Agenda and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors M Topping and R Packham. Councillor T Grogan was in attendance as a substitute for Councillor Topping, and Councillor S Shaw-Wright was in attendance as a substitute for Councillor Packham.

A copy of the Register of Interest for each Selby District Councillor is available for inspection at www.selby.gov.uk.

Councillors should declare to the meeting any disclosable pecuniary interest in any item of business on this agenda which is not already entered in their Register of Interests.

Councillors should leave the meeting and take no part in the consideration, discussion or vote on any matter in which they have a disclosable pecuniary interest.

Councillors should also declare any other interests. Having made the declaration, provided the other interest is not a disclosable pecuniary interest, the Councillor may stay in the meeting, speak and vote on that item of business.

If in doubt, Councillors are advised to seek advice from the Monitoring Officer.

Councillors J Cattanach, J Mackman, I Chilvers, P Welch, D Mackay and M Jordan declared non-pecuniary interests in agenda items 5.1 and 5.2 – 2019/1343/EIA and 2019/1344/FULM Eggborough Power Station, Selby Road, Eggborough as they had received additional representations from the applicants via email.

The Chair announced that an Officer Update Note had been circulated and that the business would be taken in the order as set out on the agenda.

The Committee were also informed that representations had been received from a Member requesting that the consideration of the applications be deferred until public speaking at meetings of the Planning Committee was available again.

Lastly, it was noted that details of any further representations received on the applications would be given by the Officers in their presentations.

To confirm as a correct record the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 12 August 2020.

The Committee considered the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 12 August 2020.

RESOLVED:

To approve the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting

held on 12 August 2020 for signing by the Chairman.

The Planning Committee considered the following applications.

Application: 2019/1343/EIA

Location:Eggborough Power Station, Selby Road, Eggborough

Proposal: Hybrid application for demolition of part of the former power station

and ancillary buildings and its redevelopment (i) access into the site, internal roads, employment units, car parking, drainage infrastructure and landscaping and (ii) outline for the scale of redevelopment of the remainder of the site for employment floorspace, proposed buildings with ridge being between 9.5 metres and 24.5 metres, car parking, drainage infrastructure and strategic landscaping

The Principal Planning Officer presented the application which had been brought before brought before Planning Committee as the proposal represented a departure from the Development Plan as it proposed new industrial development within the open countryside. However, Officers considered that there were material considerations which would support the recommendation for approval.

The Committee noted that the application was a hybrid application for demolition of part of the former power station and ancillary buildings and its redevelopment (i) access into the site, internal roads, employment units, car parking, drainage infrastructure and landscaping and (ii) outline for the scale of redevelopment of the remainder of the site for employment floorspace, proposed buildings with ridge being between 9.5 metres and 24.5 metres, car parking, drainage infrastructure and strategic landscaping.

An Officer Update Note had been circulated to Members and made available on the Council’s website which set out extra information for consideration by the Committee, including an additional Member representation requesting deferral until public speaking was available again at Planning Committee meetings, deletion of a policy reference from the report, details of additional consultation responses and a representation received since report publication, corrections to the recommendation and two additional informatives relating to the model railway and public footpaths.

Following a detailed presentation from Officers, Members asked a number of questions on varying aspects of the application, including highways matters such as roundabouts and traffic impact and assessments, which the Highways Officer from North Yorkshire County Council confirmed were acceptable.

In response to a question about how the amounts included in the estimated local economic benefits of the scheme were arrived at, Officers explained that the applicants, who had experience with similar sites around the country, had undertaken a detailed analysis, the results of which had been submitted with the application.

The Committee also discussed alternative access points to the site, including the provision of roundabouts, traffic speed and congestion, structure heights and massing and the permanent retention of the National Grid substation. Officers also confirmed that no response to the consultation on the scheme had been received from the Bat Group.

Following a lengthy debate, it was the overall opinion of the Committee that the application before them amounted to special circumstances for such a development on the site, and amounted to a detailed and well-presented scheme.

It was proposed and seconded that Members were minded to approve the application; a vote was taken on the proposal and was carried.

RESOLVED: That

a)    the Planning Committee were MINDED TO APPROVE the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 25.1

Application: 2019/1344/FULM

Location:Eggborough Power Station, Selby Road, Eggborough

Proposal: Proposed change of use of land, formation of sports pitches and the erection of pavilions (use class D2) with car parking, landscaping and access on sites A and B off Wand Lane and Hazel Old Lane

The Principal Planning Officer presented the application which had been brought before brought before Planning Committee as the proposal was to be considered alongside the full hybrid application 2019/1343/EIA which required determination by Committee.

The Committee noted that the application was for the proposed change of use of land, formation of sports pitches and the erection of pavilions (use class D2) with car parking, landscaping and access on sites A and B off Wand Lane and Hazel Old Lane.

An Officer Update Note had been circulated to Members and made available on the Council’s website which explained that an additional letter of representation had been received, which stated that a number of traffic counters were placed on Hazel Old Lane in lockdown, but that if this was put forward as a claimed for low usage of the Lane, it should not be considered. Officers explained that less traffic within the lockdown period was known to increase vehicle speeds. The traffic counters were placed there to assess speed, not general flow. North Yorkshire County Council Highways had raised no objections to either access.

Members asked if any issues relating to the public right of way would need to be brought back to the Committee for consideration; Officers confirmed that they would not and would be dealt with by the County Council. The applicants were mindful of this fact.

Officers confirmed that should additional car parking spaces be needed for the two football pitches in the future, a grassed area adjacent to the existing car park could be used for this purpose. The scheme had been designed with such fluidity and the use of one pitch at a time in mind.

Overall, the Committee were supportive of the scheme and the facilities it would provide for the community. It was proposed and seconded that the application be granted; a vote was taken on the proposal and was carried.

RESOLVED:

To GRANT the application subject to the conditions set out at paragraph 7 of the report.