Nocton Village Hall - latest news

Planning application 'withdrawn'

Planning Reference: 17/0581/FUL

Address: Village Hall, Main Street, Nocton, Lincoln, Lincolnshire, LN4 2BH
Proposal: Demolition of existing village hall and erection of new single storey facility
Status: Decided
Decision: Withdrawn
Decision Issued Date: Fri 11 Aug 2017

Plate 1 - Lime trees at Nocton Village Hall

My last blog relating to the planning application for the new Village Hall was dated 8th June 2017.  You can also find a brief update in the latest Nocton News that mentions a further tree survey being required by North Kesteven District Council.

I can now report that an additional tree survey was prepared by CF Landscape (July 2017) and published on the planning portal (10th August)... and on the following day the planning application was withdrawn.

A decision to withdraw a planning application is often taken where a planning officer indicates it is likely to be refused. In these cases, it is an accepted practice that the applicant withdraws the initial application, before amending it and then resubmitting a revised plan.

Potential damage to the lime trees in the Conservation Area?

I see the Tree Officer originally reported:

"... it is highly likely that the proposed extension to the east will result in adversely affecting significant rooting areas of the roadside lime trees".

The new report by CF Landscape now confirms this:

Para 7.1: "The proposals would encroach significantly upon the Root Protection Area thus it is probable that physical or physiological damage to the trees will be caused by a reduction in permeability within the RPA’s and by physical damage to the roots."

Para 7.3:  "Of greater concern to the health of the trees is the possibility of physical root damage.  The current proposals would involve excavation for foundations through all of the RPA’s. The front building line will be extended towards the trees by between 1 and 2.86m. In addition to this, a ramp will be constructed along the front façade of the building necessitating construction of a wall a further 2m closer to the trees.  Although it is possible that the root systems of the 3 trees will have developed to the north-east, away from the existing building, it is likely that significant roots would be severed by the proposals."

The withdrawal of the application at this late stage in the planning process may indicate the issue is more problematical than first thought, especially relating to the siting of the new Village Hall further to the east.

This may require a re-design of the proposed east extension to the Village Hall and could possibly affect the placement of the new building altogether. What the impact on projected costs for the build is currently unknown too.

Any amended or new planning application will need to demonstrate that potential risk of damage to the roots of the mature lime trees can be overcome. This will have to be proven to the satisfaction of the planning officer... and to the whole planning committee, if the application is to be referred for consideration.

The Parish Council will be meeting their developers (Simons Group Ltd) later this month for an update on the situation.

Plate 2 - Distance of Lime trees away from

front elevation of Nocton Village Hall

More Information

Tree roots
"A tree root system is typically fairly shallow (frequently no deeper than 2 metres), but is wide-spreading, with the majority of roots in the upper 60cms of soil. Excavation has shown that roots can grow for a considerable distance beyond the branch spread; typically extending outwards for a distance equivalent to at least the tree's height, and in some cases (where soils are infertile or compacted) up to three times height. With lime (Tilia spp.), the lateral roots descend diagonally ('oblique laterals') to a depth of 20-50cms at a distance of about 2 metres from the trunk and then continue growing outwards horizontally."

Source: Tree Root Systems by Martin Dobson [Aboricultural Advisory and Information Service]

Dealing with concerns or objections
"Normally, applications that have been through pre-application advice do not get held up when a full application is submitted. This is because most of the issues have been identified and addressed before you apply. Where there are problems at the full application stage, it is often because this advice has not been asked for and therefore any likely concerns or problems have not been identified.

However, it is not unheard of for unexpected issues to arise during the formal process or for people to raise a concern that they had not mentioned previously. If problems do arise during the formal planning stage, the planning officer will call the applicant or agent to discuss it. If there is time within the 8 week period for amended plans to be submitted to overcome the issues then the officer will advise you. Please be aware that if amended plans are required then they may need to go out for re-consultation. This can add an additional 21 days to the process depending on the nature of the amendment.

If it is considered by us that there is not the opportunity to deal with amendments in a reasonable time the applicant/agent will be advised of this. The option is then to withdraw the application and resubmit it later once changes have been made and discussed further."

Source: North Kesteven District Council - planning advice