Agenda item

The local Member for Usk left the meeting before consideration of this application and did not return.

We considered the report of the application and late correspondence, which was recommended that the Welsh Government calls in the application.  This will ensure that the decision on Listed Building Consent for demolition is properly taken concurrently with the decision on the proposed M4 relief road.  There are conditions outlined in the report should the Welsh Government be minded to approve Listed Building Consent.

The local Member for Mill ward attending the meeting by invitation of the Chair, outlined the following points:

·         The Planning Authority has a duty to uphold the principles of the Local Development Plan and the policies therein.

·         It is a magnificent building. Many local people consider it to be an important and much treasured building with many local historic associations.

·         The application is highly irregular and is incomplete.  The Planning Officer has said that this Authority could not determine the application because the bat surveys are incomplete. However, there has been evidence of bats roosting there but in 2015, it had been determined that there was no bat roost located at the building.

·         The Ecology Officer has said that there are inadequacies in the methodology used to come to that report.

·         National Planning Policy says that applications made for the demolition of a listed building must be fully justified and scrutinised before any decision is taken.  The demolition of any listed building should be considered as exceptional and require the strongest justification. In determining planning applications for total or substantial demolition of listed buildings, authorities should take into account the condition of the building.  This building is in perfect condition.  However, Welsh Government considers that the building will be lost, or at best, used for salvage materials. 

·         Local Authorities should not authorise demolition of a listed building to make way for a new development unless it is certain that that development will proceed.

·         There is no certainty that the M4 Black Route will be chosen as the route for the M4 relief road at this current time.  The public inquiry has been further delayed as there are inappropriate or sufficient traffic growth forecasts to justify the development at present.  Therefore, the two conditions that must be satisfied do not appear to be.

·         It is recommended that the Welsh Government calls in this application.  However, Welsh Government considers that this building is not important.  The Authority’s Conservation Officer differs in this opinion and has stated that the building is particularly notable and the architect was John Noble.

·         In conclusion, the application has an incomplete bat study.

·         The local Member asked the Committee to consider either refusing the application or deferring it until the application is either sufficient or the Black Route is determined or not.

The Head of Planning, Housing and Place Shaping informed the Committee that the reason for the officer recommendation is due to the need to look at the overriding national importance of the M4 relief road. It is clear that if the Black Route goes ahead, the building is located underneath the route.  By requesting that the Welsh Government call in the application subject to the conditions outlined in the report of the application, by requesting the call in means that the application, if the Welsh Government agrees, will go before the same inspector and will be considered as part of this appeal process and the end result will either be - yes to the M4 Black Route and yes to demolition of the building, or no to both.

In response to a Member’s question, it was noted that a recommendation could be made to the Welsh Government that, should the Black Route be approved, the building be taken apart and rebuilt at an alternative location.

The Monitoring Officer informed the Committee that if the application did go to the Welsh Government for decision, the Welsh Government would need to undertake various ecological assessments, including a bat survey, before making a decision on this matter.

In response to a question raised by the local Member, the Head of Planning, Housing and Place Shaping informed the Committee that a decision on the called in application would be made by an Independent Planning Inspector.

It was proposed by County Councillor P. Murphy and seconded by County Councillor R.G. Harris that the Planning Committee be minded to approve the application subject to the conditions outlined in the report and subject to the relocation of the building. The bat survey to be corrected before the Planning Inspector makes his / her decision and all of this information to be called in by the Welsh Government so that the decision is made concurrently with the decision on the location of the M4 relief road.

Upon being put to the vote, the following votes were recorded:

In favour of the proposal                -           8

Against the proposal                       -           1

Abstentions                                       -           1

The proposition was carried.

We resolved that the Planning Committee be minded to approve the application subject to the conditions outlined in the report and subject to the relocation of the building. The bat survey to be corrected before the Planning Inspector makes his / her decision and all of this information to be called in by the Welsh Government so that the decision is made concurrently with the decision on the location of the M4 relief road.