Agenda item

(Councillor Bushell left the room during the consideration of this item having made a declaration of predetermination in relation to the matter to be considered. He did not return as he had another prior engagement to attend.)

The Planning Manager:

a.    described the application property, Lincoln Crematorium, located on the south-east edge of the City of Lincoln, to the north side of Washingborough Road, occupying an area of approximately 4.7 hectares

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b.    reported that application had been submitted as part of the ongoing project to enhance the existing services and aesthetics of the original crematorium building

c.    added that following planning permission granted in July 2019 for renovation of the existing chapel, book of remembrance building and a second new chapel to the east side of the existing building, this application sought permission for the erection of a chapel for a temporary period of up to three years, together with associated facilities and access to replace the services of the crematorium whilst the works took place

d.    informed Planning Committee that use of the temporary chapel and associated facilities would reduce overall costs and allow the most expeditious programme for the renovation works to the existing building

e.    advised that the application was brought to Planning Committee for consideration on the basis that the service was owned and run by the City of Lincoln Council

f.     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.

g.    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise

h.    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

i.      concluded that:

·         The proposal was required to ensure essential services were uninterrupted whilst the main renovation works took place.

·         The scheme would reduce construction timescales, allow the site to remain in active use throughout and save costs that could then be used to create further benefit on site.

·         The proposal would not have any detrimental impact on the amenity of the nearby uses or the visual amenity of the crematorium grounds and wider area, in accordance with the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Members queried whether it was possible to impose a condition on the grant of planning permission requiring the temporary chapel to be dismantled on or before the expiration of the three year period.

The Planning Manager referred to bullet point 4 of the proposed conditions which addressed this matter. The three year time period for the temporary chapel had been negotiated with the Planning authority to ensure it was within a ‘four year’ period after which enforcement action could not be taken. It was not possible to prevent a further extension being applied for, however the fact that a three year temporary period was clearly conditioned here would carry weight.

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;

·         Prior to the commencement of work  details of a scheme for the replacement of trees shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority;

·         The chapel hereby approved shall be removed from the site on or before 3 years from the date of the commencement of its use. The Local Planning Authority shall be notified of this date in writing.