Decision

That planning permission for an outline application for development of Sustainable Urban Extension to comprise up to 765 dwellings, 2.58 hectares of employment land (Use Classes E), neighbourhood centre (Use Classes E, F1, F2 and Sui Generis (drinking establishment), a 65 bed nursing / care home, community hall, health centre, children's nursery, primary school, play areas and formal sports provision and open space and landscaping, drainage infrastructure and associated highway works.be granted, at Land at Keyford, Dorchester Road, Yeovil, Somerset, be GRANTED subject to:

1. The prior completion of a Section 106 Agreement, as per the Heads of Terms set out at Appendix 1, as amended;

To reduce the s106 obligations sought for:

•         the Playing Fields Commuted Sum from £110,000 to £90,000

•         the allotments from £200,000 to £180,000

And add that £40,000 to the £80,000 Barwick and Stoford PC highway improvements works to total £120,000

1. The conditions and informatives set out at Appendix 2 including amended condition 15 and amended informative 16:

Condition 15

SURFACE WATER DRAINAGE SCHEME: No development shall be commenced until details of the sustainable surface water drainage scheme for the site, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. Such scheme should aim to meet the four pillars of SuDS (water quantity, quality, biodiversity, and amenity) to meet wider sustainability aims as specified by Policy F8 of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) and the Flood and Water Management Act (2010). The development shall include measures to control and attenuate surface water and once approved the scheme shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details and maintained at all times thereafter unless agreed otherwise in writing by the Local Planning Authority. This shall include, but not be limited to the below:

a)       Drawings/plans illustrating the proposed surface water drainage scheme including the sustainable methods employed to delay and control surface water discharged from the site, sewers and manholes, attenuation features, pumping stations (if required) and discharge locations. The current proposals may be treated as a minimum and further SuDS should be considered as part of a ‘SuDS management train’ approach to provide resilience within the design which shall include source control and conveyance

b)       Detailed, network level calculations demonstrating the performance of the proposed system are required and this should include:

i.        Details of design criteria etc and where relevant, justification of the approach / events / durations used within the calculations.

ii.        The most up to date rainfall allowances and climate change shall be used

iii.       Where relevant, calculations should consider the use of surcharged outfall conditions.

iv.       Performance of the network including water level, surcharged depth, flooded volume, pipe flow, flow/overflow capacity, status of network and outfall details / discharge rates.

v.       Results should be provided as a summary for each return period (as opposed to each individual storm event).

vi.       Evidence may take the form of software simulation results and should be supported by a suitably labelled plan/schematic to allow cross checking between any calculations and the proposed network.

vii.      The 1 in 1 and 1 in 2 year event to be restricted to the equivalent storm event, with anything above the 1 in 2.3 year event then restricted to QBAR.

c)       Detail drawings including cross sections, of proposed features such as infiltration structures, attenuation features, pumping stations and outfall structures. These should be feature-specific, show details of how these features will fit within the topography, and include details on exceedance, failure, formation and stability, including groundwater considerations.

d)       Details on headwalls will be provided, including erosion control within the basin, and on the final outfall.

e)       Regular groundwater monitoring will be undertaken across the site and within the location of attenuation features to determine groundwater levels, and any groundwater features (i.e springs), most notably within the winter months. Should groundwater levels be high, consideration will be given to the design of attenuation features to take consideration of groundwater levels, and the development will demonstrate that there is no flood risk elsewhere through groundwater displacement. Should there be high groundwater levels on the site, the site will be designed to take this into account.

f)        Further information regarding external levels and surface water exceedance routes, including exceedance from drainage features, and how these will be directed through the development without exposing properties to flood risk. A feature will be provided along the western boundary to manage exceedance in this area.

g)       The applicant shall demonstrate that the proposal will not increase flood risk downstream via changing the discharge location, and provide details on any works required off site to ensure adequate discharge of surface water without causing flooding or pollution (which should include refurbishment of existing culverts and headwalls or removal of unused culverts where relevant). Should discharge rates and volumes be required to be restricted further, this shall be implemented.

h)       The development shall demonstrate that it has met the drainage hierarchy, focusing on rainwater reuse. The development shall demonstrate that the first 5mm of rainfall will be intercepted within the site.

i)        Further pollution control will be provided across the site, and prior to large attenuation features, taking account of traffic movement.

j)        Suitable easement and buffers shall be provided to all drainage features, outfall pipework and headwall, drainage assets and watercourses to allow access and maintenance.

k)       Further infiltration testing will be undertaken across the site, and all avenues will be undertaken to incorporate infiltration within the site, which should include full and partial infiltration where appropriate. This shall include infiltration testing and design to BRE Digest 365, ensure that there will be a minimum of 1m between the base of any infiltration feature and maximum water level, and ensure that there will be no increased risk of groundwater flooding due to using infiltration.

Reason: To prevent flooding by ensuring the satisfactory storage of/disposal of surface water from the site, in accordance with Policies EQ2 and EQ7 of the South Somerset Local Plan (adopted March 2015) and the provisions of the National Planning Policy Framework.

Informative 16

ELECTRICITY SUPPLY, STORAGE AND GENERATION: You are advised to contact both Scottish and Southern Electricity, Yeovil and National Grid Electricity Distribution, Crewkerne in respect of electricity supply, storage and generation, installation of underground cables and provision of new on site electricity sub-stations together with off-site works.

1. For the amended reason:

Whilst the Council considers the proposal to be in conflict with particular policies within the Development Plan, namely elements of YV2 and the requirements of HG3, the Council's lack of a five-year housing land supply lends significant weight when considering the planning balance. In this case, the allocated site is located in a sustainable location with access to a range of services and facilities. The proposal is not considered to result in such a significant and adverse impact upon the landscape, visual amenity, residential amenity, highway safety, flood risk/drainage or ecology/biodiversity as to justify a refusal of planning permission. Therefore, in terms of the 'planning balance', it is considered that the benefits of the development in providing up to 765 dwellings, a neighbourhood centre, employment land and a care home with public open space, community, play and recreation facilities in this sustainable location would not be substantially outweighed by the adverse effects.

The environmental information submitted with this application has been taken into account as part of the consideration of this application and in formulating the officer recommendation and by Members in deciding to grant outline planning permission.

The proposal is considered to be in accordance with Policies SD1, SS1, SS2, SS3, SS4, SS5, SS6, YV1, YV5, EQ1, EQ2, EQ3, EQ4, EQ5, EQ6, EQ7, HG5, HG6, TA1, TA3, TA4, TA5, TA6 and HW1 of the South Somerset Local Plan 2006-2028, and the policy aims and objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework, August 2026.

And that authority be delegated to the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Chair (or Vice-Chair) of the Planning Committee where appropriate, to:

a.       Make minor amendments and refinements to the wording, numbering, and sequencing of planning conditions,

b.       Agree minor variations to the heads of terms and final drafting of the Section 106 Agreement,

c.       Add, amend, or remove conditions where necessary to secure compliance with national and local planning policy, consultee advice, or material planning considerations,

d.       Refuse the application if the applicant fails to engage, respond, or progress the Section 106 Agreement within a nine month-period from the date of the planning committee resolution.

Voting: Unanimous in favour