Agenda item

The Presenting Officer introduced the report, summarised it for everyone and gave a presentation.

The scheme is for the construction of pontoon infrastructure to deliver a mooring facility including storage facilities and amenities building and installation of floating reed beds.

The following answers were provided to questions:

·       Consultation with residents had taken place by letter and site notice, as well as various pre application discussions with the Harbour Office

·       A Statement of Community Involvement has been submitted; there were Drop In Sessions that took place in October/November 2022 attended by 25 residents

·       The Harbour Office has clauses relating to requiring riggings to be made secure when the boats are moored; there has been no wind impact assessment as it is not a residential application

·       The moorings will be for leisure boats, not residential; the maximum length of boats would be 11 metres

·       There are strict By Laws concerning the mooring of vessels and ensuring that they are secure; the licences for mooring the boats that have to be obtained from the Harbour Master, which include strict conditions about the mooring of boats

·       The nearby moorings are also near residential properties

·       The application is only for infrastructure which does not in itself generate noise

·       Only leisure licences will be issued

·       The Air Quality Officer has been consulted and the development does not fall under the Clean Air Zone that relates to vehicles and highways

·       There will be electrical connections for the boats and the use of solid fuels will not be permitted

·       There are adjacent car parks but the development is not expected to generate a lot of vehicle movements

·       The application is only for 34 moorings

·       An indicative drawing shows a boat with a 12 metres mast; this would not block anyone’s view or light

·       In relation to residential amenity and noise, the structure itself does not generate noise and there has been no issues raised by Pollution Control concerning noise impact; riggings are  required to be tied up as part of the licence conditions; noise that comes boats that are tied up cannot be assessed and are not part of the planning regime, they relate to the operation of boats which is not a planning matter

·       There are By Laws relating to fire precautions and fire safety is the responsibility of the Fire Service and the Harbour Office

·       The Ecologist has confirmed that there will be no adverse affects on any bats that live in the vicinity; bats are used to living in this type of environment

Debate

·        Although not a material consideration, the development will help with viability of the harbour going forward

·        Concerns about the consultation and the impact that a grant of the application may have on the residents and with the hope that this can be mitigated

·        It was noted that many of the concerns raised by residents did not relate to planning issues, but to the licensing of the boats for the use in the harbour

·        In response to comments about the appearance of the pontoon, the Presenting Officer showed a photo of Brunel Quay and described what the proposed pontoon would look like

·        The adjacent pontoon looks like a marina and looks lovely at present

·        There is a height difference between the boats and the flats so anyone on the boats could not look into the flats

·        In response to comments about the consultation process, the Team Manager, Development Management confirmed that consultation had taken place in October/November 2022 with stakeholders invited to take part; residents comments were taken into account when the Committee report was prepared; residents also made representations at this Meeting; the entire consultation process has done in accordance with the legal requirements

·        Concerns about residential amenity in relation to the noise generated by the boats’ masts; there are also concerns about the pollution generated by the boats’ engines

·        It was noted that only material planning issues can be taken into account when making a   decision on the application

·        The Team Manager, Development Management confirmed that the consultation had included Drop In Sessions to which residents were sent invitations; 25 residents attended; the Statement of Community Involvement accompanied the planning application; there were also opportunities for residents to comment on the planning application as well as being able to submit Public Forum Statements for today’s Meeting

·        In response to comments about material planning considerations, the Team Manager, Development Management confirmed that noise and residential amenity are both material planning considerations and have been taken into account in the Committee report; issues about boats are not material planning considerations and are the responsibility of the Harbour Office

Councillor Stafford-Townsend moved the Officer Recommendation to Grant the application

Councillor Hornchen seconded this motion.

The result of the Vote was 3 for (Cllrs Francis, Hornchen and Stafford-Townsend) and 3 against (Cllrs Alexander, Poultney and Windows).

The Chair, Cllr Stafford-Townsend used her casting vote to vote for the motion and it was

Resolved – that the application be Granted subject to Conditions.