Councillors Rice and Snell excused themselves from this item, as they sat at Gloriana board meetings.

The application sought full planning permission for the erection of 80 dwellings, comprising a variety of one – three storey houses, with associated roads, parking, refuse and bicycle storage and amenity space

The Committee queried the proposed access routes.  The application had been accompanied by a transport assessment and the access proposals proposed a one-way route through the new development, entering via Roseberry Road and exiting via Belmont Road.  A new road was also proposed along the Southern boundary of the site to maintain the existing rear access to properties, which would also be one-way.  The existing residential roads would remain two-way.

It was proposed by Councillor Ojetola and seconded by the Vice-Chair that the application be deferred for a site visit to enable Members to assess the capacity of the existing roads and fully grasp the proposed changes to access.

For:                  Councillors Steve Liddiard (Vice-Chair), Graham Hamilton and Tunde Ojetola.

Against:           Councillors Tom Kelly (Chair), Terry Piccolo and Brian Little.

Abstained:       (0)

As there were equal votes for and against, the Chair exercised the casting vote and the proposal was dismissed.

Councillor B. Little queried the insulation standard and solar panels proposed, and what assurances were in place.  Condition 7 ensured roof-mounted photovoltaic panels and energy efficiency measures would be a building regulations matter as opposed to a planning condition, as the Government suspended the Code for Sustainable Homes in 2015.

Councillor Piccolo queried the capacity for parking within the turning heads compared to the additional spaces proposed within the application, to see if it would be sufficient to mitigate the loss of parking.  The Principal Highways Engineer advised the Committee that turning heads should not be used for parking.  The provision for parking within the application was above the Council’s draft parking standard and the applicant had strived to replicate the capacity within the turning heads.  The proposed changes also offered improved access for refuse vehicles.

The Chair accepted that there was a recurring “grey area” within Thurrock where turning circles were used as parking, which was understandable given some of the narrow roads.  He noted that there was no way to access the relief road from Roseberry Road and therefore its residents were seemingly worst affected.

A resident, Mrs Caramuscia, was invited to the Committee to present her statement of objection.

The agent, Judith Tranter, was invited to the Committee to present her statement of support.

Councillor Hamilton expressed concern at traffic exiting the new estate and joining a 2 way road.  The Traffic Assessment had found that accessibility for existing residents would not be impacted materially.  The additional traffic movements and queue lengths were not considered to be unacceptable under the Council’s policy.

Councilllor B. Little asked what could be done to avoid construction traffic using the existing residential roads to access the site.  Condition 6(e)  required details to be submitted and approved.  There would ideally be a separate access point for construction traffic, but this would require discussions with another landowner.  The Vice-Chair recalled complaints received around contractors and construction traffic around the previous Gloriana development within his ward.  The Chair agreed that getting materials on site would be an issue.

It was proposed by the Vice-Chair and seconded by the Chair that the application be deferred to clarify details address concerns regarding access for construction traffic.  Members would also have the opportunity to undertake informal site visits if they so wished.

For:                  Councillors Tom Kelly (Chair), Steve Liddiard (Vice-Chair), Graham Hamilton, Tunde Ojetola, Terry Piccolo and Brian Little.

Against:           (0)

Abstained:       (0)

RESOLVED:

That the application be deferred, to enable discussions with the applicant on access to the site for construction traffic.