Planning Applications - Runnymede Borough Council

4.5 No adverse comments have been received from the Environmental
Protection Section on this application.
4.6
5. Planning Considerations
5.1 This is a full planning application for the renewal of Planning permission
RU.97/1145 to allow barefoot and water skiing on Longside lake. The main
considerations for this application are the impact on the Green Belt, and the
impact on the residential amenities of the neighbouring properties.
5.2 Planning permission RU.97/1145 established the principle of the proposed
use in the Green Belt. There have been no significant changes in policy
affecting this proposal since 1998.
5.3 Policy GB1 of the Runnymede Borough Local Plan Second Alteration April
2002 states that one of the objectives of the Green Belt is to provide
opportunities for access to the open countryside for the urban population
and to provide outdoor sport and outdoor recreation near urban areas. This
policy is taken directly from Planning Policy Guidance Note 2: Green Belts
(January 1995). The proposed use is an appropriate outdoor recreational
use in the Green Belt. The use does not conflict with the openness of the
Green Belt particularly as no built development has been proposed.
5.4 Paragraph 31 of Planning Policy Guidance Note 17: Planning for Open
Space, Sport and Recreation states that planning applications which rely on
a natural feature, in this instance water, should only be granted where the
impact of the sport and recreational activities on natural features can be
minimised. The applicant is proposing that there would be one boat towing
one skier at any one time. The applicant states that there would be a
maximum of 40 car movements in a day, this would be 20 in and 20 out. It
is considered that this would be a low-key use which would not be
detrimental on this natural feature. Surrey Wildlife Trust do not object to this
proposal from a wildlife perspective.
5.5 The neighbouring properties most likely to be affected by the proposal are
the 15 dwellings located to the south of the lake on Thorpe Green. The
main access to the site is at the northern end therefore it is unlikely that the
use would generate additional vehicular or significant foot traffic at the
southern end of the lake. The applicant states that the lake would only be
used by one boat with one skier at any one time. This level of activity can
be controlled by a condition. This low-key use is unlikely to generate noise
levels above that of the adjacent motorway or cause significant disturbance
to these dwellings which are located a substantial distance from the edge of
the lake.
5.6 Concerns relating to the value of property and the safety of users on the
lake are not material planning considerations.