Planning Committee

Minutes

HASSOCKS PARISH COUNCIL

Minutes of the Planning Committee Meeting held virtually on
Monday 3 August 2020 at 2.30pm

Attendees:  Parish Councillors: Jane Baker, Kristian Berggreen, Robert Brewer, Nick Owens (Chair) and Claire Tester (substitute for Leslie Campbell).

In Attendance: Deputy Clerk: Tracy Forte

P20/32           APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE.  Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Leslie Campbell and Bill Hatton.

P20/33           DECLARATIONS OF INTEREST.  Cllr Owens declared a personal interest in DM/20/2234 17 Hurst Road, Hassocks, although this was only based on living within the proximity of this property.

P20/34           MINUTES.    It was RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 13 July 2020, be signed by the Chair as a true and accurate record of the meeting.

P20/35           PUBLIC PARTICIPATION.   There were no members of the Public present, however Members noted a written statement, submitted by Sarah Noar of Claylands Cottage, Underhill Lane, Clayton relating to her application SDNP/20/02791/HOUS.

I am based in Clayton on Underhill Lane, at Claylands Cottage, and am writing to introduce myself as I have recently submitted a planning application ref SDNP/20/02791/HOUS.

Having had my application refused last year I have revised the plans and taken further advice and help in coming up with what I very much hope provides an improved solution and better conforms with the SDNPA’s criteria. I am delighted to say that as a result of our Pre-App earlier this year the Conservation Officer had no objection to our plans and I believe we have now addressed any queries raised by Planning.

Whilst the Parish Council did not offer any objections to my last application, as a matter of courtesy I wanted to contact you personally to let you know of our progress.  Please don’t hesitate to let me know if there is anything further I can help you with.

I have two overriding purposes in wanting to extend the house as it exists.  As you will see from the plans, the house currently consists of two small bedrooms upstairs and a third downstairs which has been “cobbled together” out of a substandard extension fabricated from poured concrete with a corrugated onduline roof and no insulation.  

My primary desire is therefore to have a third bedroom upstairs.  This will not only make the house flow better internally and make it feel much more like a family home, but will also give me peace of mind from a safety point of view to be sleeping in the same part of the house as my two daughters.  

Running at a close second, as part of the overall changes to the house, I’m hoping to make not just the new extension, but the whole house as carbon neutral as possible.  The heating system currently runs on LPG and is extremely inefficient with poor plumbing and insulation throughout the house.  As part of the project I intend to install either an air or ground source heat pump to provide energy to the whole house, and reinsulate it to a high standard.  Alongside this we will also be installing electric car charging points, retrieving the previously very neglected garden and paddock to provide green corridors etc, all detailed in Morgan Carn’s supporting literature.

In terms of aesthetics, whilst the front of the house is very pretty, the rear is really very plain.  It currently consists of a large expanse of roof interspersed with irregular skylights and roof lines from various alterations carried out since the house was first built approximately 30 years ago.  I feel the extension we are proposing not only hardly interferes with any public view of the house, but also loses a large roof lantern and 4 of the skylights currently adding to night sky pollution.  Our aim has been to visually tie in the rear of the property with the stables so that it almost provides the third arm to the stable yard.   I feel sure the proposed changes would provide an overall sense of cohesion to the property and be a huge improvement to the back of the house aesthetically.

I would be extremely grateful for your support in achieving the above.  Thank you very much for your time and consideration.

P20/36           MID SUSSEX PLANNING DESIGN GUIDE. Cllr Nick Owens wished to bring the Mid Sussex Planning Design Guide to the attention of Members, with particular reference to the content of principles DG41: Sustainable Buildings; and DG45: Noise, Air and Light Pollution. Cllr Claire Tester informed Members that following a consultation this document had been examined by the MSDC Scrutiny Committee recently and had been agreed. The final version will now be presented to Full Council for adoption.   The document is a Supplementary Planning Document to support District Plan Policy DP39, Sustainable Design and Construction. It adds more detail to the Design Policy to inform planners and guide planners.  The document is guidance, however applicants are expected to show that they have considered the principles referred to in the Design Guide and quality of design is a planning consideration. Therefore it was noted that Hassocks PC (HPC) can refer to these principles when considering the recommendations for applications. Members unanimously offered their full support to this document.

P20/37           APPLICATIONS

DM/20/2003 Clayton Wickham Farm Belmont Lane Hurstpierpoint Hassocks Installation of a ground based solar electric generation system consisting of 2 racks of 12 panels. Response:  RECOMMEND APPROVAL. HPC strongly supports this application and would also fully support the grazing of sheep on this land once the panels are in situ.

DM/20/2234 17 Hurst Road Hassocks West Sussex BN6 9NJ Proposed new brick chimney stack to previously approved 2 storey side extension application reference DM/20/0385. Cllr Owens abstained from voting. Response: RECOMMEND APPROVAL.

DM/20/2286 30 Parklands Road Hassocks West Sussex BN6 8JZ Loft conversion incorporating 2 no. rear facing dormers and 2 no.front facing velux windows. This is an application to establish whether the development is lawful. This will be a legal decision where the planning merits of the proposed use cannot be taken into account. (LDC). Response: NOTED

DM/20/2322 Keymer Car Sales 105 Keymer Road Hassocks West Sussex Change of use from second hand car sales to residential one bedroom ground floor flat. Response: RECOMMEND REFUSAL. Hassocks Planning Committee has carefully considered the differences between the proposed application and the previously refused application, DM/20/0542, for this property. The Committee cannot see a materially sufficient difference between the two applications to change its original recommendation. Therefore the previous comments remain valid for the present application. This application represents further overdevelopment of an already heavily developed site and is contrary to Policy 9, of the Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan and Policy DP26 of the District Plan, Character and Design. Furthermore, there continues to be a lack of sufficient parking provision for this proposal (as the space suggested appears insufficient for proper parking spaces) which will therefore add additional pressure on the availability of already limited parking in this area.

 DM/20/2531 4 Orchard Lane Hassocks West Sussex BN6 8QF T177 Yew – Lateral prune to source: 1 x 150mm diameter limb heading north east c.2.7m, 1 x 150mm diameter limb heading north c.2.3m, 1 x 100mm diameter limb heading north east c.2.9m and 1 x 200mm diameter limb heading north c.2.6m. Remove subordinate branches heading north west to east to achieve a crown lift of 5m and reduce the ascending branches heading north west to east by 1m. Current height 10.0m with a finished height of 9.0m.  Response: RECOMMEND APPROVAL

DM/20/2591 18 Orchard Lane Hassocks West Sussex BN6 8QF T842 Horse Chestnut along the east fence line – Shorten the crown spread heading west by 2m to clear the fabric of the building, current branch length 3.5m with a finished branch length 1.5m. Fade into the upper and lateral crown spread with no height reduction. Sever ivy at ground level and again at 1m, remove the severed band.  Response: RECOMMEND APPROVAL.

DM/20/2543 36 Ockenden Way Hassocks West Sussex BN6 8HS Two storey rear extension, changes to existing materials and fenestration.  Response: RECOMMEND APPROVAL for the two storey rear extension. However Hassocks Parish Council does not support the application for changes to existing materials and fenestration. The Parish Council’s recommendation for approval is subject to the use of the existing brick and tile in keeping with the character of the surrounding buildings, in line with the Character and Design Policies of the Hassocks Neighbourhood Plan Policy 9, and the District Plan DP26. The Committee acknowledges that there may already be one property in the same road with a change of materials. It is therefore considered that to allow a precedent for further divergence from the use of traditional materials on additional properties in the area, will cause significant harm to the harmony and character of the street scene.

SDNP/20/02791/HOUS Claylands Cottage Underhill Lane Clayton BN6 9PJ Demolition of existing substandard extension, removal of existing summerhouse and construction of a one and a half storey extension to the rear with associated landscaping works. Response: RECOMMEND APPROVAL. The Council also offers its full support to the sustainability measures proposed and would urge the SDNPA to ensure the inclusion of these measures should permission be granted.

P20/38           APPLICATIONS FOR DISCHARGE OF PLANNING CONDITIONS.  None

P20/39           RESOLVED that the observations on the planning issues as agreed above be submitted to the relevant Planning Authority for consideration.

P20/40           PLANNING AUTHORITY DECISION NOTICES

 The following decisions were noted:              

P20/41           CORRESPONDENCE.  Members noted the response from MSDC Planning following a letter sent by HPC regarding soft landscaping on new developments, as seen on Appendix 1 of the Agenda.

P20/42           MID SUSSEX DISTRICT COUNCIL SITE ALLOCATIONS DEVELOPMENT PLAN. Members were invited to note for information only that MSDC has produced a final version of the draft Site Allocations Development Plan which sets out how to meet the District’s outstanding housing and employment needs up to 2031. There will be an eight-week public consultation from 3 August 2020, and this will be considered consideration by the HPC Planning Committee at its next meeting on 24 August 2020.

P20/43           URGENT MATTERS at the discretion of the Chairman for noting and/or inclusion on a future agenda.  There were none.

P20/44           DATE OF NEXT MEETING.   Monday 24 August 2020 at 7.30pm.

There being no other business the Chair closed the meeting at 9.15 pm.