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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 There were no apologies.
2.1 The following interests were declared: • Councillor Stuart Ashley declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 as a Ward Councillor but he had not discussed the application with local residents or come to any conclusion prior to the meeting. He declared a further personal interest in agenda item 4 as a member of the following groups who had been consulted on or had an interest in the application, Cwmbran Community Council, Monmouthshire and Brecon Canal Trust, Strategic Canal Board and Torfaen Friends of the Earth. • Councillor Alan Slade declared a personal interest in agenda item 4 as a Member of the Canal Partnership Board.
3.1 The minutes of the meeting held on 18th December 2024 were confirmed as a true and accurate record.
4.1 The Planning Consultant presented the report to Members in detail and displayed photographs and plans of the site. 4.2 Members asked a number of questions, and the following responses were given by Officers: • The proposed works would have an impact on biodiversity; however, it would be limited to a small area of the canal and there were mitigation measures proposed such as planting which would add to the biodiversity of the area. • Protective measures would be put in place to protect the bats and otters in the area. • The Construction Environmental Management Plan would be revised and would provide further details around the level of disruption and the proposed mitigations. Natural Resources Wales would be consulted on the revised Construction Environmental Management Plan prior to construction works taking place. • It was anticipated that the works would take between 12 – 18 months and during that time there would be periods when the canal would need to be dewatered and shut off. • There was a liaison committee for the site which included community representatives, and the Developers were appointing a specific liaison officer, who would ensure works were regularly monitored. The Council owned the land where the bridge was proposed so as landowners Officers would be monitoring works from that aspect too. • The revised Construction Environmental Management Plan would outline the phasing and timescales of the works. • The footpath was very well used currently, and it would need to be closed in order to build the bridge. Whilst works were ongoing the section of canal would be shut off for both pedestrians and boat users. There would be diversions in place for pedestrians, however they were inconvenient but were necessary to carry out the works. • The Developers were fully aware of the issues that occurred when the works to construct Bridge 46 were taking place and they did not want a repeat of the problems at this location. • The discharge of condition in relation to the temporary footpath diversions would be reported back to Planning Committee. • Torfaen Access Forum had been consulted on the application but there would be limited options for disabled access at this location whilst works were ongoing. • The Construction Environmental Management Plan would ensure that no trees were removed during bird nesting season. • The Planning Enforcement Team had recently appointed an extra Enforcement Officer to monitor bigger schemes and would be monitoring the works. • There was a commitment from Officers to take enforcement action if needed. The Council were also the landowners so could take action via the route too if required. • There was a strong liaison group in place and there was a commitment to ensure that people were aware of the level of disruption and how long works would be taking place for. 4.3 Members unanimously agreed to grant permission subject to the conditions laid out in the report.
Councillors must say when they have a personal link to something being discussed, such as a job, a property or a family member. A prejudicial interest is one strong enough that the councillor usually leaves the room and takes no part.
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