Minutes:
Grid Ref: E: 326265 N: 303958
Valid Date: 17/03/21
Community Council: Forden With Leighton & Trelystan Community Council
Applicant: Mrs J Jones
Location: Land Near to St Mary The Virgin Church, Trelystan, Welshpool, SY21 8LD
Proposal: Erection of a temporary marquee for wedding receptions (between April and October each year), creation of access, installation of infrastructure and siting of a temporary toilet unit
Application Type: Full Application
The Principal Planning Officer advised that since the update report had been circulated, eight letters of objection had been received.
County Councillor L Corfield spoke as the local representative.
Mrs D Stevens, Mr R Stevens and Mrs A Batten spoke as objectors.
Mr G Clark spoke as the Agent on behalf of the applicant.
In response to questions regarding the listed building the Principal Planning Officer advised that the listed building had been taken into consideration and the Built Heritage Officer had advised that the visual impact would be neutral. The Built Heritage Officer advised that the impact on the listed building had to be balanced against the financial benefits to the church and the communal benefits of bringing more people to the church. He stated that steps had been taken to mitigate the impact of the marquee by locating it further away from the listed building and also changing the colour of the roof. He advised that taking all this into account there was a neutral impact on the setting and that the marquee should be tied to the usage of the church through the S106.
Concerns were raised about the noise levels in the marquee and the impact on the church and neighbours. It was noted that the Environmental Health Officer had recommended that noise levels should not exceed 30db, which was said to be equivalent to a quiet whisper and which was not seen as achievable for the proposed use of the marquee.
In response to a question the Principal Planning Officer advised that Shropshire County Council had not been consulted. In respect of the work which seems to have been carried out at the site Development Management would have to consider whether any changes had been made on the site, whether these were allowed under permitted development rights or whether these required investigating and enforcement action taken in the event of the application being refused.
Concerns were raised about the S106 agreement, as drafted, as it did not seem to tie the marquee directly to the use of the church as ceremonies could also be held in the marquee and not the church or both being used at the same time. It was noted that the Built Heritage Officer had indicated that to mitigate the impact on the church the use of the marquee should be tied directly to the use of the church.
The Highways Officer in response to a question regarding the new Highway Code which refers to the distance between drivers and horse riders advised that drivers could not comply with this due to the limited space on the access road. He advised that there are limited passing facilities on the highway in this area. Concerns were raised about the increased use of the narrow road. In respect of permitted development rights the Principal Planning Officer advised that the marquee could be used for 28 days in a calendar year with no restrictions on visitor numbers or the times of year the marquee could be erected.
In response to a question regarding the views of the Church, the Professional Lead – Planning advised that the Diocese of Hereford had supported the application in December 2020. Comment was made that the opinion may have changed since this response. The Committee noted the differences in the financial benefits to the church quoted by the agent and the vicar which were quoted by an objector.
It was moved and duly seconded to defer the application to enable the S106 agreement to be made more concise to ensure it ties the marquee to the church, to consult Shropshire County Council and the Diocese, for the applicant and church to clarify the financial benefits to the church, to review the noise issues and consider the highways issues.
RESOLVED: |
Reason for decision: |
that the application be deferred. |
To enable the S106 agreement to be made more concise to ensure it ties the marquee to the church, to consult Shropshire County Council and the Diocese, for the applicant and church to clarify the financial benefits to the church, to review the noise issues and consider the highways issues. |
Comment was made that advice from the Welsh Government regarding the Built Heritage issue should be sought, to support the Committee’s further consideration of the application.
County Councillors M J Jones and K Laurie-Parry did not vote as they were not present for the whole discussion.
County Councillor L Corfield re-joined the meeting.
County Councillor L George having declared an interest left the meeting for the following item.
Supporting documents: