Agenda item

Erection of building to provide training facilities, bike and equipment storage for motorcycle training school and microlight hangar, and erection of extension to hangar [Rural West York Ward]

Before consideration of the application, the Chair advised that Cllr Warters that his comments regarding officers may be in breach of the Member Code of Conduct. Cllr Warters declined an offer from the Chair to apologise for his comments.

Members considered an application from Beckett for the erection of building to provide training facilities, bike and equipment storage for motorcycle training school and microlight hangar, and erection of extension to hangar at York Microlight Centre Limited, Rufforth Airfield, Rufforth, York.

A presentation on the application was given to the Committee. The included the site location plan in context and detail, the existing cluster building, the side elevation to be extended, the existing and proposed site plans and the proposed elevations. Following the presentation officers were asked and confirmed that:

·        The motorcycles were currently stored at Tockwith and under the application would be moved to Rufforth. There would also be the addition of an office/classroom area.

[At 18:33 Cllr Hollyer dropped out of and rejoined the meeting].

·        Regarding the use class of the buildings on the site, Members were considering the buildings related to this application. Cllr Barker advised that the site was in his Ward and that the buildings were used for light industrial use.

·        It was not known whether there would be an increase in employees at the site.

·        The airfield had various uses all of which had been granted planning approval. This application related to existing permission for motorcycle training and for a building to continue that operation.

·        Concerning other motorcycle activities on the site (Yamaha GT experience) the building was for CBT training and the Yamaha training was unrelated to the application.

·        In relation to the Knapton and Rufforth Neighbourhood Plan criteria not supporting new buildings, this application was associated was related to an existing use as set out in paragraph 5.28 of the committee report. It was confirmed that the Knapton and Rufforth Neighbourhood Plan was an adopted plan.

·        The classrooms in the application were for mixed use.

·        The 1998 planning permission was for the use of a motorcycle training facility.

·        The case for very special circumstances was explained.

Cllr Pavlovic then moved and Cllr Barker seconded approval of the application.

Following debate, and in accordance with the revised Standing Orders, a named vote was taken with the following result:

·        Cllrs Barker, Daubeney, Douglas, Fenton, Fisher, Kilbane, Pavlovic and Cullwick voted for the motion;

·        Cllrs Ayre, Craghill, Doughty, Hollyer, Lomas, and Warters voted against the motion.

The motion was carried and it was:

Resolved: That the application be approved subject to the conditions listed in the report.

Reason:     The proposal represents inappropriate development in the green belt and does conflict to a limited extent with Neighbourhood Plan policy RwK11. However, the proposal does not conflict with the purposes of including the application land in the green belt and only results in a limited loss of openness. The proposal is satisfactory subject to conditions with regard to matters such as contaminated land, drainage and climate change mitigation. The other considerations identified in this case clearly outweigh the harms identified and therefore very special circumstances have been demonstrated to justify the proposal.