Agenda item

Copies of the following papers attached:-

There had been circulated copies of the request from Mr and Mrs Richard and Alison Thomas, per Liston Architects, 33 London Street, Edinburgh, to review refusal of the planning application for erection of a dwellinghouse on land North East of Maxton House, St Boswells.  The supporting papers included the Notice of Review and associated documents; Decision Notice; Officer’s Report; papers referred to in the Officer’s Report; Consultations; support and general comments; objection comments; additional representation; and a list of policies. Members accepted that there was a building group centred around Maxton House, that there was capacity within the group to accommodate a further house and that, in respect of spacing of houses within the group, the distance of the proposed site from the existing houses to the west was no greater than the distance between those existing houses. However, having noted that the proposed site was within a previously undeveloped field and within a group of fields surrounding the existing building group, Members’ opinion was divided about whether the site was well-related to the building group and whether it contributed to the sense of place of the group.

VOTE

Councillor Laing, seconded by Councillor Ramage, moved that the decision to refuse the application be upheld.

Councillor Mountford, seconded by Councillor Fullarton, moved as an amendment that the decision to refuse the application be reversed and the application approved.

On a show of hands Members voted as follows:-

Motion             - 3 votes

Amendment     - 2 votes

The motion was accordingly carried and the application was refused.

DECISION

DECIDED that:-

(a)        the request for a review had been competently made in terms of Section 43A of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act 1997;

(b)       the review could be considered without the need for any further procedure on the basis of the papers submitted;

(c)        the proposal would be contrary to the Development Plan and that there        were no other material considerations that would justify departure from         the Development Plan; and

(d)       the officer’s decision to refuse the application be upheld and the application be refused, for the reasons detailed in Appendix I to this Minute.

CHAIRMAN

Councillor Miers returned to the Chamber and chaired the meeting for the remaining two reviews.