Issue - meetings

Report by Assistant Director For Strategic Infrastructure And Planning (PN7).

This is a report to bring to committee for determination an application for the extraction of sand and gravel for the creation of a marina on land at Whitecross Farm, Reading Road, Cholsey. The report set outs the issue to be considered in the determination of the application which are the development plan and any other material considerations and concludes that there are a number of reasons why the application is contrary to the development plan and should be refused planning permission.

Subject to no additional material comments being received by the completion of the consultation period, it is recommended that application no. MW.0033/18 forPlanning Application to allow the development of an offline River Thames marina basin with fixed and floating pontoon moorings for approximately 280 boats, slipway, secure and public car parking, refuelling and pump-out dock, refuse and recycling area, marina office and café, toilet and shower block and laundry facilities, boat hire building, picnic and barbeque area, open water area, circular footpath, boat workshop, new footbridge and creation of new grazing marsh, grassland, pond, reedbed and wet woodland habitat with a construction phase involving the extraction and processing of sand and gravel, the importation of inert fill and the construction of new site accesses, landscaping and screening bunds be REFUSED for the following reasons:

1)     There is no identified need for a 280 berth marina of which 80% of the moorings would be for permanent moorings. The development is therefore contrary to saved policy R9 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, policy CSS1 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2012 and policy ENV4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2034.

2)     The proposed development would constitute a dramatic land-use change that is both discordant with the landscape character of the area and detracts from the open and undeveloped countryside setting of the River Thames and Chilterns AONB. It is therefore contrary to policies CSEN1 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2012, C4 and C8 of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan – Part 1 Core Strategy and C3 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011.

3)     The development would harm the setting of listed buildings and the public benefit of the development is not considered to outweigh that harm. It is therefore contrary to policies CON5 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, CSEN3 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2012 and C9 of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan – Part 1 Core Strategy and Section 66(1) of the Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas Act 1990.

4)     The development is not considered to be a well-designed place and does not accord with policies D1 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011 or policy CSQ3 of the South Oxfordshire Core Strategy 2012.

5)     There would be a loss of Best and Most Versatile agricultural land  contrary to policy C6 of the Oxfordshire Minerals and Waste Local Plan – Part 1 Core Strategy.  ...  view the full agenda text for item 32

Approved subject to amendments in bold and strike through text.

The Committee considered (PN7) an application for the extraction of sand and gravel for the creation of a marina on land at Whitecross Farm, Reading Road, Cholsey.

Catherine Kelham presented the report with updates since the publication of the report which included revised comments from the County Council’s highways team and a response from the Environment Agency resulting in a revised recommendation.

She then responded to questions.

Councillor Johnston suggested that in view of the County Council having passed a climate emergency motion this application should be opposed on those grounds in addition to those set out.

Catherine Kelham advised that one of the reasons for refusal was air quality but she would be happy consider wording for an additional reason if the Committee so wished.

Responding to Councillor Fitzgerald-O’Connor she advised that the likely timescale for the project if approved would be between 5 – 7 years.

Simon Rees spoke in support of the application. The application was a relatively simple, small-scale, low-level, sustainable development that brought a range of both short term and long-term benefits to the County and the local community in the area of Wallingford. It was considered to comply fully with both the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and also local planning policy and had been submitted following an extensive period of consultation with river users, local community organisations followed by a series of public exhibitions and presentations and in response to an identified need and demand for new boat moorings and marina facilities – including slipways, boathouse out-of-water boat storage and small boat repair services, together with local community water-based recreation facilities on and adjacent to the Thames Valley. In addition, the construction phase of the marina development would provide additional valuable sand and gravel supply into the Oxfordshire market. It should be noted that the site had been promoted as a small-scale mineral site and had then featured in earlier iterations of the emerging Oxfordshire Minerals Plan document.

The positive benefits and support for the development included:

·      The construction phase offered the recovery and supply to market of high quality sand and gravel that would meet a demonstrable local need noting that no valuable sand and gravel reserves situated within the marina basin would be sterilised by this development.

·      The off-line (off-river) marina clearly met an identifiable need for additional boat moorings and associated facilities for various boating user groups in the Thames Valley and reduced pressure for on-river (riverside) boat moorings. These were policies from the EA (who controlled the Thames) and the C&RT (who controlled most other waterways) to restrict and reduce on-line moorings to reduce congestion on the waterways and also direct impacts from boat users on the riversides and towpaths due to the number of boats moored end to end along long stretches of the river.

·      Support for the marina development had come from a range of local organisations including the Boys Brigade Canoe & Kayak club, Wallingford Accessible Boat club (organisation for Disabled and special needs river users)  ...  view the full minutes text for item 32