Agenda and minutes

To approve as a correct record the Minutes of the meetings of this Committee held on 4 March 2020 and 14 May 2020.

The Minutes of the meetings held on 4 March 2020 and 14 May 2020 were approved as a true and correct record and signed by the Chairman.

To remind Members of the need to record the existence and nature of any personal, disclosable pecuniary or other registrable interests in items on the agenda, in accordance with the Members’ Code of Conduct.

All Members of the Committee declared an interest in Agenda Item 4(1), but reported that, as their interest was a personal or an other registrable interest, but not a disclosable pecuniary interest, they determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.

(All Members of the Committee declared that they had all been lobbied by email from residents in the surrounding area and had also been contacted by representatives from Lidl. As their interest was personal and not prejudicial or a disclosable pecuniary interest, they determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.)

(Councillor Clive Hooker also confirmed that he had been lobbied by Members of Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council. As his interest was personal and not prejudicial or a disclosable pecuniary interest, he determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.)

(Councillors Ross Mackinnon, Alan Law, Alan Macro and Royce Longton declared a personal and non-prejudicial or a disclosable pecuniary interest in Application 4(1) due to the fact that they had been in attendance at the Eastern Area Planning Committee meeting on 4 December 2019 when the item had been approved. They confirmed that they would listen to all representations made at the District Planning Committee with an open mind before coming to a decision. As their interest was personal and not prejudicial or a disclosable pecuniary interest, they determined to remain to take part in the debate and vote on the matter.)

The Committee considered a report (Agenda Item 4(1)) concerning Planning Application 19/01063/COMIND in respect of land to the south of Ravenswing Farm, Tadley for the erection of Class A1 Foodstore, car parking, access and landscaping.

Michael Butler, Planning Officer, introduced the report and confirmed that on 4 December 2019 the Eastern Area Planning Committee (EAPC) had considered the application for full planning permission for the erection of a new freestanding discount food store. The store was proposed on a greenfield site, outside of any defined settlement boundary, on land immediately adjacent to the district administrative boundary, adjacent to the urban area of Tadley. The applicant was Lidl UK. The Officer recommendation had been to refuse planning permission on the grounds that it would be clearly contrary to adopted policy to protect the wider countryside in the district, it would have a harmful visual impact, and the emergency plan prepared by the applicant was not acceptable, in the light of the proximity of the application site to the licenced nuclear facility at AWE Aldermaston.

Members of the EAPC had been impressed by the extremely high local levels of support for such a new discount food store in the Tadley/Aldermaston area, which in their view was a clear indication of the significant local retail need for such a store. They also considered that if the application were to be approved and trade, it would, in the light of the continuing need to reduce levels of carbon dioxide production, reduce many private vehicle trips from local residents to discount food stores in Newbury, Reading and Basingstoke. They also considered that, whilst inevitably the store would have some localised visual impact, this would not be harmful in the wider context of the urban area of Tadley and indeed the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.(1)