Agenda item

Refused reasons to be set out in the minutes.

The committee considered application 14/01675/OUT, an outline application for the erection of up to 53,000 sqm of floor space to be for B8 and B2 with ancillary B1 (use classes) employment provision within two employment zones covering an area of 9.45ha;  parking and service areas to serve the employment zones; a new access off the Middleton Stoney Road (B4030); temporary access of Howes Lane pending the delivery of the realigned Howes Lane; 4.5ha of residential land; internal roads, paths and cycleways; landscaping including strategic green infrastructure (G1); provision of sustainable urban systems (suds) incorporating landscaped areas with balancing ponds and swales and associated utilities and infrastructure, at OS Parcel 4200 adjoining and north east of A4095 and adjoining and south west of Howes Lane, Bicester for Albion Land Ltd.

Councillor Les Sibley (as a member of the public as the application fell outside of the boundary of the ward he represented) and Catherine Fulljames addressed the committee in objection to the application.

Peter Frampton, agent for the applicant, addressed the committee in support to the application.

Councillor Pratt proposed that application 14/01675/OUT be refused. Councillor Mould seconded the proposal.

In reaching their decision, the committee considered the officers report, presentation, written update and the addresses of the public speakers.

Resolved

That application 14/01675/OUT be refused for the following reasons:

1.               The proposed employment uses, at 70% B8 and 30% B2 floor space, does not comply with Policy Bicester 1 of the Adopted Cherwell Local Plan 2011-2031 which states that the use classes sought across the North West Bicester site will be B1 with limited B2 and B8 uses. The proposed employment uses are not predominantly B1 and would provide lower employment levels than employment predominantly within Use Class B1. Additionally, the resulting scale, height and appearance of development from such a use class split, as established by the parameter plans submitted with the application, would be unacceptable in terms of the impact of the proposal upon the landscape, the visual amenities of the area and the amenity of neighbouring properties by virtue of being obtrusive and out of keeping with the predominantly residential character of the existing town and the development planned by the Masterplan for North West Bicester. The proposal is therefore not considered to be sustainable development and is contrary to Policies Bicester 1, SLE 1, ESD13 and ESD15 of the Cherwell Local Plan 2011-2031, Policies C28 and C30 of the Cherwell Local Plan 1996, the National Planning Policy Framework and the North West Bicester Supplementary Planning Document.

2.               By reason of a lack of a satisfactory completed S106 legal agreement to ensure that the development adequately mitigates its impact on community infrastructure, site wide infrastructure and secures the provision of affordable housing, the local planning authority cannot be satisfied that the impacts of the development in this respect can be made acceptable. In addition, the application provides insufficient information in respect of the detail relating to the Howes Lane temporary access, the provision of Green Infrastructure, the achievement of a net gain for biodiversity and an adequate Framework Travel Plan in order for an assessment to be made as to the acceptability of the proposal in relation to these specific matters. Consequently the proposals conflict with the requirements of Policies BSC3, BSC11, BSC12, INF1, Bicester 1, ESD10 and ESD17 of the Cherwell Local Plan 2011-2031, Policy H5 of the Cherwell Local Plan 1996, the National Planning Policy Framework and the North West Bicester Supplementary Planning Document.