Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Continues from Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Cllr Denise Realey: Can I then move approval of the officer’s recommendation?

Cllr Joe Walsh: I’ll second that.

Cllr Denise Realey: For approval.

Cllr Joe Walsh: I’ll second that. I’ll second that.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Hang on hold on a minute they had indicated what it is … to hold on as we had a debate so it’s his movement first. Ermm, …

Cllr Anita Leech: Errm, it’s just literally a point of clarification really, errm the actual terms about the number of dogs a day doesn’t seem to include a bank holiday Monday.

Matthew Davies: Errm through you Chair, I think we would add then that there are no dogs on a bank holiday Monday.

Cllr Anita Leech: Thank you.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Right back to David, David?

Cllr David Elderton: Thank you Chair, I mean I’d just like to comment before I start by saying that the fact you’re trying to start a business is absolutely commendable and I fully support what you’re trying to do. It’s my concern that it would be an inappropriate development in a residential area, it’s simply relating to that associated issue but what I would like to move is that on the basis of granting refusal the Local Planning Authority considers that, by reason of noise and general disturbance likely to be generated, the proposed development would be detrimental to the amenities that the occupiers of adjoining properties could reasonably expect to enjoy. The development would thereby conflict with the provisions of Unitary Development Planning policy HS15. I move that.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): So we’ve got a mover for refusal and we’ve got a seconder. So, first of all we’ll take a vote on refusal, those for refusal, ok and against. I’ll abstain. I really can’t make my mind up.

Cllr David Elderton: That’s six appear to be [for (Cllrs Elderton, Clenents, Mountney, Hayes and Foulkes] and five [against (Cllrs Realey, Brightmore, Leech, Walsh and Kenny], in favour of refusal when you’ve abstained.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): I’m awful sorry for the confusion.

Cllr Denise Realey: I propose a small adjournment while people leave.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Err, please refrain from saying anything like that while the members of the public leave, thank you very much.

Continues at Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00398: 11 Templemore Road, Oxton, CH43 2HB – Single Storey Garage.

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Continued from Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Thank you, Simon.

Matthew Davies: Through you errm Chair, obviously ermm the only reason that would be something we would encourage, Members should take account err properly of whether or not there are amenity issues, noise and disturbance issues that could possibly arise errm on the.., we talk about five dogs a day errm five days a week, err so that’s twenty-five dogs with some on Saturday.

Errm so it’s whether or not the volume that’s proposed or restricted by conditions would be errm likely to result in detriment to amenities in the surrounding environment particularly those in conjunction to the site. The petitioner’s photos been circulated and the two garages are close together and that’s why errm condition number errm five is suggested, and I think errm just listening to some of the debate I would errm I would suggest a slight amendment to that condition to remove the wording “to the Northwest side elevation” errm because I think the whole, if we’re going for this discussion, the whole, the whole garage has to be insulated because there is the potential obviously that noise could carry through the open door if that’s so.

I was just thinking if Members were actually minded to approve, it would, I was just thinking about the language that would encourage errm insulation for the whole of the garage rather than just the Northwest elevation. So, if it is not endorsed, well I think it is errm it’s improper errm to consider amenity issues surrounding this structure.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Denise?

Continues at Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Continues from Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Thanks Brian, you see that I’m a dog lover and I have a dog that gets groomed and you know goes to a grooming parlour in the centre of town. I don’t know, I don’t know what the effect of opening this business in a garage in a residential area, if it would be a nuisance to neighbours, how are we going to control that? How are we going to prove that, how are we going to know if there’s five dogs? How are we going to know if there start being complaints? I think I wish I knew that you know my … dog, dog grooming business being set up. My dog loves going to the dog grooming parlour but I don’t know whether the garage should … garage … and I … should.

Cllr Simon Mountney Chair, can I ask please Matthew Davies, about … a planning reason not in my back garden is not a debate?

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): No.

Continues at Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Continued from Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Brian?

Cllr Brian Kenny: Yeah, thank you Chair, well I’m mind to support the application. First of all the principle as I understand it, we can only make decisions here on sound planning reasons, for no other, no other sort of reasons. I think if you look at the hours that are being proposed I think they are reasonable, anybody would accept that they are reasonable hours, we’re not talking about dogs being groomed at eleven o’clock at night so, errm I think Saturday afternoons and Sundays, I think the hours are reasonable.

Err I think that … also as I say that the conditions are that the garage is soundproofed so we’re not talking about dogs howling day and night. I think if you look at some of the on the late list, some of the reasons objecting to this talks about aggressive dogs. Now I don’t think we could actually reject an application due to dogs which might be aggressive dogs. If there’s aggressive dogs in society it should be dealt within the existing legislation and I don’t think that is an argument itself for actually rejecting this particular application.

Also dogs fouling on the pavement, again I’m quite happy that if dogs foul the pavement it’s up to the owners of the dog to make sure that that dog fouling is cleared up so I don’t think it’s an argument against the planning application we’ve got before us now and it talks about unacceptable hours of operation, as I see it the hours that are being proposed the applicant has said she’s happy with. I don’t think there are the reasons that are acceptable. I think for those reasons, I can’t see any sound planning reasons to reject the application and on that basis I’m minded to support the application. Thank you Chair.

Continues at Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour

Continued from Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.

Cllr Bernie Mooney (Chair): Yes?

Cllr Steve Foulkes Chair, it’s, it’s similar lines. Errm, we often have applicants err come forward err and we believe that they stated to be serving police officers. Unfortunately the application has been personalised and that application would go with the property, so whether we pass a policy that applies to a police officer or whatever to have that permission.

My issue is again a similar piece, we often are told that conditions are only reasonable if they can be enforced and to my mind it would be errm unworkable … to know the difference at certain times of the day would be very, very difficult and maybe not this applicant or maybe any future inhabitant of or future holders of the planning permission by virtue of being this policy. So, so I am being …ed because I think from my own knowledge of projects these are probably where the growth might exist for small employment uses in the whole in the …. area.

Would I be happy and I hold my hand up on my heart as best I could, would I be happy because our next door neighbour put in this application and it come? I think my answer would be probably not and I will see what the reasons for refusal are.

Continues at Planning Committee (Wirral Council) (27th June 2013) APP/13/00574 5 Speedwell Drive, Barnston, CH60 2SY Change of use of garage to dog grooming parlour.