Agenda item

Application: 2020/0442/S73

Location: Post Office Store, 2 High Street, Cawood

Proposal: Section 73 to vary conditions 02 (opening hours), 03 (extraction) & 04 (plans) of approval 2015/1230/RTR Prior approval for the change of use from use class A1 (Retail) to both A1 (Retail) and A3 (Cafe) uses

The Senior Planning Officer presented the application which had been brought before Planning Committee as it was a minor application where 10 or more letters of representation had been received which raised material planning considerations, and where Officers would otherwise determine the application contrary to these representations.

The Committee noted that the application was for a Section 73 to vary conditions 02 (opening hours), 03 (extraction) & 04 (plans) of approval 2015/1230/RTR Prior approval for the change of use from use class A1 (Retail) to both A1 (Retail) and A3 (Cafe) uses.

An Officer Update Note had been circulated to Members and made available on the Council’s website which explained that a number of comments had been received since publication of the report. Concerns had been raised about the use of the access to the rear of the Post Office, noise, odour and the impact on the mental health of occupants of neighbouring properties; however, Officers confirmed that this additional information did not alter the assessment that had been made.

Members asked questions on several matters, including the views of the Parish Council and Conservation Officer about the scheme, the number of representations received from outside of Cawood village, and the wording in Condition 2.

Officers explained that the Parish Council had initially objected to the scheme but had also sent a letter of support; as such, both sets of comments had been taken into consideration.

The Committee acknowledged that the wording of the Conservation Officer’s comments had raised concerns but were not considered to be strong objections to the scheme.  With regards to the number of letters of support that had been received, Members noted that the majority had been from addresses within Cawood and a handful from outside of the village.

Officers confirmed that the main business at the application site was a Post Office, but that the cooking of food was becoming an integral business activity, and as such, the wording of Condition 2 was felt to be appropriate. However, Members agreed that Condition 2 should be amended to reflect the fact that the applicants should install the appropriate equipment before implementing the permission.

It was agreed that such changes to the wording of Condition 2 should be delegated to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of Planning Committee.

It was therefore proposed and seconded that the application be granted subject to the conditions set out in the report and subject to the rewording of Condition 2, as delegated to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Committee. 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 and the rewording of Condition 2, which was to be delegated to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of the Planning Committee.