Agenda item

Details:

Development of 42 dwellings comprised: 17 detached houses; 8 semi-detached houses; 11 terraced houses; 6 flats; garages; parking; landscaping; estate roads; junction access; footpaths; open space; play area; 5 allotments; cycleway

Public Participants:

Mr Holmes – Applicant’s Agent

Parish Cllr Banks – Milford on Sea Parish Council.

Additional Representations:

19 further letters of objection, which raised further concerns at crime, the isolated street layout, lack of shops and impact on tourism.

1 letter that commented on the application.

Southern Water would prefer a combined foul and surface water drainage condition due to the need to assess both networks at the same time.

Natural England raised no objection subject to appropriate mitigation being secured.

The applicant had circulated additional information directly to members of the Committee.

Comment:

Members were advised of additional information that should be taken into account in the consideration of this application, together with consequent additional and amended conditions, as set out in the update circulated prior to the meeting.

Members noted that the application site had been released from the Green Belt, under policy MOS1, as an exception site.  The basis for the release of the land had been specifically to address identified local needs for affordable housing and low cost market housing, with a target minimum of 70% affordable housing, the rest being low cost market housing, together with other community benefits.  This viewpoint had been confirmed by the Inspector when considering Policies CS12 and CS15 of the Local Plan Part 1and subsequently by a different Inspector considering Policy MOS1 within Part 2 of the Council’s Local Plan.  The Committee considered that, as the land had been released from the Green Belt for a specific purpose, and the proposed scheme did not meet that specific purpose, it should be refused.

The Committee did not accept that the provision of starter homes for first time buyers complied with the definition of affordable housing.  The proposed development therefore offered only 6 flats for rent and 6 dwellings for shared ownership, which was considerably less than the 70% mentioned in the site specific policy and did not meet the requirements in terms of satisfying the local housing need for affordable and low cost market housing that had led to the allocation of the site in the first place.

For these reasons the proposal should be refused as it was a wholly non-compliant scheme in policy terms on this important edge of settlement site.

Decision:

Refused

Refusal reasons:

The proportion of affordable housing proposed falls significantly below that specified in Policy CS15 of the Local Plan Part 1 (Core Strategy 2009) and Policy MOS1 of the Local Plan Part 2 (Sites and Development Management Plan 2014).  Additionally the remainder is not wholly low cost market housing as required by Policy CS15.  The site was only released from the Green Belt and allocated for housing on the basis that its development would meet local housing needs which would not otherwise be provided for and this alone provided the exceptional circumstances which justified the alteration of the Green Belt boundary.  Having regard to the exceptional circumstances which underlie the site’s allocation for development, it would not be appropriate to allow such a limited provision of affordable housing and low cost market housing.  The proposal is considered to be an unsustainable form of development which would seriously prejudice the objectives of the Development Plan.