Agenda item

Proposal

Erection of bat poles.

Recommendation

That, subject to condition 1, permission be GRANTED.

Proposed development

Erection of bat poles

With reference to the report circulated with the agenda, Officers presented a  summary of the planning context for making a decision on the application, and the proposed development including site plans and the layout. Officers outlined the determining issues and those matters of a more subjective nature.

Public speaking

There was no public speaking for this item.

Debate

The Committee noted that condition 42 of Planning permission WA/2012/0912 required additional bat surveys to be undertaken and that, if any mitigation was found to be required, that it should be undertaken prior to development commencing. In accordance with this Condition, a Bat Survey was undertaken in May and June 2013. As a result of the findings of this survey, a number of mitigation measures were required in order to mitigate the impact of the development on bats. Of these, a bat house were recommended to be constructed in the southern part of the East Street site. A subsequent planning application (ref. no. WA/2014/2420) for a bat house was submitted and approved in February 2015 which had now expired.

Officers advised that the current proposal sought approval of the bat poles in replacement for the bat house that was previously approved under application ref. no. WA/2014/2420. The applicants advised that they did not wish to proceed with a bat house proposal due to fears it would get vandalised. Members were assured that the principle for such mitigation was also established by the previous grant of permission under WA/2014/2420.

Some Members raised concern that there would be no bat houses to replace the maternity roosts. However, they were advised that the Council’s Arboricultural Officer had been consulted on the application and advised that the limited extent of excavation proposed was not of significant concern with regards to the impact on any nearby trees. Some Members raised concern about disruption to maternity roosts and whether there was adequate mitigation and was advised that the replacement of the bat house with three pole mounted bat boxes was approved by Natural England in November 2017 and the bat mitigation licence amended accordingly.  This licence had been submitted with the application. However, Members agreed that there should be an informative to the application about any disruption to these during development.

Some concern was raised about the visual impact of the loss of trees and officers advised that the proposal for bat poles would be acceptable in visual terms and would not have a harmful impact on neighbouring residential amenity. However, Members agreed that there should be an extra condition to the application that the colour of the poles be agreed with the Planning Officers prior to commencement.

Having concluded debate, the Chairman moved to a motion to include the additional information and condition of which there were 14 in support and 3 against. The Chairman then moved to the amended recommendation to grant which was voted 13 in favour, and 4 against.

Decision

RESOLVED to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions 1-18 with an additional condition regarding the colour of the pole and informative 1 with an additional informative in relation to not disturbing maternity roosts. Both the additional informative and additional condition are noted below:

Condition 2:

Prior to the commencement of development details of the colour of the bat poles shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the details agreed and shall be retained as such in perpetuity.

Informative 1:

The applicant is reminded that it is an offence to disturb protected species under the Wildlife and Countryside Act 1981. Should a protected species be found during the course of the works, the applicant should stop work and contact Natural England for further advice on 0845 6003078.