committee considered the following current applications for County Council development, made under Regulation 3 of the Town and Country Planning General Regulations 1992:-

Application No. C.09/02 (detailed/conservation area): Erection of extensions to provide hall, kitchen, stores and construction of extension to the existing playground, Kirtlington CE School, Heyford Road, Kirtlington, Oxon

Application No. O.22/02 (detailed): Erection of single storey extension to form new main entrance and administration offices, Bayswater Middle School, Bayswater Road, Headington, Oxford OX3 9NU

Application No. O.24/02 (detailed): Erection of building to provide two new classrooms and hall, and demolition of two existing substandard classrooms and hall, Northern House School, South Parade, Oxford OX2 7JN

Application No. S.09/02 (detailed): Construction of an extension to the school hall and a drama studio/community room, Barley Hill Primary School, Ludsden Grove, Thame OX9 3DH

Application No. S.10/02 (detailed): Construction of an extension to the school hall Barley Hill Primary School, Ludsden Grove, Thame OX9 3DH

RESOLVED: that the applications be determined as recommended in the schedules appended to the report (PN6), subject to the detailed wording of the recommended conditions being agreed by the Assistant Director (Land Use).

60/02 USE OF PART OF A FORMER BORROW PIT AS A CONSTRUCTION WASTE RECYCLING CENTRE, AND DEPOSIT OF INERT MATERIAL UNSUITABLE FOR RECYCLING WITHIN THE BORROW PIT TO ENABLE ITS RESTORATION; OLD BRICKWORKS FARM, BLETCHINGDON - APPLICATION NO 02/01204/CM

The Committee considered a report (PN8) which set out an application made for temporary use of part of a former borrow pit at Old Brickworks Farm, Bletchingdon for the siting of a waste recycling centre to process construction/demolition waste with the by-products of the operation (fines and clays) would be used to infill and restore the borrow pit.

RESOLVED: (on a motion by Councillor Mrs Fulljames, seconded by Councillor Sibley and carried nem con) that, subject to notification of the proposal as a departure application to the First Secretary of State, planning permission be granted for a construction waste recycling facility at the Former Borrow Pit, Old Brickworks Farm, Bletchingdon (Application No 02/01204/CM) subject to conditions to be determined by the Director of Environmental Services but to include:

More information on the Quarry Planning Application