Stoke Trister with Bayford Parish Council
Minutes of an electronically controlled Planning Meeting of
Stoke Trister with Bayford Parish Council
Present: All Stoke Trister with Bayford Parish Councillors
1. Apologies – None
2. Declarations of Interest – None
3. Planning
Planning Application No: 20/00359/OUT
Location: Land to the East of Penn View, Bayford Hill, Wincanton
Proposal: Outline application with all matters reserved for residential development of up to 100 dwellings with associated access, internal roads and footpaths, car parking, public open space, landscaping, drainage and other associated works and infrastructure.
Decision:
Stoke Trister with Bayford Parish Council have held an electronic planning meeting due to the emergency situation in the country and unanimously recommend refusal of this planning application on the grounds of:
- We recommended refusal on the previous applications for the same site (please see our comments in 2017). Whilst there are a smaller number of houses the area for development remains unchanged.
- This application does not conform to the STWB Parish Plan of 2014. Whilst the development may be in Wincanton territory, the impact will be greatly felt in Bayford.
- Wincanton housing needs have already been met and set to double with planning applications already agreed. Bayford has no requirement for more houses. The infrastructure to accommodate an increase in this number of houses does not exist in Bayford or Wincanton.
- There is insufficient employment, primary school places to accommodate this level of increase in population.
- The development site is Grade 2 and Grade 3a agricultural land and once built on, this land will be lost forever to agriculture. Brown field sites should be used before quality agricultural land is built on. According to the NPPF, policies should be in place to safeguard the long-term potential of the best and most versatile agricultural land, which is defined as Grade 1, 2, and 3a.
- The geology of the site, if developed and built on could cause flooding to both Bayford and Wincanton.
- There is no Transport infrastructure to support this development with only 2 buses running per week through Bayford. Given the location and lack of realistic travel modes, future residents of the site are likely to be unduly dependent on private cars for access to employment, shopping, medical and social needs. This will add to the carbon footprint and very damaging environmentally. Therefore, the Transport Assessment in the application is incorrect.
- The access to the site is dangerous as it is a very busy road, with private vehicles, farm vehicles and lorries using it constantly. There has already been numerous accidents and one fatality on this road,
- This development if allowed to go ahead, will destroy the Natural ‘green boundary’ between Bayford and Wincanton.
- CPRE Somerset suggests that the ‘considerable harm’ identified by the Inspector to ‘the character and appearance of the area’ still remains due to the location of the development in the indicative plan. Therefore they recommend refusal of the application as it would contradict the Local Plan Policy SD1.
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Chairman Date