Agenda item

City Crematorium, Washingborough Road, Lincoln

Minutes:

The Assistant Director of Planning:

 

a.    described the location of Lincoln Crematorium 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, set within extensive cemetery grounds largely surrounded by open space and community uses, with minimal residential development nearby

 

b.    advised that planning permission was sought for the continued use of the secondary eastern chapel that had been erected on site to provide for an increasing demand in service and to ensure continuity of an efficient and respectful service whilst future plans for a permanent chapel were developed

 

c.     reported that the building was located towards the eastern side of the crematorium grounds and had been designed to operate within the existing infrastructure and layout of the site

 

d.    added that this evening’s proposal included associated drainage provision but did not involve any changes to access, parking, or the surrounding landscape which were previously carried out as part of the original development

 

e.    reported that the application was brought before Planning Committee as the service was owned and run by the City of Lincoln Council

 

f.      detailed the history of the application site within the main body of the officer’s report

 

g.    provided details of the policy pertaining to the application, as follows:

 

·       National Planning Policy Framework

·       Policy S6: Design Principles for Efficient Buildings

·       Policy S13: Reducing Energy Consumption in Existing Buildings

·       Policy S50: Community Facilities

·       Policy S53: Design and Amenity

·       Policy S63: Green Wedges

 

  1. provided details of the issues to be assessed in relation to the planning application, as follows:

 

·       Accordance with National and Local Planning Policy

·       Impact on Amenity of Neighbouring Uses

·       Impact on Visual Amenity

·       Highway Safety, Access, Parking and Surface Water Drainage

·       Impact on Trees and Landscaping

 

i.      outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise

 

j.      referred to the update sheet which included an additional response received from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust after the original agenda documents were issued

 

  1. concluded as follows:

 

  • The proposal was required to ensure the continued provision of essential services while long-term development plans for the permanent second chapel progressed.
  • The scheme enabled the site to continue to operate at full capacity, meeting current and growing demand efficiently and respectfully, while supporting a smooth transition to future improvements.
  • The proposal would not result in any adverse impact on neighbouring uses or the visual character of the crematorium grounds and surrounding area and was in accordance with the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.

 

Members discussed the content of the report in further detail.

 

The following questions were raised:

 

·       Clarification was requested on the consultation response received from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust.

·       How long could the secondary eastern chapel remain in situ as a temporary structure?

·       Were there any plans in place to replace the trees removed to erect the temporary structure?

 

The Assistant Director of Planning offered the following points of clarification:

 

·       The representation from Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust referred to biodiversity net gain. As the development in question was completed before 1 April 2021, biodiversity net gain did not apply in this case as mandatory legislation did not come into effect until April 2024. There was no legal obligation to apply such legislation due to the date of the original works.

·       Replacement trees were replanted at the time the temporary structure was given planning permission.

·       The timescale for the temporary structure was originally set at 5 years. However, a further extension of the temporary consent gave a little more time for the service to run smoothly while long-term development plans for the permanent second chapel progressed and funding was secured.

 

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

 

 

·       Development remains in strict accordance with the approved drawings.