Decisions made by North planning committee on 7 July 2015

The following decisions were made by Shropshire Council’s North planning committee at its meeting at Shirehall, Shrewsbury on Tuesday 7 July 2015.

• Proposed solar farm at Rhosygadfa, Gobowen (14/03946/FUL) Construction of a solar farm comprising the installation of (circa) 40,000 ground mounted solar panels; 8 inverters; electricity substation; 2.4m high security fencing (revised description).  Decision: 

  That planning permission be refused, against the officer’s recommendation, for the following reasons:

  It was acknowledged that substantial weight should be given to the generation of renewable energy proposed by the scheme, noting local and national policies, however very significant weight was given to the scale and massing of the development which would introduce an alien and discordant element to the landscape causing significant detrimental visual impact to the landscape character of the surrounding area. Recognising the intrinsic character and beauty of the countryside, the Committee were concerned that the proposed hedgerow and tree planting scheme in conjunction with the existing trees and hedgerows did not adequately mitigate against the detrimental impact of the development on the surrounding countryside. The Committee also felt that the proposed development would result in diminished enjoyment of the public rights of way which run alongside and through the site. Although the available evidence was that the site was not best and most versatile agricultural land, nevertheless it has been productive and is not brownfield land where it was considered that such developments would be better sited, this being a further albeit minor, negative factor weighing against the scheme. Accordingly it was considered that the impacts of the scheme are not and cannot be made acceptable. For these reasons it was felt that the proposed development was contrary to Shropshire Council Core Strategy Policies CS5, CS6 and CS17 and paragraphs 17, 98, 111 of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF).

• Proposed residential development west of Cottage Lane, St Martins (15/00566/REM) Approval of reserved matters (access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale) pursuant to permission 14/01390/OUT for the erection of eight dwellings and two bungalows.  Decision:  That planning permission be granted in accordance with the officer’s recommendation and an additional condition to refer back to the conditions attached to outline planning permission (14/01390/OUT).
• Land adjoining Bombay Palace, Dudleston Heath, SY12 9JY (15/00325/REM) Reserved Matters application pursuant of outline application reference 13/04672/OUT dated 31 October 2014 for the erection of seven dwellings to include means of access, appearance, landscaping, layout and scale.  Decision: That planning permission be granted in accordance with the officer’s recommendations.
• Land adjacent to the builders yard known as No 8 Barkers Green, Wem (15/01036/FUL) Change of use of land for the stationing of caravans for residential purposes for 1no. gypsy pitch together with the formation of hardstanding and an utility/dayroom ancillary to that use.  Decision: 

  That this item be deferred until a future meeting of this Committee, to allow the Committee to undertake a site visit to assess the impact of the proposal on the surround area and neighbouring properties.

• Development land east of Shrewsbury Road, Cockshutt (13/04868/OUT) Outline application for the erection of five dwellings and formation of vehicular access (all matters reserved).  Decision: 

  That planning permission be refused, against officer’s recommendation, for the following reasons:

  The Committee noted that the site had not been identified as a site for residential development within the emerging SAMDev Plan and, in view of the stage the plan has now reached, very significant weight was given to this; they also acknowledged the potential benefits that housing would bring and gave weight to this but did not consider that these benefits, or any other material considerations, would outweigh the emerging plan or the policy support for a plan led approach. As such the development of the site would be contrary to policy CS4 and CS5 of the Core Strategy, policy S8.2 of the SAMDev and the NPPF.

• Land off Greenfields Lane, Market Drayton (14/03782/OUT) Outline application (access for approval) for the residential development of up to 250 dwellings; to include demolition of existing structures on site; formation of vehicular accesses from the A53 and Hampton Drive.  Decision: 

  That, the wording of the Condition 5 be amended as recommended in the officer’s report.

For further information relating to the decisions go to our online planning register and search for the application by using the reference number or keyword.

For the latest news from Shropshire Council, why not visit our Newsroom or follow @shropcouncil on twitter.