Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 4 December 2019 be confirmed.

Please note that, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct, when declaring interests members must disclose the existence and nature of the interest, and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) or personal and/or pecuniary.

No declarations of interest were received.

The Arboricultural Officer:

a.    advised members of the reasons for proposed works to trees in the City Council’s ownership and sought consent to progress the works identified, as detailed at Appendix A of his report

b.    highlighted that the list did not represent all the work undertaken to Council trees, it represented all the instances where a tree was either identified for removal, or where a tree enjoyed some element of protection under planning legislation, and thus formal consent was required

c.    explained that Ward Councillors had been notified of the proposed works.

Members requested further clarification to the reference within the schedule of work to trees in Hartsholme Ward having ‘significant features which identified them as potentially hazardous specimens.’

The Arboricultural Officer advised that these trees contained large cavities or over extended branches that were likely to fail.

Members further enquired whether the hazardous specimen trees were in a poor state due to lack of maintenance.

The Arboricultural Officer advised that a lot of trees near the public highway naturally grew towards the light which caused phototropic development across the road. Maintenance of these trees was prioritised due to their risk of failure.

Members offered their support to the planting of hedgerows in Birchwood Ward.

An update was requested on council policy to plant further trees in the city.

The Arboricultural Officer confirmed that the trees had been ordered for delivery in the next two weeks. Sites had been identified subject to location of utility services and the digging of reception pits as necessary.

RESOLVED that tree works set out in the schedules appended to the report be approved.

In the interest of transparency Councillor Bean requested it be noted that he sat on the Hartsholme Community Trust, which had been provided with materials free of charge to assist with community projects by Lindum BMS, the agent for the application for ‘Council Central Depot, Waterside South, Lincoln’.

The Planning Manager:

a)    advised that planning permission was sought for the demolition of an existing range building and installation of permanent raking shores and external rain-screen cladding at the Council Central Depot at Stamp End, Waterside South, Lincoln

b)    reported that the application site lay to the east of Lincoln City Centre fronting Waterside South, sited to the south of the River Witham and to the north of the Sincil Dyke with Siemens to the east, characterised by industrial uses

c)    provided details of the policies pertaining to the application, as follows:

·         Policy LP5: Delivering Prosperity and Jobs

·         Policy LP26: Design and Amenity

·         National Planning Policy Framework

d)    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise

e)    advised members of the main issues to be considered as part of the application to assess the proposal with regard to:

·         Effect on National and Local Planning Policy

·         Effect on Local Amenity

·         Effect on Highway Safety

·         Other Matters

f)     concluded that:

·         The proposed development was appropriate in terms of its use and provided a solution to an ongoing operational issue at the nearby works site.

·         It would not be detrimental to the residential or the visual amenity of the locality in line with the National Planning Policy Framework and Policy LP26 of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan.

Members discussed the content of the report in further detail, requesting clarification on the following areas in relation to the proposals:

·         The need for the installation of permanent raking shores.

·         Whether the archaeology of the site had been considered in light of the amount of industrial heritage in this area.

The Planning Manager responded as follows:

·         The raking shores were necessary to provide structural stability and to give external support to the remaining building.

·         There was no ground disturbance proposed on this project, however, the planning process would always respect the need to safeguard industrial heritage.

RESOLVED that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:

• Development to be carried out in accordance with the plans
• Development to commence within 3 years
• Reporting of any unexpected contamination found during the demolition