P&HC November 2022 Minutes EOM
Market Deeping Town Council
Town Hall
Market Place
Market Deeping
PE6 8EA
Telephone: 01778 343170
Email: townclerk@marketdeeping-tc.gov.uk
www.market-deeping.parish-lincolnshire.gov.uk
Town Clerk: Mrs Gail Darnes
Market Deeping Town Council – Planning and Highways Committee
Minutes of an Extraordinary meeting of Market Deeping Town Council’s Planning and Highways Committee held on Wednesday 16th November 2022 at 7.00 pm. Cllr Brookes presided over Cllr Mrs Redshaw, Cllr Dr Byrd and Cllr Debbie Jones. Cllr Nick Neilson and the Deputy Clerk was in attendance.
69. Chairman’s Welcome
The Chairman, Cllr Brookes in the absence of Cllr Shelton welcomed everyone to the meeting.
70. Apologies for Absences
Apologies were received from Councillor Shelton and Councillor Lester prior to the meeting.
71. To Receive Declarations of Interest under the Localism Act 2011
There were no declaration of interest.
72. For members to discuss and agree the Council’s reply concerning planning application S22/2086
Cllr Dr Byrd had circulated a draft response to the committee prior to the meeting.
Cllr Neilson outlined his concerns with regards to light pollution which would affect nearby properties in Clover Road and Dixons Road and would like the lights to be directed downwards to eliminate glare. Cllr Shelton informed prior to the meeting that he was in full support of the response below.
The response to the planning application is as follows: -
Response from Market Deeping Town Council: Planning and Highways Committee
Consultation relating to application ref: S22/2086 New River Retail (Market Deeping no.1)
Case Officer: Ellie Sillah
Proposal: Demolition of the existing petrol filling station and construction of a new retail foodstore (class E), car parking, cycle parking, landscaping and associated works
Site: Land to the east of Deepings Shopping Centre, Godsey Lane, Market Deeping PE6 8HT
Application Submitted and Validated Friday 21st October. Responses by 23rd November.
Background to growth of the Deepings
Within the last five years, there has been considerable public consultation to determine the future growth plan for the Deepings. There are three aspects of growth that are particularly relevant to this application proposing the siting of a major supermarket in the town centre.
1). One of the outcomes from consultations undertaken during the Neighbourhood Planning process, is to extend the Deepings Town Centre boundary so that additional retail and employment opportunities can be developed as the number of residents increases. Additional retail choice within the town centre is therefore consistent with this objective.
2). The second aspect of growth is the aspiration to encourage a second major supermarket to the town. Local policies recognise that an available town centre location is preferable to an out-of-town location. The Town Council expresses no preference as to the specification of who the supermarket retailer might be as long as the intended retailer taking up the position is appropriate for the location by way of provision and the store has an appearance that enhances the location. After discussion on the matter, we consider that there is scope to make improvements to the appearance of the proposed supermarket building.
3). The third aspect of planned growth for the area is to provide improved infrastructure that enables residents and employees to use Sustainable Travel options wherever possible and reduce the need for reliance on short car journeys when living and working within the Deepings. Approximately 75% of all Deeping residents live within one mile of the town centre - that is 20mins walk or 5 mins cycling distance for many people. For this planning application, we consider that improvements are required to ensure the sustainable travel options are increased.
As members of the Planning and Highways Committee, we reflect below the observations, comments and concerns that have been reported to us by residents and members of the Town Council:
Gains arising that will have a positive impact for some
(i) A budget supermarket retailer will offer greater choice of goods/prices for residents
(ii) The town centre location will encourage footfall to support other town retailers
(iii) An increase in boundary planting will be welcome in the area
(iv) There will be additional local job opportunities for full and part-time staff
(v) There may be some improved walking and cycling access to the town centre from the east
Losses arising that will have a negative impact for some
(i) Inconvenience of removing the petrol filling station – it has been there for many years
(ii) Undesirable loss of staff jobs at the petrol filling station
(iii) Harmful removal of the long-stay car parking option and impact on neighbouring streets
(iv) Loss of tranquillity in the area due to traffic and light for late supermarket opening hours
(v) Removal of natural green space habitat next to Godsey Lane
(vi) Loss of open views for some residents of Godsey Lane, Clover Road and Thyme Avenue
We request further information about mitigation plans to address the losses cited above.
Main concerns relating to planning application S22/2086
Parking: The addition of a major supermarket to the site may require more than the 7 additional car parking and 16 cycling spaces currently allocated – for the anticipated volume of customers and staff.
We also request an urgent reconsideration of the loss of long-stay parking for the town by NRR as this will create considerable stresses on the road network when cars are instead parked for long periods on the nearby streets. Could we have confirmation that this decision will be reviewed by NRR and resolved prior to the loss of the long-stay car park.
Safety: Additional shopper traffic in and out of the site will require greater prioritising of the designated safe walking and cycling routes east/west through the site. This plan shows an over-dependence on road use for pedestrians. Pedestrian and cycling access should be encouraged and improved. We therefore request inclusion of a Planning Condition requiring the applicant to present improved walking and cycling design in accordance with guidelines given in the Department for Transport Local Transport Note 1/20.
We note the inclusion of a ‘speed table’ at the crossing point and request that all the zebra crossings are raised to pavement kerb level in preference to dropping the kerbs. This addition would contribute to speed management and be a safer way for pedestrians to cross.
We query the location and density of the cycle stands and believe that better, more visible and accessible options are available along the paved area to the north of the access road.
As a proposal for consideration - there is space on the plan for the addition of a pull-in bay for future buses, taxis and as a potential drop-off/pick-up space which could be added on the west side of Godsey Lane just south of the mini-roundabout. This could help to reduce the number of cars entering the site.
Design: The proposed building design itself is particularly bland and uninteresting as a primary building within the town centre. Market Deeping is a historic town with many Georgian features and this application is a great opportunity to bring improvement and style to the shopping centre area. We are not requesting a Georgian building but believe that much more effort should be made to improve the outward appearance of the building, particularly the south-facing elevation. Although brickwork is included, more could be done. Examples could be in the use of mixed materials such a wooden cladding, some stonework, and/or attractive designs within the brickwork.
The NRR website describes the Deepings as “The principal food anchored retail destination in Market Deeping, an affluent market town near Peterborough, the centre boasts the largest public and only long stay parking in the area totalling 270 bays and benefits from a flourishing weekly market.” “Market Deeping and its surroundings is an affluent area with limited competition”. However, the current shops are dated and this is recognised by NRR in its promotional brochure with a commitment to “rebrand & modernise” the Deeping Centre. On this basis this planning application would seem to be an ideal opportunity to set a higher standard of design than that given.
Noise levels: The increase in delivery traffic during the early hours will bring HGVs in and around the whole area - Godsey Lane and Towngate East in particular (hopefully none through the Market Place and High Street) which will create unacceptable early morning disturbance for residents. The increase in traffic from shoppers’ vehicles after 5.00pm will create additional evening disturbance for nearby residents in Clover Road, Thyme Avenue, Godsey Lane and Dixons Road. We request a Planning Condition detailing further information about the proposed HGV routes in/out of Deeping and the requirement for considerate times that will be used to maintain the supermarket stock.
Trolley bays: Supermarkets make trollies available for customer use and there is a tendency for these trollies to become abandoned to other areas of the car park or to be discarded around the vicinity. The only trolley storage is in front of the supermarket and greater clarity over trolley management will be required to avoid migration. We request an undertaking from NRR to ensure an enforceable management system is in place to keep roadways and shrubbery clear of discarded trollies.
Light pollution: The proposed supermarket will be open for late-evening shopping and this will emit additional light in the area from the store itself and from the street lighting that serves the car parks. This light pollution will come mainly from the south and east sides which will particularly affect residents of Dixons Road and Godsey Lane. Clover Road and Thyme Avenue could possibly be affected too. There is an absence of any information about the mitigation of light pollution and we therefore request a Planning Condition that ensures lighting solutions to minimise light pollution for the surrounding area from the store and from the street lights.
Biodiversity net gain: A professional assessment of the Biodiversity Net Gain Report is attached. We consider that the claim for Biodiversity is somewhat optimistic in the given location and request that some form of Bio-diversity ‘off-setting’ is considered to ensure the commitment for Gain is achievable.
MDTC response summary
The NRR planning application does not specify which brand of budget supermarket will be (potentially) taking up the lease but, given the publicity and marketing by Aldi earlier in the year, it is clear that this is the intention. MDTC is in agreement that this would be a suitable retailer for the town and we recognise the benefits that this will bring.
Members of MDTC Planning and Highways Committee are broadly in agreement that this proposal is acceptable within the scope of development to support the town centre. However, as outlined above, there are a number of observations and concerns that we wish to report for priority action (with associated Conditions) before the application is decided.
Yours sincerely
Planning and Highways Committee
Market Deeping Town Council
Market Deeping Town Council, supplementary consideration
Consultation relating to application ref: S22/2086 New River Retail (Market Deeping no.1)
Case Officer: Ellie Sillah
Proposal: Demolition of the existing petrol filling station and construction of a new retail foodstore (class E), car parking, cycle parking, landscaping and associated works
Site: Land to the east of Deepings Shopping Centre, Godsey Lane, Market Deeping PE6 8HT
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (requested by MDTC Planning and Highways Committee)
The Design Stage Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment refers to having been informed (in part) by a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal (report ref: Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Urban Green (2022) UG_1583_ECO_PEA_01), albeit this document does not appear on the planning portal as submitted to inform the application. This report, and the detailed findings of a survey undertaken on the 24th May 2022, will need to be provided and subject to review in order to inform the planning application / consultation response.
Biodiversity Net Gain Assessment
The ‘site boundary’ shown at Figure 1 is different to that shown on the pre- and post-development red line boundaries shown at Appendices 1 and 2. Figure 1 excludes an area of scrub with mature trees located at the eastern site boundary and confirmation is required as to whether this area was indeed subject to detailed ecological survey work or later assessed as part of a desk-based exercise following a revision in the proposed site boundary. This may be clarified within the Preliminary Ecological Appraisal mentioned above, albeit at this stage it is unclear.
The creation of ‘Other Neutral Grassland’ proposed under the scheme is considered to be unrealistic, given the site’s highly urban nature and small extent of the habitat area proposed. The site, and created habitats, will likely be subject to high levels of recreational disturbance and it would be more realistic for this habitat to function as / represent a ‘modified grassland’ category as described at paragraphs 8.1.1 and 8.1.2. Realistically, given its small extent, location, and level of disturbance / usage, creating ‘other neutral grassland that ‘closely matches characteristics of this habitat type’ is unlikely to be achieved and a ‘medium distinctive’ grassland habitat is not expected to develop.
20 new trees are proposed within the site, which is welcomed. However, it is not stated within the report which size class ‘small, medium, large’ of tree is proposed. This has a considerable bearing on the DERFA 3.1 calculations, and without having sight of / being able to review the digital / excel version of the biodiversity metric, it is unclear how this has been calculated or assessed. A full copy of the completed DEFRA 3.1 metric will need to be provided, in order to effectively review this submission.
Required:
Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Urban Green (2022) UG_1583_ECO_PEA_01
Digital copy of the completed DEFRA 3.1 Biodiversity Calculator
J. B. CEcol MCIEEM
Director
Delivering high quality ecological consultancy services throughout the UK
Services - Biodiversity Net Gain - Mitigation and Licensing
There being no other business, Cllr Brookes thanked everybody for their attendance and closed the meeting at 8.35 pm. The next meeting of the Planning and Highways Committee will be held on Wednesday 7 December 2022.