Posts Tagged ‘Planning Applications’

The WCRA objection letter is attached.

• WCRA – Access 2 Objection – no – 20090929

Please remember that the deadline for submitting comments on the application is 30th September 2009.

Title: Deadline for Objections to Access Application No. 2
Location: Woking Borough Council
Description: All objections must be submitted before the 30th September. Remember at least 10 objections must be submitted to obtain speakers rights at the planning committee.
Date: 2009-09-30

A 2nd planning application for the “Moor Lane” site has been submitted by WBC.  The reference number for the application is PLAN/2009/0764.

For those of you who struggle to access the WBC Planning Portal (and I know there are many) the relevant documents are attached below:

• Application
• Tree Survey
• Ecological Appraisal
• Revised Transport Assessment
• Revised Design & Access Statement

"Idealised" Site Layout

The same old access roads

Balfour Junction "improvement" alternatives

Proposed Balfour Avenue Widening

Good bye tree lined avenue

All rights acknowledged.

For those who were unable to attend the meeting, here is a transcript of the speech that was delivered by Kerry. Enjoy!

Moor Lane Access – Planning Application – Reference: PLAN/2009/0434 
 

On behalf of fellow Westfield Common residents here tonight to show that they object to this application we would wish the committee to take the following into consideration 

Permission for the outline application in 2006 was conditional on sign-off of a legal agreement between WBC & SCC.  This in turn was conditional on WBC demonstrating that transport access was viable.   Neither have been done.  According to the Planning Officers report, outline permission has not been granted and this application becomes null and void in view of this.

The purpose of this application is to demonstrate that WBC can deliver access routes to the site free from significant financial risk, over which they can exercise more control and there is no guarantee that these are the access routes that will ultimately be developed. This is for the benefit of the developers in that allows WBC to demonstrate that the developers will not take on  exposure to financial risk and also allows WBC to move forward with the legal agreement previously mentioned.  WBC are attempting to manipulate the planning process to suit the requirements of the PFI / Planning lifecycle and this application is no more that an artifice to achieve this.

The application purports to represent 3 access points to the proposed development site whereas, in actuality, the sole point of access is via a single junction – namely that of Balfour Avenue onto Westfield Road.  We would contest that to narrow the application scope and ignore access onto the major road does not fulfil the councils own statement of intent made in a letter to residents dated 29/4/09 of determining “the most realistic and deliverable points of access”.

The application fails to justify how proposed access options can be “the most realistic and deliverable” as it includes no documentation clarifying the proposed development design and hence density.  It states its purpose as being to determine access points suitable for a development of 200 homes which is in direct conflict with the density of 470 homes stated in WBCs literature. Until the scale and design of the development is accurately and definitively decided any application for access routes cannot be realistically granted as there is insufficient information available to allow for fully informed decision.

A comprehensive review of the application in conjunction with professional analysis of the Transport Statement highlights significant flaws including indisputable analytical errors and the artificial deflation of traffic density by the use of  out of date data.  The planning officers report defers the issues raised by our review to consideration under future planning applications however, we would expect any publicly funded body to be legally bound to show a duty of care in the construction of its planning applications and would hope that the useful expedient of pushing problems forward to another application would not be permitted as a method of ignoring errors within this one.

In conclusion it is inappropriate and in our belief fundamentally wrong to propose an access application separate from the full application for the site, as without the details for the proposed development of the site it is impossible to properly debate the appropriateness of any proposed access.  We would therefore request the committee to reject the application with the further recommendation that any application for access to the development site be made only as part of a full planning application which should cover all aspects of the proposed development, be made in full consultation with WCRA and utilise a mutually acceptable Transport Consultant.

07th July 2009: Planning Committee rejects Application for Access to Moor Lane Site

A majority vote by the planning committee members saw the access applicated rejected in its entirity.

An excellent objection speech was delivered by WCRA spokesperson Kerry Denholm-Price.

A personal representation was made by Councillor McCrum who was prevented by committee rules from voting on the matter (he had to declare a personal interest as a local resident).

After an interesting series of questions from the Planning Committee members, a motion to reject the application was proposed and seconded by Councillors Brown and Sanderson.

Further News

1. Transcript of speech – see here
2. Local Media Coverage – see here
3. Minutes of Planning Committee (07th July 2009) – see here

We would encourage all interested parties to attend the planning meeting and lend your support to the speaker from WCRA.

It’s time we presented the human face of the objectors to our council representatives.

The report is attached (click on this link Planning Officer Report) and can be also accessed from the Woking Borough Council site here: WBC Website.

Unsurprisingly it is a recommendation to grant planning permission.

Three new technical submission docs have been posted onto WBC’s planning portal consisting of:

• A rebuttal from Mayer Brown on the Coles Easden transport review, planning objections (in summary) and (special mention) Colin Weeks.   See Response to Transport Objections
• Arboricultural Method Statement – Basically what trees are being chopped down and how they are going to protect the rest of the trees for the route of Westfield Way. See Arboricultural Methods Statement
• Arboricultural Implications Statement – Further info of the tree removal and mitigation. See Arboricultural Implications Assessment

So the jist – The methods used to determine access is “sound” in their opnion oh and by the way here a list of the trees that are going to be removed to construct the new road of Westfield Way plus how the other trees not scheduled for the axe will be protected. 

I urge you ALL to read.

Based on a review of the submission letters posted to WBCs’ planning website, it appears that a total of around 129 seperate  letters of concern / objection (of one variety or another) were submitted in response to the planning application.   A breakdown summary is shown below:

• Balfour Avenue – 4.
• Bonners Close – 1.
• Campbell Ave – 1.
• Goldsworth Park – 1.
• Greenmeads – 1.
• Highlands Lane – 3.
• Lime Grove – 1.
• Moor Lane – 6.
• Newlands Ave – 1.
• Unspecified / Unclear Address – 14.
• Quartermaine – 12.
• Rosebank Cottages – 15.
• Sutton Green – 1.
• The Orchard – 15.
• Westfield Common – 20.
• Westfield Rd - 2.
• Westfield Way – 10.
• Willow Bank – 20.

Having some idea of who posted responses (as some people cc’d WCRA into their letters / emails) we are unconvinced that all letters of concern have actually been posted onto the WBC site.  

WCRA intend to email WBC for an official count of respondents.

One of our members has spoken to Katie Dunk as to when the committee might be meeting, re: the Access Application.

Katie said that it will not be decided officially until 5 days before,but “unofficially” it’s likely to be 07th July.

The next planning committee after this is in September.