Agenda and minutes

The agenda, reports and recording associated with this meeting can be viewed here. 

Members, please note that all plans and supporting documents relevant to the review can be viewed online here and by entering the application reference number 230902.

The Local Review Body (LRB) of Aberdeen City Council met on this day to review the decision taken by an appointed officer under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation for the refusal of the application for the change of use of flat to Short Term Let accommodation (sui generis) with maximum occupancy of 2 people (retrospectively) at 11 Park Place Aberdeen, planning reference 230902. 

Councillor McRae as Chair for the meeting, gave a brief outline of the business to be undertaken, advising that the LRB would be addressed by the Assistant Clerk, Mrs Lynsey McBain with regards to the procedure to be followed and thereafter, by Ms Lucy Greene who would be acting as the Planning Adviser to the Body in the following case under consideration this day.

The Chairperson stated that although the Planning Adviser was employed by the planning authority, she had not been involved in any way with the consideration or determination of the application under review and was present to provide factual information and guidance to the Body only.  He emphasised that the officer would not be asked to express any view on the proposed application.

The Local Review Body was then addressed by Mrs McBain, Assistant Clerk in regard to the procedure to be followed, at which time reference was made to the procedure note circulated with the papers calling the meeting and to more general aspects relating to the procedure.

In relation to the application, the LRB had before it (1) a delegated report by the Appointed Officer, Aberdeen City Council; (2) an application dated 24 July 2023 (3) links to the plans showing the proposal and planning policies referred to in the delegated report; (4) the Notice of Review submitted by the applicant; and (5) letters of representation from the Aberdeen City Council’s Roads Development Management Team, Environmental Health Team and Waste and Recycling Team.

Ms Greene then described the site and outlined the appellant’s proposal.   The application site comprises a 1st floor flat in a 2½ storey granite-built building of residential flats in a residential area. The building had a north facing principal elevation that fronts Park Place. The property was accessed from the side (western gable) of the building via a communal stairwell and the application property shares this solely with one other mainstream residential flat, First Floor Left, whose private doorway was directly opposite that of the application property at the top of the stairwell. The First Floor Left flat was noted as having three bedrooms. The third property, 9 Park Place, is a four bedroom House in Multiple Occupation (HMO) occupies the ground floor level and is accessed via its own door on the principal elevation. There was a shared garden to the rear of the site, which serves all three properties and is accessed via the path at the side of the building. The application property comprised one bedroom, a living room / kitchen and a bathroom.

Ms Greene indicated that the appointed officer’s reasons for refusal outlined  ...  view the full minutes text for item 1.

Members, please note that all plans and supporting documents relevant to the review can be viewed online here and by entering the application reference number 230645.

The LRB then considered the second request for a review to evaluate the decision taken by an appointed officer under the Council’s Scheme of Delegation to refuse the application for the extension to an existing garage to form an equipment store at Newmill Farmhouse North Deeside Road Aberdeen, planning reference number 230645.

The Chairperson stated that although the Planning Adviser for the LRB was employed by the planning authority, she had not been involved in any way with the consideration or determination of the application under review and was present to provide factual information and guidance to the Body only.  He emphasised that the officer would not be asked to express any view on the proposed application.

In relation to the application, the LRB had before it (1) a delegated report by the Appointed Officer, Aberdeen City Council; (2) an application dated 25 May 2023 (3) links to the plans showing the proposal and planning policies referred to in the delegated report; and (4) the Notice of Review submitted by the agent. 

Ms Greene then described the site and outlined the appellant’s proposal.    The application site was located to the west of Peterculter, on the edge of the city boundary and adjacent to the main A93 Aberdeen to Banchory road where it lies within an elevated position above the road level. The site extends to an area of some 0.25 hectares and comprises a former traditional granite farmhouse with 2 storey and conservatory extension to its northern gable resulting in a largely L-shaped residential dwelling which is centrally positioned close to the eastern boundary of the site. A single storey detached double garage with pitched slated roof, finished in a rough render with traditional granite stone frontage (east elevation) and single rooflights on both roofslopes is located within an area of garden to the south of the dwelling. The garage lies between the house and the boundary with the public road, where it is set back some 1.2m from the site boundary which is delineated by a low level (800mm high) drystone dyke beyond which is a sloping grass bank and the A93 road. The residential site was largely landscaped with trees and bushes across the garden grounds including along the boundaries, with at least a dozen of these mature trees which were located immediately to the west of the existing garage having recently been felled. The site was accessed via a driveway off the main road with the entrance shared with the two neighbouring houses located to the east and south east. To the north and west of the application site was agricultural land.

Ms Greene indicated that the appointed officer’s reasons for refusal outlined in the report of handling was as follows:-

·         The proposal was of an inappropriate scale, massing, footprint and  design which didn’t reflect proportions of domestic ancillary building;

·         The proposal would be overly dominant on the site and the surrounding area with a negative impact on the character of the Green Belt;

·         The proposal was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 2.

It was noted that this application had been deferred to the meeting on 19 February 2024, for determination. 

-       Councillor Ciaran McRae, Chairperson