Issue - meetings

(Councillors Phil Barnett and Tony Vickers declared a personal interest in Agenda Item 4(1) by virtue of the fact that they were Members of Newbury Town Council and its Planning and Highways Committee. They had been present when the application was discussed, but would consider the application afresh. 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.)

1.    The Committee considered a report (Agenda Item 4(1)) concerning Planning Application 22/00493/FUL in respect of a new link road connecting Hectors Way to Kings Road through the Sterling Estate Development with associated retaining walls.

2.    Mr Masie Masiiwa, Senior Planning Officer, introduced the report to Members, which took account of all the relevant policy considerations and other material planning considerations. In conclusion the report detailed that the proposal was acceptable in planning terms and officers recommended that the Service Director – Development and Regulation be authorised to grant planning permission subject to the conditions outlined in the main and update reports and the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement, or if the legal agreement was not completed by 9^th September 2022, to delegate to the Service Director - Development and Regulation to refuse planning permission, for the reasons set out in Section 8.4 of the report, or to extend the period for completion if it was considered expedient to do so.

3.     The Chairman asked Mr Paul Goddard, Team Leader (Highways Development Control), if he had any observations relating to the application. Mr Goddard noted that the link road scheme had a long history. It was covered by saved policies from the 2007 Local Plan (Trans 1A). The first part of the link road had been constructed 25 years ago, and development of the site had always been reliant upon construction of the link road. The scheme would bring significant benefits including:

·         Reduced traffic on Kings Road and Mill Lane, turning them into quieter residential streets;

·         Improved pedestrian and cycle routes through the site, connecting the racecourse development to the town centre;

·         Reduced traffic on the A339 / B3421 / Bear Lane roundabout, since traffic would be able to turn right out of Sainsbury’s;

·         Economic benefits from improved links from the Hambridge Road commercial area to the A339 and onwards to the A34.

4.     The principle, design and layout of the Link road scheme had been agreed in a previous application in 2015. Members were encouraged to focus on the proposed changes, as set out on page 3 of the update report, namely:

·         Reduction in width of the east-west section to 6.1m - this reduced the size and extent of the associated retaining wall and it was the same width as the proposed north-south section and Hambridge Road

·         Deletion of the footway on the southern side to provide an infiltration trench and connect to the surrounding drainage network. A 2m footway would be retained on the north side with crossing points.  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5