Agenda and draft minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Chris Kane and Sarah Kay (Interim Strategic Director of Economic Growth).

To note any urgent items of business which the Chairman has consented to being considered under the provisions of Section 100(B) 4(b) of the Local Government Act 1972.

There was no urgent business to be considered at the meeting.

Members should declare the existence and nature of any Disclosable Pecuniary Interest and Non Statutory Interest as defined by the Members’ Code of Conduct in respect of:

a)  any business on the agenda

b)  any urgent additional items to be considered

c)  any matters arising out of those items

and if appropriate, withdraw from the meeting at the relevant time.

There were no declarations made at the meeting.

To consider the minutes of the last meeting held on 21^st January 2026.

Moved by Councillor Steve Fritchley and seconded by Councillor Phil Smith

RESOLVED that the minutes of a meeting of the Planning Committee held on 21^st January 2026 be approved as a true and correct record.

Committee considered a report in relation to the above application presented by the Development Management and Land Charges Manager, who gave details of the application and highlighted the location and features of the site and key issues.  The application sought approval for the material change of use of land known as Station Yard, Pleasley (formerly Pleasley West Railway Station) to accommodate 7 residential static caravans as permanent homes including parking, turning and amenity areas within the site.

The application had been referred to the Committee for determination following a call-in request from Councillor Tom Kirkham.

Additional information was contained in the Supplementary Agenda – Update Sheet.

Matt Williams spoke in favour of the application.

Antony Marshall spoke in favour of the application.

Questions were raised on the following matters: the mature trees present on site (there was no intention to remove); the results of recent felling / tree pruning activity; the maintenance of the access road (offers / contributions to resurface after completion had been made); foul water disposal (the system would be connected directly to Chesterfield Road, if feasible); alternate access; the installation of park homes (these would be delivered as ‘twin units’ and transported via the same HGV as clearing efforts); and mitigation efforts during construction.

Moved by Councillor Steve Fritchley and seconded by Councillor Tom Munro

RESOLVED that application no. 25/00509/FUL be APPROVED subject to the following planning conditions:

1.     The development shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

2.     There shall be no more than seven caravans stationed on the site at any one time. The caravans shall meet the legal definition of a caravan under Section 29(1) of the Caravan Sites and Control of Development Act 1960 as amended in 1968 and 2006 (or of any Act revoking and re-enacting or amending that Act with or without modification).

3.     That seven caravans hereby approved shall be occupied as a person's sole, or main place of residence and shall not be occupied for holiday let purposes.

4.     The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved drawings and documents unless specifically stated otherwise in the conditions below:

Site Location Plan - drawing number 25019-2 Rev A dated 25/03/2025 Proposed Site Layout Plan - drawing number 25019-1 Rev C dated 18/02/2025

5.     Prior to the commencement of the development hereby permitted, a scheme of foul drainage and surface water disposal must be submitted and approved by the local planning authority. Prior to the occupation of the development the approved drainage schemes must be implemented fully accordance with the agreed scheme and be maintained thereafter.

6.     Prior to the installation of any lighting fixtures, a detailed lighting strategy must be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority to safeguard bats and other nocturnal wildlife. This must provide details of the chosen luminaires, their locations and any mitigating features such as dimmers, PIR sensors and timers. Once agreed the lighting scheme must  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL71-25/26

Committee considered a report in relation to the above application presented by the Development Management and Land Charges Manager, who gave details of the application and highlighted the location and features of the site and key issues.  The application sought approval for variations to a development allowed at appeal, following a decision taken by the Committee and because the final decision was considered to be of strategic importance given the objection received from Sport England.

The Leisure Facilities Planning & Development Manager answered questions on the local demands for sports fields.

The Development Management and Land Charges Manager clarified that the application had been advertised in the press, but not explicitly as a departure and that it was a matter of judgement as to whether the proposal constituted a departure from the local plan.

It was requested that it be noted that the Playing Field Strategy commissioned by the Council was due to be completed September 2026.

Clarification was sought on the length of the lease.

Moved by Councillor Phil Smith and seconded by Councillor Tom Munro

RESOLVED that application no. 25/00491/VAR be referred to the Secretary of State via the National Planning Casework Unit with a recommendation that the application be APPROVED subject to the following conditions:

1.     The use of the former playing pitch as an extension to the town farm and the use of the marquees for functions which do not directly form part of the use of the site as a town farm must be discontinued and the land restored to its former condition on or before 18^th February 2031 in accordance with a scheme of work submitted at least two months before the expiry of the permission and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

2.     The use of the former playing pitch must be for the keeping of animals and occasional parking of vehicles in connection with the use of the site and there must be no permanent structures, buildings or fences erected on the site without the prior grant of planning permission.

3.     Within 28 days of the date of this decision the noise management plan set out on page 19 of the Noise Impact Assessment (Nova Acoustics 20.10.2022) submitted to the Local Planning Authority on 20^th October 2022 must be implemented on site in full and must remain in place for the length of this permission unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Reasons

1.     To allow for a more permanent solution to be found and to prevent the permanent loss of a playing pitch in accordance with Policies ITCR7, SC3 and SC11 of the Local Plan for Bolsover District.

2.     To protect the character and appearance of the countryside and to prevent the permanent loss of a playing pitch in accordance with Policies SS9 and ITCR7 of the Local Plan for Bolsover District.

3.     In the interest of residential amenity in accordance with Policies SC3 and ITCR7 of the Local plan for Bolsover District.

Note  ...  view the full minutes text for item PL72-25/26

Committee considered a report in relation to the above application presented by the Development Management and Land Charges Manager, who gave details of the application and highlighted the location and features of the site and key issues.  The application was considered by the Committee at its meeting of 1^st October 2025, where it was resolved that delegated authority be given to the Development Management and Land Charges Manager or Principal Planners to grant planning permission subject to prior entry into a Section 106 legal agreement containing the planning obligations as detailed in the report.

The item was being brought back to the Committee’s attention for Members to note and consider a typographical error in the report of 1^st October 2025 and confirm that it had no impact on the resolution made.

A further typographical error was noted in the Planning Policy and Strategic Housing consultation comments cited in the original case officers report – it was clarified the development would number 217 dwellings.

When put to a vote, Councillor Rob Hiney-Saunders abstained.

Moved by Councillor Phil Smith and seconded by Councillor Tom Munro

RESOLVED that Planning Committee Members noted the typographical error in the Consultation section of the previous Committee Report and endorsed that it did not change the resolution at the 1^st October 2025 Planning Committee meeting.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer presented the report to the Committee.

The Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document (2006) (the ‘SPD’) was a guidance document for all involved in making decisions on planning matters related to the historic built environment as well as the general public / developers who might want to submit a formal enquiry or application.

Since the adoption of the SPD, there had been significant changes in national heritage policy and guidance and changes within the Council’s Local Plan – the SPD must reflect these changes in national and local policy to ensure it continued to support the development management process in line with current policies and practice.

The consistent and proper application of the Local Plan was supported by the SPD reflecting its policies.  The developments in national and local policy since 2006 necessitated an update of the SPD to ensure it remained relevant, practical, and reflected current thinking and, critically, that the guidance aligned with the revised National Planning Policy Framework and the Local Plan.

The proposed updated SPD introduced guidance on retrofitting and balancing energy efficiency with heritage considerations.  New sections of the SPD were also detailed in the report.

It was proposed that the consultation document was made available for 4 weeks between 23^rd February 2026 and 23^rd March 2026 in the ways as detailed in the report.

As part of the consultation, it was proposed an exhibition illustrating the key content of the consultation SPD was put on display at The Arc, Clowne, with a

corresponding drop-in event for Members on the day Council would meet on 4^th March 2026.

The proposed consultation draft of the SPD was attached at Appendix 1.

Moved by Councillor John Ritchie and seconded by Councillor Catherine Tite

RESOLVED that Planning Committee: 1) approve the contents of the proposed consultation draft Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document as discussed in the report and attached as Appendix 1; and,

2)    gives delegated authority to the Interim Strategic Director for Economic Growth, in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair of Planning Committee, to agree the final arrangements of the proposed consultation exercise on the Historic Environment Supplementary Planning Document.

The Principal Planning Policy Officer presented report to update Members on the progress of the spending of Section 106 contributions and to review the effectiveness of the Council’s monitoring procedures.

The Community Arts Development Officer and the Leisure Facilities Planning & Development Manager were also present to provide updates and respond to questions on specific projects.

The report followed the Council’s approved S.106 Monitoring Procedure, which required a quarterly update highlighting contributions at risk of clawback (within 24 months of expiry) and summarising those held in years 3, 4, and 5 by infrastructure type.

The number of contributions within the 24-month threshold stood at 9, with full details provided in the report.

A further amended Appendix 1, the Infrastructure Contribution Sums for the 3-5 Years Spending Deadline, had been provided prior to the meeting.

A Member proposed if longer-term contracts should be sought when Section 106 Agreements were being negotiated in view of the upcoming Local Government Reorganisation (LGR).  This was to ensure no contributions were lost when the Council was dissolved and the proposed North Derbyshire Unitary Council was established.

The Committee was informed that in other instances of LGR, Planning Teams had not changed and so continued to effectively manage Section 106 contributions (e.g. Cumberland Council had no change in the previous 6 years since).

Moved by Councillor Phil Smith and seconded by Councillor Steve Fritchley

RESOLVED that Planning Committee note the contents of the report and highlight any concerns about the implementation of the Section 106 Agreements listed.

The Chair thanked all those in attendance.

It was asked that the Interim Strategic Director of Economic Growth and Monitoring Officer review and clarify the steps taken when an application is received that represented a departure from the local plan in terms of publicity requirements to a future meeting.