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There is no summary of this meeting yet. Summaries are written once the council publishes the minutes, which are its official record of what a meeting decided. They usually appear a few weeks after the meeting.
1.1 Apologies from Councillors Jon James & Chris Tew
2.1 The following interests were declared: · Councillor Alfie Best declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 4 as a member of South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority which has been consulted on the application. · Councillor Steve Evans declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 4 as a member of South Wales Fire and Rescue Authority which has been consulted on the application. · Councillor Jon Horlor declared a personal interest in Agenda Items 4,5 & 6 as a member of Pontypool Community Council which has been consulted on the applications. Councillor Gaynor James declared a personal interest in Agenda Items 4, 5 & 6 as a member of Pontypool Community Council which has been consulted on the applications.
3.1 Members agreed that the minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on 20th April 2023 be confirmed as a correct record.
4.1 The Head of Planning & Development asked members to note that the application was in outline with all matters except for accesses reserved for future consideration. He then displayed photos and plans for the proposed development and went through the report in detail. 4.2 Afterwards Members asked a number of questions and Officers responded as follows: · Questions were raised around the mound and the potential for any chemicals that could be found underneath, due to the site previously being used as an industrial site. The Head of Planning & Development explained that some exploratory work has been done on the site ahead of construction and there were conditions recommended at the end of the report requiring further ground investigation before any works are commenced to identify any potential contamination and any mitigation required. There were also questions around the water tower on the site. The Head of Planning & Development stated that the water tower was not currently in use and there were no plans to use it in the proposed development. · In regards questions around the provision for health facilities, such as GP’s, dentists etc. The Head of Planning & Development explained that there had been consultations already with the Health Board as part of the Local Development Plan when the larger site was originally allocated for 1700 dwellings, but whilst the decision to bring these to the site was for the Health Board and not the Planning Department, there would be a requirwement for serviced units that could be utilised by medical services. He added that due to the number of houses being proposed and the number of people currently being employed at the site it was hoped that this would trigger the Critical Mass necessary for these services. · Questions were raised around the school transportation and the fact that this would be in place for 9 years. The Head of Planning & Development explained that the construction of the school would likely need to be commenced before 150 houses had been built and completed at 225 units. This would be considered as part of the obligations within the Section 106 Agreement. Whilst the school was under construction, children would need to be provided transport to the nearby schools and parents may decide that they want to keep their children in the same school as opposed to the new school, so the 9 years was to provide for that. · Questions were asked around the biodiversity for the application. The Head of Planning & Development responded that due to the changes made to the application, new surveys have been done on the environmental impact which have been consulted on as well. Also, there are recommended conditions relating to further ecological surveys at the end of the report. There were also questions around the Tree Strategy for the application. It was explained that a detailed layout was due which would show the Tree Strategy in more detail, which would be brought back to Committee at a later date when the reserved matters applications are dealt with for each phase. · There were questions around the capacity of the existing sewage systems to deal with the site. The Head of Planning & Development pointed out that Welsh Water had raised no objections to the application and believed due to the current and former uses on site it would make no significant impact on the capacity. Full drainage details would be provided at the reserved matters stage. There was a further question around the phosphorus in the river. The Head of Planning & Development responded that officers had liaised with NRW (Natural Resources Wales) and the Council’s Biodiversity Officer and an Impact Assessment has been completed and included as an appendix to the report. The Assessment concluded that there would be no significant impact from the development on the river. · There was a question on the materials to be used and whether solar panels had been considered. The Head of Planning & Development explained that the details of materials would be presented at the reserved matters stage of the development. · Connections to existing communities and active travel There were questions around active travel, The Head of Planning & Development responded that the site was being considered as a Sustainable Urban Village, and went through the Obligations contained in the Section 106 Heads of terms particularly in connection with active travel and the community facilities that would be required on site. In response to comments around the changes to the scheme and what new representations had been received, the Head of Planning & Development said that one of the most significant changes had been the change from a roundabout junction onto the A4042 to a traffic light junction further north next to a group of residential properties and there have been objections to this from the occupiers. Welsh Government transport and Public Health had been fully consulted on the access proposal. had not were He added that a condition is being recommended that further noise surveys are carried out in relation to that group of properties to establish what further mitigation may be required to reduce noise levels. · There was a question on the listed building situated on the site, to which the Head of Planning & Development explained that there was enhancement works to be done, for example oving old machinery and the installation of a lift, which would make the building more accessible and useable. · There was also a question around the potential for challenge to the application. The Head of Planning & Development stated that although there was always a risk of challenge, he was satisfied that the application complied with all relevant legislation. 4.3 Members unanimously agreed to approve the application subject to the conditions laid out in the report.
5.1 The Senior Planner displayed photos and plans for the proposed site and went through the report in detail. 5.2 Afterwards Members asked a number of questions and Officers responded as follows: · There was a question on the accessibility of the site, specifically the use of ramps to access the site. The Senior Planner responded to this by explaining that there was already an existing ramp, and this would be kept as part of the application. · After a question around the retention of the toilets the Senior Planner confirmed that 2 accessible public toilets would be retained and added that there would also be toilets inside the café/restaurant that could be used at the owner’s discretion. She further added that as part of the application for the Civic Car Park, new toilets would be provided there too. There was also a question on whether temporary toilets would be used during the construction. The Head of Planning & Development stated that this was outside the Planning Departments control, but this would be raised and fed back to the Committee. · There was a question around loading and unloading at the site. The Senior Planner explained that this had been raised previously by the Highways department, a layby had been explored but this was ultimately deemed unsuitable, it was decided that the best way to deal with any potential issues was to prohibit collections and deliveries between 8am and 6pm and a condition was recommended to this effect. · There was a question around being able to keep the existing look of the building, the Senior Planner explained that the design was chosen as it reflects the appearance of the existing building whilst also improving the building but it would only be the 1st floor of the café/restaurant which would have a different design. There was a further question on the seating that was planned outside the building, to which the Senior Planner responded that the decision on temporary seating would be up to the business itself but if a more permanent structure was planned then that would come back to Committee. · In response to questions around the materials planned for the building and any issues that might arise with the use of wood. The Senior Planner clarified that wood would only be used for window and door frames, but no samples have been received as of yet, although there is a condition recommended that required details on this. 5.3 Members unanimously agreed to approve the application subject to the conditions laid out in the report.
6.1 The Senior Planner displayed photos and plans for the proposed site and went through the report in detail. 6.2 Afterwards Members asked a number of questions and Officers responded as follows: · There was a question on the retention of the shrubs and flowers near the site, the Senior Planner clarified they would be retained. The committee were also reminded that the centenary for the Memorial Gates would be in 2024 and the hope would be the works would be finished by that time. 6.3 Members unanimously agreed to approve the application subject to the conditions laid out in the report.
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