Cllr Irving in relation to tree works at Brookside, Church Walk, Wrington.

3. Public Participation

Mr P Cleeves outlined the plans he had submitted to North Somerset Council for a single storey dwelling on land which he owns at the junction of Old Station Close and The Glebe in Wrington, and showed members a set of drawings and plans relating to this. The proposed building would be partly of stone with lime mortar, and partly block and render. A carport and separate work space are included, and a landscaping scheme for the garden.

The Chairman thanked Mr Cleeves for attending, and explained that the Council would now await the detailed planning application from NSC, which would be considered at the next Planning Committee meeting in three weeks’ time. Mr Cleeves asked whether he could be provided with a copy of the minutes of that meeting, and this was agreed. He then left the meeting.

The Chairman then invited the three residents of Lye Hole Lane to put forward any comments they wished to make in relation to the proposal for the Plush Hotel/Redhill House, which was to be considered later in the meeting. The residents’ concerns principally arose from the size of the proposed development, and the additional traffic that would result, given the narrowness of the lane and the difficult access to and from the A38.

4. Minutes of previous meeting

The minutes of the meeting held on 30th December were reviewed and signed as a correct record.

5. Matters arising

The Clerk reported that she had now had correspondence with Mr John Filmer regarding The Old Manse. The premises are not currently in use, and Mr Filmer still has some concerns that with no written agreement on the standards of operation that the neighbours can expect, there may be no redress if problems occur in the future. It was agreed that a meeting should be arranged with Mr Filmer and other affected neighbours, members of the URC, and members of Wrington Parish Council with a view to developing an agreement that would provide assurance for residents.

6. NSC South Area Planning Committee

The Clerk reported that no papers had yet been received for the meeting on 21st January.

7. Decisions Notices issued by NSC

No decision notices had been received since the previous meeting.

8. Planning Applications

Cllr Thorn commented on the wide variation in the quality of plans provided by different applicants and said he felt there should be a more standardised approach by NSC.

08/P/2631/F - Redhill House/Plush Hotel: Erection of 2no single storey hotel buildings with grass roofs linked into existing guest house, garage and swimming pool buildings. Site to be excavated, re-contoured and landscaped with roads and car parking relocated. Also erection of single storey and first floor extensions to guest house and conversion of northern garage block to hotel manager’s accommodation.

It was noted that the proposed development would expand the hotel from the existing eight to 34 bedrooms, and this would involve a significant amount of building on the site. However, the way the plans had been drawn, which did not show all the buildings on one plan, made this difficult to see. After discussion, it was agreed to object to the proposal on the following grounds: inappropriate overdevelopment of the site, which is in Green Belt; unacceptable encroachment and impact on neighbouring properties; increased traffic in a narrow lane and unsuitable access onto the A38; an unacceptable increase in lighting in a rural location; and the risk of increased surface water run-off due to the additional buildings.

08/P/2638/F – Land to the side of 1 The Glebe: Erection of a two storey end of terrace 2 bedroom house with parking; erection of a single storey side extension to existing house.

It was noted that the design of the proposed dwelling was similar to existing houses in The Glebe. It was felt that the additional house would make the site too crowded, and would unacceptably increase the urban appearance of the area. As other houses in the development are set back from the road, the proposed dwelling, which would be built right up to the edge of the pavement at three points, would be out of keeping with The Glebe development. As the design of the dwelling has no provision for separate work space, it is contrary to NSC’s H/7 policy, designed to discourage out-commuting.

09/P/0013/WT – Brookside, Church Walk: works to trees in the Conservation Area. It was agreed to make no comment on this application.

09/P/0014/F – Lockmore Cottage, Blackmoor, Langford: Erection of a two storey side extension and dormer on the north elevation following demolition of single storey sun room (amendment to previous approval 08/P/2132/F to alter the proposed window frame material.

It was agreed to make no comment on this application.

08/P/0027/F – Blaise House, Station Road, Wrington: Erection of a single storey rear extension.

After discussion, it was agreed to make no objection in principle to the application. However, it was agreed to comment that the Council is disappointed that the proposal does not make use of natural stone in the construction of the extension, to blend in with the existing house and extension, particularly considering its location in the Conservation Area. Stone construction with a tiled roof would be preferred materials. Although it was accepted that the extension would not normally be visible from outside the property, this is because of the recent erection of a 1.95m fence, which members felt has an unsympathetic appearance. It was therefore agreed to recommend some planting to soften the visual impact of this.

09/P/0043/F – Land at Silver Ridge, Bridgwater Road: Change of use from agriculture to surface car parking with the siting of a mobile office (retrospective).

It was agreed to object to the application on the same grounds as the previous application 08/P/1538/F, which was considered at the Planning Committee meeting on 5th August 2008.

9. Other Planning Issues

None.

There being no other business the meeting closed at 7.15 pm.

Mr. D W Glynn
Chairman