Agenda item

Further to minute 48 of the North and East Plans Panel meeting held on 21^st August 2014, where Panel deferred determination of an application for change of use of stable including alteration to form one holiday cottage for additional information and a site visit, to consider a further report of the Chief Planning Officer

(report attached)

  Further to minute 48 of the North and East Plans Panel meeting held on 21^st August 2014, where Panel deferred determination of an application for change of use of stable including alteration to form one holiday cottage for additional information, the Panel considered a further report of the Chief Planning Officer

  Plans of the proposals were displayed at the meeting.  A Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  Officers presented the report and confirmed that the site was located in the Green Belt, despite the applicant’s agent suggesting this was a brownfield site.  Members were informed that further information had been submitted on the proposed method of insulating the walling and flooring.  Responses had also been received from several LPAs to see how they viewed or had approached similar development, with these being included in the report before Panel

  Officers were of the view that the application should be refused, with a reason for refusal being included in the submitted report.  If minded to accept the Officer’s recommendation, a further reason for refusal was suggested to Panel, relating to the harmful impact of use on the open character of the Green Belt

  Members heard representations from the applicant’s agent who provided information to Panel, which included:

·  that the proposals were for a conversion of an existing building

·  the extent of the aspects of the building which would be retained

·  reference to Paragraph 19 of the NPPF relating to sustainable growth

·  that the proposals represented sustainable development and did not impact on neighbours or the Green Belt

The Panel discussed the application, with the main issues relating to:

·  the sustainability of the proposals

·  the suitability of the building for holiday accommodation

·  that the application was in effect for a new house

RESOLVED -  That the application be refused for two reasons, one, as

set out in the submitted report:

The Local Planning Authority considers that the building proposed to be converted is not sufficiently of substantial and permanent construction.  The structure would require substantial modification before it could be converted to form a dwelling, to the point at which it could not be considered to be a conversion.  As such, the Local Planning Authority considers that the proposed development would be tantamount to the construction of a new dwelling in the Green Belt which would constitute inappropriate development and which is, by definition, harmful.  Significant weight must be given to this harm and, in the absence of very special circumstances, the proposal is therefore considered to be contrary to Leeds Unitary Development Plan Review Policies GB4 and the guidance contained within Section 9 of the NPPF

  With a further reason relating to the harmful impact of use on the open character of the Green Belt, i.e.

  The proposed change of use and redevelopment of the stables to form a C3 dwelling house use is likely to have a harmful impact on the openness of the Green Belt, through the formalisation of a domestic curtilage and associated domestic paraphernalia which are likely to arise as part of the use.  The application is therefore contrary to guidance contained within Paragraph 89 of the NPPF