Agenda item

The Planning Team Leader:

a.    described the application property as Lincoln Crematorium, located on the south-east edge of the City of Lincoln, to the north side of Washingborough Road, outlining that the City Crematorium occupied an area of approximately 4.7 hectres.

b.    advised that the application was to be considered by the Planning Committee on the basis that the service was owned and run by the City of Lincoln Council.

c.    reported that planning permission was sought for a proposed second, new, chapel, to the east side of the existing building with capacity for up to 50 people and with its own dedicated cremator, including associated infrastructure and landscaping (phase two).

d.    provided details of the policies pertaining to the application, as follows:

·         National Planning Policy Framework;

·         Policy LP1 – A Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development;

·         Policy LP12 Infrastructure to Support Growth;

·         Policy LP15 – Community Facilities;

·         Policy LP17 – Landscape, Townscape and Views;

·         Policy LP22 – Green Wedges;

·         Policy LP23 – Local Green Space and other Important Open Space;

·         Policy LP26 – Design and Amenity.

e.    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise.

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

·         accordance with National and Local Planning Policy;

·         impact on amenity of neighbouring issues;

·         impact on visual amenity;

·         highway safety, access, parking and surface water drainage;

·         impact on trees, landscaping and ecology.

g.    concluded that the proposal was of the same high quality as the proposal for the refurbishment of the existing building and was capable of being undertaken without causing harm to amenity, neighbours or other material planning considerations.

Mr Andy McDowell addressed the Planning Committee in support of the application, covering the following main points:

·         the proposal sought to offer smaller services to compliment the main chapel of the Crematorium and future-proof the facilities on-site;

·         the design built on the approach of the phase one application and was harmonious in its composition using a common, locally sourced material pallet, but retaining its own identity;

·         there were suitable transport links to the site, with a pedestrian footway connecting the site to the city;

·         the proposal encompassed the same principle of energy regeneration from cremators as that of the phase one application;

·         the transport statement associated with the application was in support of the proposal and confirmed it would have a minimal impact;

·         the designs for the second chapel represented a high quality, sustainable development which complimented a service already offered in a peaceful landscape and was in keeping with the phase one application.

Mr McDowell described how the different elements of the proposal would work from the perspective of people using the facility, explaining how the various spaces would be used and how they complemented each other. 

In discussing the content of the report in further detail a comment was made that the intimate setting of the second chapel, as per the application, was welcomed.

A question was raised as to why this second phase included a small second chapel rather than a larger facility, given anticipated increased use of the facility. It was noted that a smaller facility would be more intimate and the application recognised this and the fact that not all services consisted of a large number of mourners. The applicant had chosen the scale of the chapel and the recommendation contained within the report was based on the content of the application as submitted. It was noted that the small chapel would be able to cater for up to 50 mourners.

RESOLVED that the application be granted, subject to the following conditions:

·         development to commence within three years;

·         development in strict accordance with the approved drawings;

·         new landscaping undertaken during next available planting season.