Issue - meetings

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

The meeting was briefly adjourned at 19:41 and resumed at 19:43.

The Chair invited Mr Pete Thomas, to speak for five minutes, against the application, who made the following points:

·        there were concerns about procedural validity, access arrangements and policy compliance of the proposal;

·        policy EJ6, designated this land for use for transformational employment allocation and the proposal to deliver 158 dwellings was a departure from emerging policy;

·        there were highway implications, especially on match days where congestion in this area was already difficult and additional traffic from 158 dwellings would significantly worsen existing congestion and impede emergency vehicle access;

·        the applicant's red line boundary on the location plan did not extend to the edge of the access roundabout, leaving a gap, which was land owned by the Exeter Rugby Group;

·        according to National Planning Policy Practice Guidance, the red line must include all land necessary for the development, including access and as the applicant did not own this land, the application was procedurally defective;

·        no ownership notice had been served on his clients;

·        he challenged the Highway Authority's suggestion that access could be secured through a Section 278 agreement, and advised that despite the road surface being the Highway Authority's responsibility, his client owned the adjoining grassed area and bank;

·        if the northern access were undeliverable, all traffic would be forced onto the southern route via New Court Way and Old Rydon Lane, which had not been assessed in the transport assessment;

·        officers had already determined that the southern access was unacceptable;

·        the proposal for 158 dwellings was a material departure from emerging policy in which no operating justification or demonstrable planning need had been provided; and

·        the Planning Committee were requested to uphold the officer's recommendation for refusal and also to refuse for procedural invalidity and the undeliverability of the northern access.

Mr Pete Thomas responded to questions from Members as follows:

·        the Exeter Rugby Group had checked their plan which advised that they owned the small sliver of land around the fence;

·        the redline should include access to the roundabout as an integral part of the application;

·        the Exeter Plan showed the direction, but was not at an advanced stage, so considerations were being highlighted;

·        the objection originated from the potential impact upon the roundabout, particularly on match days, and the larger concerns about traffic coming out of there, and the implications for the surrounding road; and

·        even with commercial land development, there would be additional vehicles to and from the site, so there were concerns about additional vehicles impacting access.

The Chair invited Mr James McMurdo, to speak for five minutes in support of the application, who made the following points:

• he was working for the applicant, who was also a landowner;
• the proposal was a significant opportunity for the city, which planned for 158 houses and 180,000 sq. ft of employment space, which would deliver 1,000 jobs;
• he enquired how such a development could be considered harmful, especially in the context of a  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39