(Members Code of Conduct – Part 4A of the Constitution)

To receive disclosures of interests from members and co-opted members on matters to be considered at the meeting. The disclosure must include the nature of the interest.

An interest must also be disclosed in the meeting when it becomes apparent to the member during the meeting.

Notes:

(1)       Members must consider their interests, and act according to the following:

(2)       Disclosable pecuniary interests relate to the Member concerned or their spouse/partner.

(3)       Members in arrears of Council Tax by more than two months must not vote in decisions on, or which might affect, budget calculations, and must disclose at the meeting that this restriction applies to them.  A failure to comply with these requirements is a criminal offence under section 106 of the Local Government Finance Act 1992. 

(4)       Officers must disclose interests in accordance with Council Standing Order 44.

In the interest of transparency, Councillors Salam, Alipoor, Mullaney, Brown, Sullivan and Edwards declared that they were Members of the Committee on 27 April 2023, when another application on the same site was determined, however they stated that they would consider the application set out in Minute 10, with an open mind.

ACTION: Director of Legal and Governance

Recommended –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 June 2023 be signed as a correct record.

(Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923 / Jane Lythgow 07970 411623)

Resolved –

That the minutes of the meeting held on 1 June 2023 be signed as a correct record.

(Access to Information Procedure Rules – Part 3B of the Constitution)

Reports and background papers for agenda items may be inspected by contacting the person shown after each agenda item.  Certain reports and background papers may be restricted. 

Any request to remove the restriction on a report or background paper should be made to the relevant Strategic or Assistant Director whose name is shown on the front page of the report. 

If that request is refused, there is a right of appeal to this meeting. 

Please contact the officer shown below in advance of the meeting if you wish to appeal. 

(Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923 / Jane Lythgow 07970 411623)

There were no appeals submitted to review decisions to restrict documents.

The Committee will be asked to consider recommendations, if any, to appoint Members to Sub-Committees of the Committee.

                        (Yusuf Patel – 07970 411923 / Jane Lythgow 07970 411623)

There were no changes proposed to Sub-Committee membership.

The Assistant Director Planning, Transportation and Highways will submit a report (Document “C”) which sets out a proposal for construction of an energy centre with associated access and landscaping, and the temporary use of adjacent land for contractor activities and material storage at land West of 177 Thornton Road Bradford. - 23/01541/MAF.

Recommended –

That the application be approved subject to the conditions set out in Appendix 1 to Document “C”.

(Carole Howarth - 01274 434605)

The Assistant Director Planning, Transportation and Highways submitted a report (Document “C”) which set out a proposal for construction of an energy centre with associated access and landscaping, and the temporary use of adjacent land for contractor activities and material storage at land West of 177 Thornton Road Bradford. - 23/01541/MAF.

The Principal Planning Officer drew Members’ attention to a number of matters arising and corrections in relation to the proposals since the writing of the report; stating that there were two condition 13’s on page 36 of the Assistant Directors’ technical report and that they will be re-numbered appropriately in the decision notice, should planning permission be granted; In addition the first condition 13 (highway) would need to be altered to remove the need to close off the existing Thornton Road access (Listerhills still to be closed), as the agent has noted this existing access is not in the control of the applicant.   Highways had confirmed this to be acceptable, as it was not essential that the existing access is closed off due to a very low number of vehicle movements once the plant is operational. In addition, it was noted the reference to the 26m stack (page 16) should actually read 30m high as noted elsewhere in the report and on drawings.

A location map, photographs of the current site, the proposed layout and elevations as well as artist impressions showing the proposed energy centre view from both the Thornton and Listerhills Road aspects were alluded to and depicted on the PowerPoint presentation.   During the presentation it was also stated:

·       That the proposed energy centre would be using Air Source Heat Pumps (ASHP) to provide heat energy.

·       That ASHPs’ worked by transferring heat from the outside air to water using a compressor circuit with evaporators, along with condensers. 

·       That the hot water created is stored in thermal tanks and then transferred by underground pipes to buildings.

·       That the majority of time ASHPs would be utilised, however they would be supplemented by gas boilers to provide additional heat at times of peak demand (expected to be winter when energy demand is highest).

·       That the proposed building would be 70m long x 16.5 wide and 15m high, with the stack approximately 30m high.

·       The proposal would also include a temporary contractors yard, for build out and continuation of pipe laying.

·        One of the principal issues around the application was that within the City Centre Area Action Plan (CCAAP), the land was earmarked for residential led development and thus this proposal would not be in accordance with the CCAAP and therefore a departure.  In considering the application Members had to determine whether the public and wider benefits for this non-conforming use outweigh the CCAAP residential allocation as well as a need for an Energy Centre in this location.     

The Principal Planning Officer also alluded to the wider benefits arising from the development:

·       That it will provide an alternative to fossil fuel heating and be a low carbon source  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.