The Committee considered an application (21/03114/CT3) for the erection of 10no new affordable dwellings on a former depot site at Lanham Way, Oxford.

Councillors Aziz, Chapman, Hollingsworth and Upton left the meeting room for this item and did not take part in determining the application.

The Planning Officer gave a presentation and highlighted the following:

·       The proposal was for 10 affordable houses with 9 parking spaces.  Three of the parking spaces would be disabled sized, and one would be allocated for car club use.  The application site was a former playing field maintenance site which had been disused for a significant period of time and was currently unoccupied and overgrown with vegetation.

·       Vehicular access to the site was proposed via Medhurst Way.

·       The proposal had been carefully designed to avoid detrimental impact to the nearest neighbouring properties on Lanham Way, David Nicholls Close and Medhurst Way. 

·       The application was recommended for approval for the reasons set out in the report and subject to the conditions set out in the report and the removal of the objection by the County Council in relation to drainage.  The Planning Officer reported that the latter issue was close to being resolved: there appeared to have been a technical error in the drainage calculation for the porous paving, which the applicant’s consultant had updated.   Officers were awaiting confirmation from the County Council that this had resolved the outstanding issue.  The application was also subject to a Section 106 agreement with the City Council and the County Council.

Martin Shaw, agent and Kenny Phillips on behalf of the applicant spoke in favour of the application.

The Committee asked questions about details of the application which were responded to by officers. In debate the following was noted:

·        The tenure mix for the development would be 5 shared-ownership properties and 5 social rent properties, rather than 100% social rented units as stated in the report.  However, this remained in accordance with development plan policy, which stated that for any residential scheme above a certain size, 50% should be affordable.  Of this 50%, there should be a 80/20 split of social rent to shared ownership.  So, although the percentage of social rent units had dropped to 50% of the total number of units the requirements of the policy were still comfortably met.  Additionally, as the whole site would remain 100% affordable housing overall, there was no requirement for First Homes to be delivered.

After debate and on being proposed, seconded and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of the report, the removal of the objection by the Lead Local Flood Authority, and the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers to secure the planning obligations set out in the recommended heads of terms set out in the report.

The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved to:

1.    approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of the report and grant planning permission subject to:

·       receipt of further drainage information requested by the Lead Local Flood Authority and removal of their current objection;

·       the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers to secure the planning obligations set out in the recommended heads of terms set out in the report; and

2.    delegate authority to the Development Management Service Manager to:

·       finalise the recommended conditions as set out in the report including such refinements, amendments, additions and / or deletions as the Development Management Service Manager considers reasonably necessary; and

·       finalise the recommended legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers as set out in this report, including refining, adding to, amending and / or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in the report (including to dovetail with and, where appropriate, reinforce the final conditions and informatives to be attached to the planning permission) as the Development Management Service Manager considers reasonably necessary; and

·       complete the Section 106 legal agreement referred to above and issue the planning permission.