Agenda and draft minutes

Agenda and draft minutes

To improve accessibility individual documents published after 1 May 2020 are available as HTML pages where their original format supports this

Speaking at a Council or Committee meeting

Venue: Zoom - Remote meeting. View directions

Contact: Catherine Phythian, Committee and Member Services Officer  tel 01865 252402 email  democraticservices@oxford.gov.uk

Note: This meeting was held by Zoom and streamed to the Council's YouTube channel 

Media

Items
No. Item

1.

Election of Chair for the year 2020-21

Minutes:

Councillor James Fry was elected Chair for the Council year 2020-21.

2.

Election of Vice Chair for the year 2020-21

Minutes:

Councillor Chewe Munkonge was elected Vice-Chair for the Council year 2020-21.

3.

Declarations of Interest

Cllr Fry, Cllr Azad, Cllr Lygo and Cllr Munkonge each stated that although a they were a signatory to the call-in of the application, he/she came to the committee meeting with an open mind and would listen to all the arguments and consider the relevant facts before coming to a decision.

4.

20/00856/FUL: 295-301 London Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 9EH pdf icon PDF 290 KB

Site address:           295-301 London Road, Headington, Oxford, OX3 9EH

Proposal:                Demolition of existing two storey building. Erection of a part two, part three storey building to create 5 x 2 bed and 2 x 1 bed flats. Provision of bin and cycle storage along with private amenity space. Re-provision of the existing Sikh Gurdwara including additional floor space at first floor level. (Amended plans)             

Reason at Committee      The application has been called into the Planning Review Committee by Councillors Rowley, Chapman, Pressel, Lygo, Tarver, Rush, Fry, Munkonge, Kennedy, Taylor, Upton, Tidball, Aziz, Azad and Arshad

Recommendation:

The Planning Review Committee is recommended to:

1.     Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 8 of the report and grant planning permission.

 

2.     Agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning Services to:

·       Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in the report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Committee considered an application (20/00856/FUL) for planning permission for the demolition of the existing two storey building; erection of a part two, part three storey building to create 5 x 2 bed and 2 x 1 bed flats; provision of bin and cycle storage along with private amenity space; re-provision of the existing Sikh Gurdwara including additional floor space at first floor level. (Amended plans) at 295-301 London Road, Headington, Oxford.

 

The East Area Planning Committee had resolved to grant planning approval for this application at the meeting on 2 September 2020. 

 

That decision by the East Area Planning Committee was called in to the Planning Review Committee by Councillors Rowley, Chapman, Pressel, Lygo, Tarver, Rush, Fry, Munkonge, Kennedy, Taylor, Upton, Tidball, Aziz, Azad and Arshad. The reason listed for the call in was to allow members an opportunity to consider all of the issues raised during the discussions at the East Area Planning Committee. Concerns were also expressed regarding the provision of parking for the replacement Gurdwara and the suitability of the replacement community facility.

 

The Head of Planning Services commented on the issues raised in documents which had been sent to Committee members by the Trustees of the Gurdwara in advance of the meeting.  He advised on the following matters that:

1.               The accuracy of the translation of what one of the speakers in support of the proposal had said at the East Area Planning Committee (EAPC) on 2 September: Planning and Legal officers were satisfied that there were no significant differences in the translation which would have had a material bearing, in planning terms, on the decision taken by EAPC. Moreover this had no bearing on the decision before the Planning Review Committee.

2.               Disputed land ownership and potential litigation were not material planning considerations and were not relevant to the determination of the application by the Planning Review Committee.

 

The Planning Officer presented the report. He said that following further consultation with the applicant it was proposed that the recommendation before the Committee should be amended to state that approval would be subject to the completion of an agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (s106 agreement).  The s106 agreement would deal with the requirements set out in Condition 21 which would be deleted.  In summary the s106 agreement would require that the Gurdwara would be provided and made available for the sole use as a Gurdwara prior to the occupation of the residential units.

 

The Planning Lawyer confirmed that the s106 agreement would also require a building programme to be submitted and implemented to secure that the development of the Gurdwara and the residential units would take place and be completed at the same time.

 

The Chair advised that the Council had secured the services of an independent translator for the meeting to assist in the communication between the Committee and one of the speakers, Mr Sukdev Singh Lalli.

 

Cllr Rowley (representing the views of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4.

5.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 315 KB

Recommendation: That the minutes of the meeting held on December 2019 are approved as a true and accurate record.

 

Minutes:

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 16 December 2019 as a true and accurate record.

6.

Date of Future Meetings

The Committee noted the dates of future meetings.