Issue - meetings

At the invitation of the Chairman, Ms. M. Simpson-Gallego, agent for the applicant, addressed the Committee and spoke in favour of the proposals.

The Head of Planning and Environment Services reported the receipt of comments from the Building Control Officer, together with a letter from a local resident expressing no objection to the application, and additional correspondence from the applicant's agents.

RESOLVED that permission be refused for the following reasons:

1.         The proposed development represents inappropriate development in the Green Belt and would not accord with Green Belt Policy and the purposes of including land within it.  Very special circumstances do not exist to outweigh the harm that would be caused.  As such, the proposal is contrary to policy DS2 of the Bromsgrove District Local Plan, policies D.38 and D.39 of the Worcestershire County Structure Plan and the provisions of PPG2.

2.         The proposed use would be located away from any town centre or urban area in an isolated position not well related to public transport links.  The proposed B1 use would not therefore be located so as to minimise the need to travel and the users of the site would be highly dependant on the private car to travel to and from the site.  As such, the proposed development is contrary to policies PA1 and PA14 of the West Midlands Spatial Strategy, policies SD.4, D.26, D.29 and T.1 of the Worcestershire County Structure Plan, and policy DS13 of the Bromsgrove District Local Plan, and the provisions of PPG13.