The Head of City Development has submitted a report which details a planning application to construct two all-weather pitches, plus new residential development consisting of 6 x 1 bed, 15 x 2 bed, 15 x 3 bed and 4 x 4 bed residential units, 71 car parking spaces, access road and landscaping accessed off Barracks Lane.

Officer recommendation: That the Committee REFUSE the planning application for the following reasons:

 1         The application site has been in use for formal and informal sport and recreation until recently. Although the site is now fenced it has not been clearly shown that the site is surplus to requirements for sport or recreation. The site retains the potential to provide for types of open air sport and recreation for which there is a need in the City. The replacement sports facilities in the form of all-weather mini-pitches with restricted community access are not equal to or better than retaining the potential of the site to provide for open air sport and recreation. Further it is not essential that the all-weather mini-pitches are provided on this particular site to satisfy local need. For these reasons the proposal does not accord with the NPPF, Policy CS21 of the Core Strategy, or Policy SR2 of the Oxford Local Plan.

 2         The site meets the requirements of the NPPF as a local green space, a valued local amenity which will be lost by developing housing on part of the site and diminished on the mini-pitches part of the site. The all-weather mini-pitches do not form an acceptable alternative to retention of this green space. This is contrary to guidance in the NPPF and Policies CS21 of the Core Strategy and SR2 of the Oxford Local Plan.

 3         The development is contrary to Policy CS2 of the Core Strategy in that the site is not allocated for development nor is it needed to meet the NPPF 5 or 10 year housing land availability requirements. There are no other balancing reasons or mitigating circumstances why housing should be allowed on this site. It is not essential that the housing or all-weather mini-pitch developments are developed on his particular site which it is preferable to retain as open space for the well-being of the community it serves.

 4         The proposed development fails properly to demonstrate how the renewable energy element of the NRIA SPD will be complied with, and as such fails to meet the standards of resource efficiency required by the Council's adopted planning policies on energy, natural resources, waste and recycling, namely Core Strategy Policy CS9, Sites and Housing Plan Policy HP11, and Local Plan Policies CP17 and CP18

The Head of City Development submitted a report (previously circulated now appended) concerning a planning application for two all-weather pitches, plus new residential development consisting of 6 x 1 bed, 15 x 2 bed, 15 x 3 bed and 4 x 4 bed residential units, 71 car parking spaces, access road and landscaping accessed off Barracks Lane.

Fiona Bartholomew (Planning Officer) presented the report to the Committee and provided some background and context. She informed the Committee that an additional sum of £250,000 had been offered to fund alternative leisure provision, with the possible removal of the all-weather pitches to leave an open space. However this would need separate discussion and the Committee was required to judge the application that was before it.

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, Judith Harley spoke against the application and Nik Lyzba (on behalf of the Applicant) spoke in favour of it.

After taking all submissions into account, both written and oral, the Committee resolved to REFUSE the planning application for the following reasons:-

1          The application site has been in use for formal and informal sport and recreation until recently. Although the site is now fenced it has not been clearly shown that the site is surplus to requirements for sport or recreation. The site retains the potential to provide for types of open air sport and recreation for which there is a need in the City. The replacement sports facilities in the form of all-weather mini-pitches with restricted community access are not equal to or better than retaining the potential of the site to provide for open air sport and recreation. Further it is not essential that the all-weather mini-pitches are provided on this particular site to satisfy local need. For these reasons the proposal does not accord with the NPPF, Policy CS21 of the Core Strategy, or Policy SR2 of the Oxford Local Plan.

2          The site meets the requirements of the NPPF as a local green space, a valued local amenity which will be lost by developing housing on part of the site and diminished on the mini-pitches part of the site. The all-weather mini-pitches do not form an acceptable alternative to retention of this green space. This is contrary to guidance in the NPPF and Policies CS21 of the Core Strategy and SR2 of the Oxford Local Plan.

3          The development is contrary to Policy CS2 of the Core Strategy in that the site is not allocated for development nor is it needed to meet the NPPF 5 or 10 year housing land availability requirements. There are no other balancing reasons or mitigating circumstances why housing should be allowed on this site. It is not essential that the housing or all-weather mini-pitch developments are developed on his particular site which it is preferable to retain as open space for the well-being of the community it serves.

4          The proposed development fails properly to demonstrate how the renewable energy element of the NRIA SPD will be complied with, and as such fails to meet the standards of resource efficiency required by the Council's adopted planning policies on energy, natural resources, waste and recycling, namely Core Strategy Policy CS9, Sites and Housing Plan Policy HP11, and Local Plan Policies CP17 and CP18