Agenda and minutes

64.1     RESOLVED to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 8 February 2017.  

65.1     Apologies were received from Councillor Wallis.  It was noted that Councillor Sheppard was acting as a substitute for Councillor Galley.

66.1     Reports referred to in the minutes below are contained in the minute book.

Report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport

67.1     The Committee considered a report by the Director of Communities, Economy and Transport. The Case Officer confirmed that Lewes District Council supported the recommendation of refusal, in a submission received after the publication of the report and circulated to Members.

67.2     Councillor Lambert, one of the Local Members, made a written representation expressing her concern.

67.3     Jack Spurway of Aardvark EM, agents for the applicant, spoke against the recommendation of refusal. 

67.4     Members have considered the report and comments of the public speaker and agree with the conclusions and reasons for recommendation set out at paragraph 7 of the report.

67.5     RESOLVED unanimously to refuse planning permission for the following reasons:

1.      The proposed building would be of an inappropriate scale and height that would result in a harmful visual effect to the occupiers and users of adjoining units on the Industrial Estate and to the occupiers and users of nearby residential properties and the Seaford Town Cemetery, which would result in a loss of amenity, thereby conflicting with Policy WMP25a of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy ST3(a), (c) & (d) of the Lewes District Local Plan 2003.

2.      The proposal will be likely to result in an increase in the activities of heavy goods vehicles inside and outside the site, which would result in an unacceptable increase in noise, dust, parking on pavements and congestion of the road, which would be harmful to the occupiers and users of other units on the Industrial Estate and to the occupiers and users of nearby residential properties and the Seaford Town Cemetery, which would result in a loss of amenity, thereby conflicting with Policies WMP25a and WMP26d of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Saved Policy ST3(a), (c) and (d) of the Lewes District Local Plan 2003.

3.      The proposed building which cannot be readily screened and the increase in operational activities would be harmful to the setting and use of Seaford Town Cemetery as a non-designated heritage asset, thereby conflicting with Policy WMP27a of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and Core Policy 11 of the Lewes District Joint Core Strategy Document 2016.

4.      The applicant has not demonstrated that an appropriate method for managing surface water drainage can be accommodated at the site, thereby conflicting with Policy WMP28a (e) of the East Sussex, South Downs and Brighton & Hove Waste and Minerals Plan 2013 and the provisions of Part 10 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012.

5.      The proposal has not demonstrated that it would make a positive contribution to local character, or be of a design that improves the quality of the area and the way it functions, in accordance with Section 7 of the National Planning Policy Framework 2012.