Agenda and minutes

Members are invited to declare any personal or disclosable pecuniary interests, including the nature and extent of such interests they may have in any items to be considered at this meeting.

[If Councillors have any questions relating to predetermination, bias or interests in items on this Agenda, then please contact the Monitoring Officer in advance of the meeting]        

*DM&L 9

Members were invited to declare any interests in the items of business to be considered and the following were made: Cllr T G Pearce declared a personal interest in all applications by virtue of being a Member of the Devon Building Control Partnership. He remained in the meeting and took part in the debate and vote on the

item.

To consider those items which, in the opinion of the Chairman, should be considered by the Meeting as matters of urgency (if any). 

*DM&L 10

There was no urgent business.

Meeting held on 28 July 2020

*DM&L11

The Minutes of the Development Management and Licensing Committee Meeting held on 28 July 2020 were confirmed and signed by the Chairman as a correct record, subject to confirmation that conditions would be included in the signed minutes for the decision on application 1055/19/FUL – Erection of single-storey agricultural storage building using existing access at Field at East Linnacombe Farm,

Sourton Down, Okehampton, Devon, EX20 4HR

To see Letters of Representation and further supplementary information relating to any of the planning applications on the agenda, please select the following link and enter the relevant Reference number: http://westdevon.gov.uk/searchlanding

WARD NAME                                      Bridestowe

APPLICATION NUMBER                      1499/20/FUL

LOCATION                                          Foxcombe Farm, Lewdown, Okehampton

DEVELOPMENT                                  Conversion of existing cabin into annex for holiday use with associated works

*DM&L12

The Committee proceeded to consider the applications that had been prepared by the Development Management Specialists and considered also the comments of the Town and Parish Councils together with other representations received, which were listed within the presented agenda report and summarised below, and RESOLVED that:

(a)   Application No: 1499/20/FUL Ward: Bridestowe

Site Address: Foxcombe Farm, Lewdown, Okehampton, EX20

Conversion of existing cabin into annex for holiday use with associated works.

Speakers included: Supporter – Helen Spooncer:

Local Ward Member- Cllr Terry Southcott

During debate Members expressed sympathy with the desire for the applicant’s farm business to diversify and acknowledged that recent events had increased demands for tourist accommodation.

A Member suggested that the Joint Local Plan discriminated against tenant farmers in that it encouraged investment in existing buildings which would ultimately benefit landowners so dissuading tenant farmers who would not be compensated from their investment. He suggested that this breached their human rights and Equality Act 2010.

Officers advised that the Joint Local Plan had been subject to an equalities impact assessment; that there was no breach of human rights where decisions were taken in accordance with the statutory framework; and that in any event whether the applicant was the owner or a tenant was not a material planning consideration.

In response to questions from Members, Officers explained the context of the Joint Local Plan and the overall spatial strategy that its policies sought to achieve. The Joint Local Plan supported the rural economy and farm diversification, but not all farm diversification was acceptable; it had to be in a sustainable location.

RECOMMENDATION: Refusal

The proposal development would result in tourism accommodation in an unsustainable rural location with restricted access to services and amenities reliant on the private car. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policies SPT1, SPT2, TTV1, TTV2 DEV15 and DEV29 of the Plymouth and South West Devon Joint Local Plan 2014-2034; and the National Planning Policy Framework (notably but not limited to

paragraph 83).

COMMITTEE DECISION: Refusal for the reasons set out in the Officer Recommendation.

*DM&L13

The Head of Development Management took members through the appeals update. There were no questions from Members.