Minutes of Meeting of the Ross, Skye and Lochaber Planning Applications and Review Committee held on site and in the Council Chamber, Lochaber House, High Street, Fort William on Tuesday, 12th February 2008 at 11.00 am.
Committee Members Present
Mr Donald Cameron, Mr William Clark, Mrs Biz Campbell, Mr Eddie Hunter, Mrs Audrey Sinclair
Officials in attendance:
Ms Susan Poole, Team Leader, Planning
Mr Jim Tolmie, Area Roads and Community Works Manager
Mr Alaisdair Mackenzie, Area Solicitor
Mr Andy Donaldson
Also in attendance on site:
Mr Duncan Kelly, Agent for the Applicants
Mr K Slater, for the Applicants
Mr Z Slater, for the Applicants
Mr M Gardiner, Objector
Mr William Clark, Vice Chairman in the Chair
Business
1. Apologies for Absence
Apologies for absence were intimated on behalf of Mr Billy Barclay, Mr David Chisholm, Mr Peter Cairns, Mrs Isobel McCallum, Mr Ian Renwick and Dr Michael Foxley.
2. Applications
2.1 Applicant Holme Park Developments (Application reference No 07/00486/FULLO)
Location Woodlands, 22 Achintore Road, Fort William
Nature of Development Erection of 18 Two Bedroomed Apartments
There had been circulated Report No PLR-021-08 by the Area Planning and Building Standards Manager recommending that, subject to the prior conclusion of:
- a Section 75 Agreement securing the commitment to providing 5 residential units for affordable housing; and
- a Maintenance Agreement for the internal access road and parking areas and the communal grounds and landscaping,
planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:-
1. The new access to the site shall be formed and the existing access closed
off before any works commence on site.
Reason: to ensure that the use of the existing access is discontinued and
the safety of traffic on the trunk road is improved.
2. The gradient of the access road shall not exceed 1 in 40 metres for a
distance of 10 metres from the nearside edge of the trunk road
carriageway, and the first 10 metres shall be surfaced in a bituminous
surface and measures shall be adopted to ensure that all drainage from the
site does not discharge onto the trunk road.
Reason: To ensure that the standard of access layout complies with the
current standards and that the safety of the traffic on the trunk road is
not diminished.
3. The proposed access shall join the trunk road at a new junction which shall
be constructed by the applicant to a standard as described in the
Department of Transport Advice Note TA 41/95 (Vehicular Access to All-
Purpose Trunk Roads)(as amended in Scotland) complying with Layout 3.
The junction shall be constructed in accordance with details that shall be
submitted to and approved by the Planning Authority after consultation
with the Roads Authority before any part of the development is
commenced.
Reason: To ensure that the standard of access layout complies with the
current standards and that the safety of the traffic on the trunk road is
not diminished.
4. The access gate shall be located at least 6 metres from the adjacent trunk
road carriageway and the gate shall only be capable of opening away from
the road.
Reason: To ensure that accessing vehicles can stand clear of the trunk
road carriageway when the gates are being opened or closed.
5. Prior to the commencement of works on site the visibility splays shall be
provided and thereafter maintained in perpetuity on each side of the new
access. These splays are the triangles of ground bounded on 2 sides by the
first 4.5 metres of the centreline of the access driveway (the set back
dimension) and the nearside trunk road carriageway measured 120 metres
(the y dimension) in both directions from the intersection of the access
with the trunk road. In a vertical plane nothing shall obscure visibility
measured from a driver’s eye height of between 1.05 metres and 2.0
metres positioned at the set back dimension to an object height of
between 0.26 metres and 1.05 metres anywhere along the y dimension.
Reason: To ensure that drivers of vehicles leaving the site are enabled to
see and be seen by vehicles on the trunk road carriageway and join the
traffic stream safely.
6. Prior to the commencement of any works on site full details of the
methods for dealing with surface water drainage shall be submitted to and
approved in writing by the Planning Authority, in consultation with the
Scottish Environment Protection Agency, the Roads Authority and Scottish
Water.
Reason: In order to prevent localised flooding and to adequate dispose of
surface water from the development.
7. Prior to the commencement of works on the construction of the flats
hereby approved full details of the external colour scheme for the buildings
shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority.
Such details shall show each block with a different colour scheme, devised
from the same colour palette. Thereafter the buildings shall be finished in
accordance with the approved details, prior to the first occupation of each
building, and maintained in perpetuity unless otherwise first agreed in
writing by the Planning Authority.
Reason: In the interests of visual amenity in order to break up the
appearance of these three identical building.
8. Prior to the commencement of works on the construction of the flats
hereby approved full details of the location and design of the proposed bin
stores shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning
Authority. Thereafter the bin stores shall be erected in accordance with
the approved details prior to the first occupation of the flats.
Reason: In the interests of visual amenity.
9. Prior to the commencement of works on the construction of the flats
hereby approved a scheme of hard and soft landscaping for the site shall
be submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. All
approved planting and seeding shall be undertaken in the first planting
season following the first occupation of the development and shall
thereafter be maintained in accordance with the obligations set out in the
associated Section 75 Agreement. Any plants which, within a period of five
years from the completion of the development die, are removed, or
become seriously damaged or diseased, shall be replaced in the immediately
following planting season with others of a similar size and species.
Reason: In the interests of visual amenity to help integrate the
development into its landscape setting.
10. Prior to the commencement of construction on each residential block the
finished floor level of the building shall be agreed on site with the Planning
Authority. The floor level shall be such that the ridge height of three
residential blocks hereby approved shall not exceed the ridge height of
the house to the north east of the site known as ‘Glenview’, unless
otherwise first agreed in writing by the Planning Authority.
Reason: In the interests of visual amenity in order to help integrate the
proposal into it’s townscape setting.
11. Prior to the commencement of work on site full details of the finalised
parking arrangements shall be submitted to and approved in writing by
the Planning Authority. Such details shall include a minimum of 36 car
parking spaces together with the provision of a large vehicle service bay
within the site. Thereafter the car parking and service bay shall be fully
formed in accordance with the approved details prior to the first
occupation of the flats and retained in perpetuity, unless otherwise first
agreed in writing by the Planning Authority.
Reason: In the interests of road safety, to ensure adequate parking
provision within the site.
12. Notwithstanding the approved plans, the entrance gates to the approved
development shall be deleted from the scheme and the vehicular access
shall be kept clear of all obstructions to access including gates and bollards
in perpetuity.
Reason: In the interests of road safety.
13. Prior to the commencement of works site full details of the open space
and play area provision to serve the residential units, together with
detailed arrangements for the on-going maintenance shall be submitted to
and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. Thereafter the
approved open space and play area provisions shall be fully in place prior to
the occupation of the sixth residential unit.
Reason: In the interests of amenity.
14. Prior to the commencement of works on site a plan showing an area of
land within the applicant’s control on the shore side of the A82 capable
of forming a bus draw in facility shall be submitted to and approved in
writing by the Planning Authority in consultation with the Area Roads
Manager. Thereafter this land shall be reserved and made available to the
Council as Roads Authority for the formation of a bus draw in facility.
Reason: In the interests of road safety
Footnote to Applicant Relative to Application 07/00486/FULLO
The applicant is advised to make early contact with Scottish Water to secure the necessary permissions to connect to the public water supply and the public sewer.
The applicant’s attention is drawn to the contents of the ‘View from the Road Project’. It would be beneficial for some environmental/enhancement works to be undertaken on the land between the A82 and the shore.
The meeting convened on site where the Committee inspected the location and, in particular, the proposed access point and visibility splays.
At the invitation of the Chairman, the Applicants and the Objector pointed out physical features.
Thereafter the Committee reconvened in the Council Chamber at Lochaber House.
Following discussion, the Committee agreed the recommendation subject to the following:
1. An additional condition requiring the provision by the Applicants of a bus
draw in area on the land across the road from the site;
2. The Applicants be asked to voluntarily provide one additional affordable
housing unit;
3. That the Applicants meet the entire cost of the Section 75 Agreement
including the Council’s legal costs and the costs of preparing any required
plans; and
4. That maintenance of the Play area be included in the Maintenance
Agreement.
The meeting ended at 12.15 pm.