Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

The minutes of the meeting held on 12 April 2018 were agreed and signed as a true record.

Report of the Head of Planning and Regulation

The Committee considered a report of the Head of Planning and Regulation which outlined additional documentation that both complimented and updated the existing Lady Herbert’s Garden and the Burges Conservation Management Plan.

The supplementary Conservation Management Plan appended to the report, was intended to be a formal addendum to the initial Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan approved by Planning Committee in 2014, with specific focus on the Burges area located within it.

The Addendum was split into two parts. The first part sets out a description of the site and its heritage assets, based on documentary and physical evidence investigated to date. The second part outlines conservation ‘policies’ to be implemented to ensure the heritage significance of the site and buildings would be retained in future use or development. The policy steer within the Addendum fully reflected formally adopted Planning Policy covered by the Council’s new Local Plan and City Centre Area Action Plan (both adopted December 2017).

The Addendum focused particularly on the locally listed properties to the eastern side of the street (18-30 Burges & 29-31 Cross Cheaping, Hales Street). Archaeological assessments had indicated the area around Palmer Lane was an important route and crossing point from Coventry’s  earliest times, and archaeological evidence from as far back as the ninth-century had been found in the area. Initial investigations had indicated that the building fabric located in this area is considered to be of high architectural and historical significance. The surviving building fabric contains material evidence from Coventry’s earliest phase of development, from the burgage plot forms developed around the River Sherbourne which were still extant, to the later medieval development of timber-framed building ranges still visible to the rear of the properties.

The Committee welcomed the report and the supplementary Conservation Management Plan particularly as it would help to secure an area of great historical importance in the City.

Following consideration of the report and matters raised at the meeting, officers undertook to investigate whether the detailed public realm works around the River Sherbourne would form part of the wider conservation area project or was already included in a previous application.

RESOLVED that Planning Committee adopt the supplementary Conservation Management Plan as an addendum to the existing Conservation Area Appraisals and Management Plan allowing for its use as material consideration as part of the planning process.

The Committee received a presentation on the Draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The presentation was delivered to the Cabinet Advisory Panel – Coventry Local Development Plan on 30^th April 2018.

This was the first review of the NPPF since it was published in 2012 and a technical response would be agreed with the Cabinet Member for Community Development.

The presentation set out details on:

·  Local Plans looking forward

·  Housing delivery

·  Standard local housing need calculations

·  Planning for employment

·  Other key areas which included Green Belt Policy, Health and Wellbeing, transport and drainage and flood risk

·  Transitional arrangements

The Chair, on behalf of the Committee and the Cabinet Member for Community Development thanked the Planning and Housing Policy Manager for all the work undertaken to compile a response to the draft NPPF. They commended the care taken over this type of consultation response, particularly in relation to delivering sustainable homes and the attention to detail to ensure that Coventry City Council views and opinions were clearly communicated. 

Report of the Head of Planning and Regulation

The Committee noted a report of the Head of Planning and Regulation which provided information on appeals lodged and determined in the period 1 February 2018 to 31 March 2018.  The report set out the main issues of the appeals and summarised the decisions, together with details of any costs which were made and/or awarded, either for or against the Council.

There are no outstanding issues.

There were no outstanding issues.

There were no other items of business.