Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M Markham, Lane, Birch and Russell.

RESOLVED:

That under the following items, the members of the public and Ward Councillors were granted leave to address the Committee:

N/2014/1429

Councillor T Eales

Councillor G Eales

Angela Bartlett

Rob Riding

Laura Bazely

There were none.

There were none.

The Development Management Team Leader submitted a report and elaborated thereon. Members’ attention was drawn to the addendum which contained further representations, addressed typographical errors within the report and included 2 additional conditions. The Committee heard that the majority of the site sat within Flood Zone 1 and that it was home to several areas of archaeological interest, including a Neolithic causeway (which would be preserved as an area of green space) and an Anglo-Saxon site. It was explained that whilst the provision of an on-site healthcare facility was not requested as part of the development, NHS England and Nene Clinical Commissioning Group (CGC) had requested financial contributions to mitigate healthcare impacts arising from the proposal. Access onto the development would be from Mill Lane, Harlestone Road/Hawksmoor Way and via a further phase of the North West Relief Road. A secondary vehicular access from Kings Heath would provide access to 100 dwellings only.  The proposals include the provision of include the provision of pedestrian and cycle routes into the surrounding area, and improvement to public transport links which would be secured by a Section 106 agreement. A new roundabout was proposed on Mill Lane as a response to objections to the proposed closure of Nene Way.  The proposal also included improvements to Harlestone Road and the surrounding road network. The Committee heard that more green space was being provided than was required of the developer and that whilst there were a number of wildlife sites within or adjacent to the site locally designated for nature conservation,  this did not prohibit developers from building, subject to appropriate mitigation and updated protected species reports being approved by the Council. A viability assessment found that for the site to remain viable only 10% of homes would be affordable. Of that 10%, 100 would be constructed early; this would be secured through the S106 Agreement. Air quality mitigation was proposed through conditions and charging points for electric and hybrid vehicles would be placed within the local centre.

Councillor T Eales, as the Ward Councillor, spoke against the item and asked the Committee to defer consideration of the application until changes had been made. She had concerns around the apparent lack of consultation and that the social housing seemed to be excluded from the rest of the development. She further stated that Kings Heath residents would struggle to access the facilities.

In response to a question, Councillor T Eales commented that she would like to see road access from Kings Heath to the proposed development.

Councillor G Eales spoke against the application and voiced concerns around highway pressures, stating that the North West Relief Road should be built before any development took place. He noted the apparent lack of meaningful consultation with residents and stated that he was concerned about S106 contributions not being spent on existing estates.

Responding to a question, Councillor G Eales commented that the proposed 100 affordable homes would be situated in a way that isolated them from the rest of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.