Planning & Traffic Management Committee

Wednesday 5 January 2005 at 3.00 pm

Present:  Councillors  Forbes, Fyfe, Hunter, McCabe (for McCormick (P)), Mitchell, Roach and Stewart.

Chair:  Councillor Forbes presided.

In attendance:  Mr H McNeilly (for Head of Legal Services), Head of Planning Services and Head of Transportation & Roads Service.

Apologies: Councillor McCormick (P).

The following paragraphs are submitted for information only, having been dealt with under the powers delegated to the Committee.

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PLANNING APPLICATIONS

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There were submitted reports by the Head of Planning Services on the following applications which were submitted, together with letters of objection and support where submitted, and dealt with as follows:-

(a)

Installation of 13.5m High Monopole to Accommodate 3 Antennas,

Provision of Ground Based Equipment and Erection of a 2.3m High Fence:

Wemyss Bay Telephone Exchange, Forbes Place, Wemyss Bay (IC/04/142R)

Decided:  that planning permission be refused for the following reasons:-

(1)   as the proposed monopole would have an adverse effect on the setting of St. Joseph’s Church, which is a Category C(S) listed building; and

(2)   as the proposed monopole would represent a visual intrusion in the streetscene at Forbes Place and Greenock Road.

(b)

Proposed Change of Use of Public Open Space to Private Garden Ground:

38 Leapmoor Drive, Wemyss Bay (IC/04/400)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted.

(c)

Conversion of “The Langhouse” into 2 Houses and Construction of 11 Houses

Within Walled Garden and Tennis Court:

“The Langhouse”, Langhouse Road, Inverkip (IC/04/284 & LB/04/020)

Decided:

(a)        that planning application IC/04/284 be referred to the Scottish Ministers in terms of the Town and Country Planning (Notification of Applications) (Scotland) Direction 1997 intimating the Council’s intention to grant planning permission subject to the following conditions:-

(1)   that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997;

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(2)   that before the development hereby permitted begins, full details of a construction and repair aprogramme for The Langhouse and the walled garden shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services and shall take the following matters into account:-

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(i)     phasing for completion of works to The Langhouse vis a vis construction of the new dwellings;

(ii)    details of external treatment/repairs to The Langhouse following removal of extensions, alterations and coatings, including details of all construction/repair materials to be used in making good the appearance of the building;

(iii)   details of internal works including timber rot repairs;

(iv)  details of new boundary treatments; and

(v)    details of repairs and other works to the walled garden including details of the proposed pillar;

(3)   that, for the avoidance of doubt, the existing windows of The Langhouse will be repaired and retained.  Where this is not possible, full details of replacement windows shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services prior to their use and they shall, for the avoidance of doubt, match as closely as possible the existing windows on the building, conditions (2) and (3) being imposed to ensure that the resultant appearance of the listed building and wall reflect their historical character;

(4)   that the new dwellings hereby permitted shall be finished in a wet dash render, the colour(s) of which shall be approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services prior to their use, with the roofs finished in natural slate;

(5)  that the windows to be installed on the new dwellings hereby permitted shall be timber sash and case, a sample of which shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services prior to their use;

(6)  that the detached garages hereby permitted shall be finished in materials to match those used on the roof and walls of the adjacent dwellinghouse;

(7)   that, notwithstanding the terms of condition (6) above, a full design specification for the garages to be provided for the occupants of The Langhouse shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services before these garages are constructed, conditions (4) to (7) being imposed to ensure appropriate finishes to these buildings with respect to the setting of the listed building;

(8)   that, notwithstanding the provision of Classes 1, 3, 5 and 6 of Part 1, Classes 7 and 9 of Part 2 and Class 68 of Part 21 of Schedule 1 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (Scotland) Order 1992, as amended, an application for planning permission will be required in respect of:-

(i)     the enlargement, improvement or other alteration of a dwellinghouse;

(ii)    the provision within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse, or any building or enclosure, swimming or other pool required for purposes incidental to the enjoyment of the dwellinghouse, or alteration of such a building or enclosure;

(iii)   the erection or provision within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse of a container for the storage of oil or liquid petroleum gas;

(iv)   the installation or alteration of a satellite antenna on a dwellinghouse or within the curtilage of a dwellinghouse;

(v)    the erection, construction or alteration of a gate, fence, wall or other means of enclosure;

(vi)   the painting of the exterior of any building;

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(vii)  the installation or alteration of any building or other structure other than a dwellinghouse, of a microwave antenna and any structure intended for the support of a microwave antenna;

to enable the Head of Planning Services to retain control over works otherwise permitted thus ensuring the setting of the landscape of The Langhouse is protected from unsympathetic development;

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(9)   that, notwithstanding the application plans hereby approved, permission is not given for the hard surfacing shown within the walled garden area.  Samples of surfacing materials shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services before being used, to ensure an appropriate finish to the courtyard area;F

(10) that all surface water drainage from the site shall be treated in accordance with the principles of the Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems Manual for Scotland and Northern Ireland (Circa 2000), to protect properties from the effects of flooding;

(11) that prior to the start of construction on any dwellings hereby permitted, a detailed scheme of soft and hard landscaping including boundary treatments shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services.  The scheme of soft landscaping will identify those trees to be retained.  Any replacement tree/hedge planting shall consist only of native species, to enable the Head of Planning Services to control the appearance of the development and the setting of The Langhouse;

(12) that no trees shall be removed from the site without the express written permission of the Head of Planning Services;

(13) that no tree felling, lopping or scrub clearance shall take place within the main bird breeding season of March to June inclusive;

(14) that prior to any work starting on the site, tree protection  measures in accordance with British Standard 5837:1991 ‘Guide for Trees in Relation to Construction; National House Building Council Standards’ Chapter 4.2 ‘Building Near Trees’ (updated 1992) shall be put in place and remain in place until construction is complete, conditions (12) to (14) being imposed to ensure the protection and retention of appropriate trees in the interests of visual amenity and wildlife;

(15) that, in order to ensure the protection of bats, no work shall progress on The Langhouse until after 1st June 2005.  A bat survey shall be carried out thereafter prior to demolition or redevelopment and no work shall progress until the results of the survey have been approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services, in the interests of the protection of wildlife; and

(16) that prior to the start of any construction work on the site, a scheme for sewage treatment and effluent disposal arrangements shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services, to ensure the adequacy of the sewer network connection to the site and avoid pollution risks; and

(b) that listed building application LB/04/020 be referred to Historic Scotland intimating the Council’s intention to grant listed building consent, subject to the following conditions:-

(1)  that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 16 of the Town and Country Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) (Scotland) Act 1997;

(2)  that before the development hereby permitted begins, full details of a construction and repair programme for The Langhouse and the walled garden shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services and shall take the following matters into account:-

(i)    phasing for completion of works to The Langhouse vis a vis construction of the new dwellings;

(ii)   details of external treatment/repairs to The Langhouse following removal of extensions, alterations and coatings, including details of all construction/repair materials to be used in making good the appearance of the building;

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(iii)   details of internal works including timber rot repairs;

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(iv)   details of new boundary treatments; and

(v)  details of repairs and other works to the walled garden including details of the proposed pillar;  and

(3)   that, for the avoidance of doubt, the existing windows of The Langhouse will be repaired and retained.  Where this is not possible, full details of replacement windows shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services prior to their use and they shall, for the avoidance of doubt, match as closely as possible the existing windows on the building, conditions (2) and (3) being imposed to ensure that the resultant appearance of the listed building and garden wall is acceptable.

(d)

Construction of 7 Flatted Dwellings:

53/55 Shore Street, Gourock (IC/04/149R)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:-

(1)   that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997;

(2)   that before any facing materials are used, samples of these shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services, to ensure the use of an acceptable quality of materials in the interests of visual amenity;

(3)  that prior to the first of the flatted dwellings hereby permitted being occupied, the car parking spaces shown on the approved plans shall be surfaced to a sealed wearing course, to ensure the availability of adequate car parking provision in the interests of relieving traffic congestion; and

(4)  that before the development hereby permitted starts the applicant shall, following consultation with Scottish Water, confirm in writing to the Head of Planning Services that the drainage design incorporates a sustainable urban drainage system, to ensure that run off from the site is controlled to prevent flooding of adjacent land.

(e)

Formation of 2 Off-Street Parking Spaces Including Retaining Walls and

Balustrade Railings, Formation of Timber Decking (in retrospect) and

Erection of 2 Metre High Screen Fence Along Part of Boundary:

11 Fir Terrace, Gourock (IC/04/285R)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:-

(1)   that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997; and

(2)   that no consent is granted for the garden decking or screen boundary fencing as, in the absence of adequate screening, the garden decking is contrary to Planning Practice Advice Note No.15 due to intrusive overlooking of neighbouring property.

(f)

Construction of 8 Flats:

11A Jamaica Street, Greenock (IC/04/332R)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:-

(1)   that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997;

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(2)  that before any facing materials are used on the development hereby permitted, samples of these facing materials shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services, to allow for assessment of the suitability of these materials;

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(3)   that before the first of the flatted dwellings hereby permitted is occupied, the vehicular access and car parking/manoeuvring area shall be completed to a sealed base course level approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services;

(4)  that before the last of the flatted dwellings hereby permitted is occupied, the vehicular access and car parking/manoeuvring area shall be completed to a sealed final wearing course level approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services, conditions (3) and (4) being imposed to ensure the adequacy of the surfacing in the interests of pedestrian and vehicular safety for each stage of the development;

(5)  that drainage from the site shall be in accordance with a sustainable urban drainage system.  Full details of the system shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services prior to the start of development on the site, to reduce the risk of flooding; and

(6)   that details of the eastern boundary wall with respect to retention of the car park, specifically protection of the wall from vehicle collision and protection from falling over the wall, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Head of Planning Services before development starts, in the interests of vehicular and public safety.

(g)

Proposed Erection of Single Storey Pumping Station Building and

Proposed Access and Parking:

Overton Water Treatment Works, Old Largs Road, Greenock (IC/04/398)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:-

(1)   that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act, 1997; and

(2)   that no development shall commence until samples of all external materials have been submitted to and approved by the Head of Planning Services: development shall thereafter proceed utilising the approved materials unless approval is given to any alternatives, to ensure materials are used which are compatible with the existing water treatment works.

(h)

Proposed Erection of 8 Flats:

30 Roxburgh Street, Greenock (IC/04/428)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:-

(1)   that the development to which this permission relates must be begun within five years from the date of this permission, to comply with Section 58 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997;

(2)   that no development shall commence until samples of all external materials have been submitted to and approved by the Head of Planning Services: development shall thereafter proceed utilising the approved materials unless approval is given to any alternatives, to ensure a choice of materials compatible with the built form of Roxburgh Street; and

(3)   that none of the flats shall be occupied until the parking layout detailed in drawing (pl) 101B has been completed, in the interests of road safety on Roxburgh Street.

(i)

Proposed Change of Use of Joinery to Production Bakery, Cafe and

Hot Food Take Away:

Unit 5.2, Cappielow Industrial Estate, Greenock (IC/04/422)

It was noted that this item had been withdrawn from the agenda.

(j)

Erection of Garage and Store (Amendment to Planning Application IC/02/244R):

“The Grange”, Porterfield Road, Kilmacolm (IC/04/354)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted subject to the condition that the building hereby permitted shall not be occupied or used at any time other than for purposes ancillary to the residential use of the dwelling known as ‘The Grange’, to prevent the business use of the building to the detriment of residential amenity and to prevent ‚sub-division of the residential plot to the detriment of the established building pattern within the Kilmacolm Conservation Area.

(k)

Alterations and Change of Use of Farm Buildings to Living Accommodation:

“Westside” B788, Auchenfoil Road, Kilmacolm (IC/04/402)

Decided:  that planning permission be granted.

(l)

(1) Proposed Change of Use of Church to 12 Flats

Including External Alterations and Formation of Parking Bays and Access:

Mount Zion Church, Quarriers Village (IC/03/394R & LB/03/019R) and

(2) Proposed Relocation of Existing Playground:

Quarriers Village (IC/04/439)

The report recommended (1) that the listed building application be referred to Historic Scotland with a recommendation that listed building consent be issued subject to a number of conditions, (2) that, on authorisation from Historic Scotland to issue listed building consent, planning permission be granted in respect of the proposed conversion of the former church to 12 flats subject to a number of conditions and (3) that planning permission in respect of the relocation of the playground be granted subject to a number of conditions.

Decided:  that consideration of the applications be continued for a site visit to be arranged by the Director of Corporate Services in consultation with the Convener.

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ADVERTISEMENT APPLICATION

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There was submitted a report dated 20 December 2004 by the Head of Planning Services on an application for the display of an externally illuminated pole mounted sign, 4 externally illuminated panel signs, nameboard and externally illuminated lettering at The Pullman Tavern, Lochwinnoch Road, Kilmacolm (CA/04/043R).

The report recommended that advertisement consent be granted for a period of 5 years from this date, subject to the condition that the maximum luminance for the externally illuminated pole sign, the logo sign, the 3 panel signs (item numbers 4 & 6 on the submitted plan), the nameboard and the individual lettering shall not exceed 1600cd/m² and the maximum luminance of the 1 panel sign (item number 3 on the submitted plan) shall not exceed 1200cd/m², to prevent glare to the distraction of road users.

After discussion, Councillor Roach moved that advertisement consent be granted for a period of 5 years from this date subject to the condition detailed in the report.

As an amendment, Councillor Fyfe moved that advertisement consent be refused as the size, number and colour of the signs proposed is inappropriate at this location, between a residential and commercial area, and constitutes visual clutter as defined in Planning Practice Advice Note No. 13.

On a vote, 3 Members voted for the motion and 4 for the amendment which was declared carried.

Decided:  that advertisement consent be refused as the size, number and colour of the signs proposed is inappropriate at this location, between a residential and commercial area, and constitutes visual clutter as defined in Planning Practice Advice Note No. 13.

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PLANNING APPEAL - “CRAIGIELEA”, QUARRIERS VILLAGE

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There was submitted a report dated 20 December 2004 by the Head of Planning Services advising that following the decision of the Committee at the meeting held on 3 March 2004 to refuse planning permission for the erection of a dwellinghouse (in outline) at “Craigielea”, Quarriers Village (IC/03/428) and the subsequent appeal by the applicant to the Scottish Ministers against that refusal, the Reporter appointed by the Scottish Ministers had issued his decision which was to uphold the appeal and grant planning permission subject to the reserved matters application restricting the house to 1½ storeys in height and a detailed tree survey and planting scheme.™

Noted

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ENFORCEMENT PROCEDURES

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There was submitted a report dated 13 December 2004 by the Head of Planning Services setting out the legislative position, current enforcement strategy and steps which may be taken to reduce the number of retrospective planning applications.

Noted

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PROPOSED ONE WAY TRAFFIC REGULATION ORDER - BRANCHTON ROAD/ FORFAR ROAD, GREENOCK

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There was submitted a report by the Director of Corporate Services (1) on proposals to introduce one way only driving in Branchton Road/Forfar Road, Greenock and (2) advising of the requirement to hold a hearing in terms of the Local Authorities’ Traffic Orders (Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 1999.

Decided:  that the Committee note the requirement to hold a hearing in relation to the proposed Traffic Regulation Order - Branchton Road/Forfar Road, Greenock and that it be remitted to the Head of Transportation & Roads Service and Head of Legal Services to make the necessary arrangements.