The Development Management Manager delivered his report.

        The Chair then invited Mr Damien Sharkey of Chess Wilkinson to address the committee.

        Mr Sharkey commented that the site had already been approved for development as three generous dwellings and had been lawfully implemented as confirmed by a lawful development certificate.  The new scheme increased the scheme to four houses.  The reduced size of these better suited the scale of the surrounding dwellings and kept to the same massing as the original. 

        He went on to describe the design of the proposed dwellings as being a contemporary reflection of the design threads in the local area.  Mr Sharkey noted that the statutory consultees such as Thames Water and Highways had not objected to the proposed development. 

        He concluded by stating that the scheme brought much needed housing to the Borough. 

        The Chair thanked Mr Sharkey and invited Councillor Karen Clarke-Taylor, a Ward Councillor for Oxhey, to address the committee. 

        Councillor Clarke-Taylor emphasised the number and strength of the objections to the development.  She pointed out that some years ago a proposal was rejected as an overdevelopment, with the three house option being a compromise.  She expressed the view of the residents that to approve the four house option would be seen as backtracking.   

        The Councillor went on to say that the homes were not in keeping with the conservation area.  She pointed out that residents were not allowed to make amendments to their homes, yet this build might be approved. 

        The proposed houses were narrower and offered inadequate accommodation for families.  Further concerns were the height of the homes, with an associated negative impact on the streetscene and light levels for nearby properties. 

        Garden areas were below the minimum size of 65 square metres.  This was offset by the community garden area.  The present application had gardens as small as 48 square metres and a significant reduction in the area of communal amenity space.  This could set a precedent for sub-standard garden sizes. 

        The councillor highlighted the increase in parking spaces and that the location of these meant there was a possibility of increased light and noise pollution.  She pointed out the potential issue with access for emergency vehicles and general access problems due to the narrow access road. 

        The councillor moved on to highlight the ecological and environmental concerns, including water run-off and the potential for flooding. 

The conduct of the developers was mentioned as this had upset a number of residents.  The site had been stripped for development, but then left as an eyesore for three years.  Residents felt that the applicants were requesting increasing levels of development to enhance profits with little regard for them. 

The councillor concluded with a request for limits on timings for deliveries to the site, together with a strict prohibition on the size of vehicles and requested the application be rejected. 

The Chair asked the Development Management Manager to address some of the points raised by Councillor Clarke-Taylor. 

The Development Management Manager explained that  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4