Agenda item

20/00852/FUL - Demolition of existing building and erection of six commercial units (464sqm; 1858sqm; 836sqm; 650sqm; 464sqm and 464sqm) three Drive Through Restaurants (350sqm; 167sqm and 180sqm); one industrial unit (789sqm) and an EV Charging Station with associated access, parking, drainage and landscaping (Revised Description) (Amended and additional plans received 13 July 2021; Ground Contamination Risk Assessment received 15 July 2021; amended drainage design plan received 1 October 2021; additional retail information received 14 March 2022; additional Planning Policy Statement received 23 March 2022; Sequential Test Addendum received 5 July 2022; additional and amended plans and reports received 15 September 2022; Biodiversity Net Gain information received 16 and 21 September 2022; Tree Survey and Tree Constraints Plan received 4 October 2022; Drainage information received 6 October 2022)

(In considering the application, the Committee took into consideration the Planning Officer’s report (previously circulated), the views of the Council’s Public Rights of Way Officer, Environmental Health Officer, Environmental Health Manager (Commercial), Travel Planning Officer, Transport Policy Officer, and Highways Engineer, the Council’s Ecology Consultant, the Lead Flood Authority, the Environment Agency, Northumbrian Water, National Highways, Northern Gas Networks, the 11 comments, 16 objections and 199 letters of support to the original scheme, three letters of support, 21 letters of objection to a revised scheme, and eight letters of objection, two letters of support and two comments on the further revised scheme presented to Members, a further letter of objection to the access arrangements, and the views of the Applicant’s Agent, two Objectors and the Ward Councillor, whom the Committee heard).

Members considered the potential impact of the proposed development upon the Town Centre and the Cockerton District Centre, and, having regard of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, discussed if the material considerations outlined in the report were sufficient to overcome the harm that would be caused to those Centres. The Head of Planning, Development and Environment Health advised that, if Members were considering moving refusal of the application, he would suggest that the matter be deferred to the next meeting of the Committee to give him time to draft suitable wording for a refusal on such grounds. The Lawyer (Planning) advised that, were Members to defer the matter to the next meeting, they would be free to put forward any Motion they wished at that time, as no formal decision would have been taken at this meeting.

RESOLVED – That consideration of the Application be deferred to a future meeting of this Committee (9 August 2023).