PL23/033 PRESENT
Councillors McCulloch, Banks, Dalzell, Gray, Johnson, and Lowe.
B Allen (Planning and Facilities Officer)
PL23/034 APOLOGIES FOR ABSENCE
Apologies were received from Cllrs Coan and Mears (personal business).
PL23/035 DECLARATIONS OF MEMBERS’ INTERESTS
No declarations of interest were made.
PL23/036 PUBLIC PARTICIPATION
A resident spoke about application 23/2403M stating the changes are additional windows which includes a skylight and suggested the committee ask the Conservation Officer if this would be considered acceptable within the conservation area, and application 22/1953M stating the application history is considerable and that the Conservation Officer has already objected.
A representative of the South Knutsford Residents Group spoke about application 22/2717M stating the local residents have objected to the single garage which replaces a double garage but has a high pitch height and includes being built on a bank making it quite a tall sight on the corner of the plot, it is presented in front of the building line, there will be tree and hedge loss, and that the conservation and tree officers have objected, and application 22/0376M stating the revisions present a slightly smaller footprint and a lower roofline but still presents a monolithic frontage, is close to the roundabout, and provides minimum parking with no visitor parking, and asked if this was suitable for the Legh Road Conservation Area. The representative went on to speak about the strategic plan report and suggested the committee consider budgeting for the review of the neighbourhood plan and offered to submit a checklist for assessing planning applications against the plan policies which was created in 2019 and may be of some use.
PL23/037 CONFIRMATION OF PREVIOUS MINUTES
It was RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 4th July 2023
PL23/038 PLANNING APPLICATIONS
It was RESOLVED to submit the comments detailed below.
| Application
Ref |
Address | Application Detail | Town Council Comment |
| 23/2476M | 20 Fir Tree Avenue | Proposed single storey rear extension and associated alterations | The council raises no objections, subject to neighbour comments. |
| 22/2717M | 2 Croft Lane | REVISED PLANS: Erection of garage outbuilding for vehicular storage. | The council OBJECTS to the proposal on the grounds there will be an adverse effect on the street scene due to the excessive overall height from the elevated position of the garage, which would detract from the sylvan setting and is considered detrimental to the Legh Road Conservation Area. There would also be tree and hedge damage and it is not clear which application for the site the proposal relates to. |
| 23/0318M | Corner Oak, Tabley Road | REVISED PLANS: Demolition of existing dwelling and construction of new 7 bedroom detached dwelling | The council OBJECTS to the application on the grounds the proposal will be out of keeping with the street scene as the roof height exceeds the neighbouring properties, the balcony to the rear is not very discreet and is detrimental to the neighbouring properties amenity, and the proposal presents an overbearing mass along the boundary.
The council also raises concerns over the ecological conditions raised. |
| 22/1953M | Land to the rear of, 19, Gaskell Avenue, Knutsford, Cheshire, WA16 0DA | REVISED PLANS: Full planning application for residential development comprising of a pair of two storey, semi-detached dwellings with accommodation in the roof for residential use class C3, including associated hard and soft landscaping. | The council OBJECTS on the grounds that the mass, design, and siting of the scheme would lead to material harm which fails to preserver the character of the area, the proposal is not subservient to the surrounding Listed Buildings is still visible through the gap in properties and would be imposing, therefore presenting a detrimental impact to the Town Centre Conservation Area. |
| 23/2317M[1] | Booths Supermarket, 2B Stanley Road | InstaVolt are proposing to install three rapid electric vehicle charging stations within the car park of EH Booths, Knutsford. Four existing parking spaces will become EV charging bays, along with associated equipment. One of the three EV charging bays will be fully accessible, allowing for unrestricted access to one EV charger with 1.2m access on 4 sides of the parking bay. This proposal will replace the existing planning permission on site (reference 22/1846M). | The council raises no objections, subject to neighbour comments. |
| 23/2324M | 70 Grove Park | Application to amend previous planning approval for Proposed Front and Rear Extensions, ref 22/0371M to create new roof structure | The council raises no objections, subject to neighbour comments. |
| 22/0376M | Eight Oaks, 66 Goughs Lane | AMENDED PLANS: Planning application for the demolition of 66 Goughs Lane and the erection two apartment blocks with communal garden, parking and access off Goughs Lane, Knutsford | The council continues to OBJECT on the grounds the proposal fails to comply with Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan policies D1, D2, D3, HE3, H2, and SL1, as follows:
· The proposal remains out of character with the area and detrimental to the neighbouring Legh Road Conservation Area. · The design constitutes overdevelopment of the site. · The proposal only meets the minimum parking requirements and does not include any parking for contractors or visitors. · The revised number of apartments add little to the area and offer insufficient amenity space. · The volume of properties still remains considerable enough that it will add traffic to the area which may pose a safety risk to highway users coming from the roundabout onto Goughs Lane. |
| 23/2402M | 37 Manchester Road | Non material amendment to approval 23/0269M for Dormer Extension & Changes to the side and rear elevations. | The council raises no objections, subject to neighbour comments and the Conservation Officer being satisfied the proposal suitably fits within the Town Centre Conservation Area. |
PL23/039 TREE APPLICATIONS
It was RESOLVED to submit the comments detailed below.
| Application
Ref |
Address | Application Detail | Town Council Comment |
| 23/2176T
|
4 Astley Close | Works to Protected Trees:
T1 – Oak – Crown lift by up to 2m and crown reduction by up to 3m – General maintenance T2 – Beech – Fell – Excessive shading T3 – Conifer – Fell – excessive shading T4 – Holly – Crown reduction by up to 3m – General maintenance |
The council OBJECTS to the proposed felling of T2 – Beech and T3 – Conifer, on the grounds that alternative work could be undertaken, such as crown thinning the Beech for example, the two trees contribute to the amenity of the area, and insufficient justification has been provided to demonstrate the trees are dead, dying, or diseased.
If Cheshire East Council are minded to approve the application, the council requests the trees are replaced with a suitable replacement species, for each of the felled trees. |
| 23/2177T
|
11 Hallside Park | Works to Protected Trees:
T1. Sycamore – Reduce in height to 6 metres from ground level. REASON: Due to Heavy Squirrel damage and to maintain at a reasonable size. T2. Oak – Large central limb reduce to lower growth. Main limbs extending over the path, reduce back to approximately the fence line (to small replacement limbs). Potentially broken limb sitting on the Sycamore, reduce to 2 metres up from the fork. REASON: To reduce risk of limb failures T3. Dead Holly – Fell to ground level. REASON: Dead T4 Ash – Fell to ground level. REASON: Heavy Ash dieback T5. Oak – Lowest limb on the property side, reduce by 2 metres. Undertake light crown raising of the limbs over the neighbours garden. Remove epicormic growth off the trunk to the height of the main fork. REASON: To crown lift and maintain clearance from property |
The council raises no objections subject to neighbour comments and to the tree officer being satisfied as to the necessity and methodology of the proposed works. |
| 23/2308T | 13 Drury Lane | Section 211 notice:
T1 Hawthorn, Fell due to tree condition Ganoderma bracket at base of tree |
The council raises no objections subject to neighbour comments. |
| 23/2390T | 3 Ruskin Way | Section 211 notice:
Prunus marked as T1 on the sketch plan: pruning back to the boundary with Tatton Park by up to 1m to suitable pruning points. Oak marked as T2 on the sketch plan: Pruning back by up to 2m to suitable pruning points to take it back to the garden boundary. |
The council raises no objections subject to neighbour comments. |
PL23/040 PLANNING DECISIONS
The decisions were noted.
PL23/041 PLANNING APPEALS
The appeal for application 21/3017M – 47, Valley Way – Variation of condition 2 (approved plans) to application 20/0438M – Front single-storey extension and new tile roof to replace the single storey flat roof, was noted.
PL23/042 PLANNING ENFORCEMENT
The log was noted, and it was RESOLVED to ask the Cheshire East Ward Councillors to seek a resolution to logged items.
PL23/043 OUTSTANDING MATTERS
The log was noted, and it was RESOLVED to ask the Cheshire East Ward Councillors to seek a resolution to the highway encroachment.
PL23/044 STRATEGIC PLAN
The report was noted, and it was RESOVLED to adopt the suggested activities for Strategic Plan references, H3, H4, C9, and E4, as committee actions, and included the action of exploring budget options for C9: Monitor and Review of Neighbourhood Plan.
PL23/045 DATE OF NEXT MEETING
It was noted that the next meeting would be held on Monday 31st July at 6pm.
[1] Cllr Lowe voted against this resolution.