REPORT OF THE PLANNING & BUILDING COMMITTEE
HELD 5th DECEMBER 2002
(By Graham France – Development Planning Officer)
This meeting, which lasted exactly one hour, was held on this occasion at Gilbert House due to the incapacity of the Chair of the Committee, Hon Richard Cockwell, who was nursing a broken leg. All other members, Hon Norma Edwards, Jim Moffatt, Brian Summers, Rikki Evans, Les Harris and Paul Phillips, also attended. Absent through indisposition, though, was the Committee’s Secretary, Miss Fiona Wallace.
Following the formalities of declarations of interest, confirmation of minutes of the two November meetings and matters arising there from, the meeting began to review the eleven applications listed on the agenda.
The first of these was an outline application submitted by Mr D L Clifton for the erection of a dwelling, garage and other outbuildings, also for the provision of a new access onto a public road and overhead electrical and telecommunication lines on land south-west of Beaver Hangar. This was previously reviewed at the meeting held on 7th November when it was deferred for further enquiries to be made. After lengthy discussion it was resolved to refuse the submission as there was no overall plan for development of the area on which this submission formed part, also it was perceived that piecemeal development, such as that proposed, would bring forth many problems.
Considered at the same time as this proposal was one with a similar description of development submitted by Mr S P Clifton on land nearby in the same ownership, and members resolved to refuse this submission for the same reasons as above.
Next was an application for the renewal of temporary planning permission for a 10-metre-high guyed mast at the Abattoir Site, Sand Bay. This was submitted by Tim Cotter on behalf of FIDC and is used for supporting wind observation equipment. A further period of 18 months was requested and acceded to by the Committee who asked, at the suggestion of Mr Harris, that the applicant be requested to liase at an early date with FIGAS on any proposals to install a wind turbine generator in view of earlier concerns in relation to flight-paths.
The first of the new applications was the follow up to an earlier outline planning permission for an extension and ward layout change at the KEHM to create a nursing home. Detailed plans were now before members who were pleased to grant the necessary permissions, subject to a minor alteration increasing some door widths to facilitate evacuation of beds in an emergency.
There were four applications where a Building Permit only was sought – the creation of a new entrance into a laboratory office from a corridor at the Department of Agriculture; the installation of new drainage from a Portakabin sited at Stanley House; erection of a shearing shed at Elephant Beach Farm on East Falkland for Mr B Berntsen and Miss V Clarke; and amended plans of an earlier-approved scheme of work to extend the Food Hall at West Store on Ross Road for the FIC Ltd.
The Committee also considered three further applications, all of which received conditional planning permission. These included the creation of a new car park and access at “Kiddicrafts” on Philomel Street for Mrs Michelle Evans; an extension to his existing car park at the rear of 2 Pioneer Row for Mr Kurt Whitney; and the erection of a ‘phone antenna on the taxation building at St Mary’s Walk for the Environmental Planning Department, which is in connection with their operations at Gypsy Cove during the summer season and is intended for emergency use only by Wardens on duty there.
Members then heard a report from the Development Planning Officer on progress being made on compliance with conditions imposed on planning permissions. He had investigated almost thirty of these, a number of which had been successfully concluded, but there were also a small number where little or no action had been forthcoming and these he was pursuing to achieve the desires of the Committee.
Next on the agenda was a report from the Building Adviser on controls on prefabricated houses (mobile homes, caravans, park homes and other residential units), which concluded that as these were in relatively low numbers he did not propose further action at present. The report did, however, outline what future action might be contemplated including limiting the lifespan of this type of building by either planning or building controls.
The Director of Public Works had prepared a report with a plan to show six plots on the next phases of East Stanley Development reserved for semi-detached housing development, which would allow the erection of 12 low-cost houses by members of the public. This was welcomed by the Committee, however members noted that the plan showed provision for only one off-street parking slot on each of the twelve plots and requested that double parking provision be made to all plots in accordance with their agreed policy.
Finally, members were asked to note that due to absence on leave by the Building Adviser there will be no provision of the Building Control Service, which deals principally with the health and safety of persons in and about buildings, during the month of January 2003.
The date of the next meeting is scheduled for Thursday 9th January 2003, commencing at 9am. Provisionally, the location for this is the Liberation Room at the Secretariat however any change will be notified as early as possible to the media.
