Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Director of City Development.

Agreed:

RESOLVED that the Consultation Statement documenting the consultation responses of the Supplementary Planning Document attached as Appendix A of report be noted.

RECOMMENDED that Council approve the adoption of the updated and revised Householder's Guide: Design of Extensions and Alterations SPD attached at Appendix B of the report.

Reason for Decision: As set out in the report.

The Executive received the report which set out the details of a review and update to the Council’s Householder's Guide: Design of Extensions and Alterations Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which was first adopted in 2008.

The updates had focussed on aligning the document with the policy and the Council’s residential design guide and a 12-week consultation was held between 23 October 2023 and 12 January 2024. During this process the document title had been changed and 24 responses received. Six responses were from organisations such as the Environment Agency with a focus on flood risk and all comments had been collated to revise the document for adoption.

Opposition group leaders spoke on the item and made the following points:-

·    Cllr Moore – expressed concern that cycle stores in front gardens required planning permission and that dropped kerbs wouldn’t. She commented on the government consulting on permissive development rights and the potential danger of the Council policy falling out of sync with government policy.

She welcomed the biodiversity and sustainable urban drainage sections, but expressed concern that there was no mention of the increasing trend in replacing gardens with artificial grass.

·    Cllr Mitchell – enquired on the ability to make future amendments to the document; and

·    Cllr Jobson – welcomed the report.

During the discussion Members made the following points:-

·    the work undertaken in developing the document was welcomed;

·    how much influence did national regulations have on the document? and

·    was there anything in the consultation feedback that changed the document?

The Portfolio Holder for City Development expressed her thanks to the officers for the work undertaken, especially around the other larger volumes of work being undertaken. She advised that:-

·    cycle parking was a national matter, in which planning permission was required for building at the front of a house;

·    planning permission wasn’t required for a dropped kerb, and only required for flat surfaces where water could not be drained away; and

·    planning permission wasn’t required artificial grass, which was a permeable surface and therefore had not been included in the document

The Assistant Planning Manager advised the document could be amended as required, but it was best practice to allow time for the document to be in operation before further updates were considered.

RESOLVED that the Consultation Statement documenting the consultation responses of the Supplementary Planning Document attached as Appendix A of report be noted.

RECOMMENDED that Council approve the adoption of the updated and revised Householder's Guide: Design of Extensions and Alterations SPD attached at Appendix B of the report.