Issue - meetings

Application for determination:

Refurbishment works to the exterior of the building and change of use to create circa 20,000sqm of use class F.1(a), (d) and (e) uses from use class E(a), and associated works of demolition, construction and landscaping.

The Principal Planning Officer presented the report detailing an application for refurbishment works to the exterior of the building and change of use to create circa 20,000sqm of use class F.1(a), (d) and (e) uses from use class E(a), and associated works of demolition, construction and landscaping.

The Vice-Chancellor of the University of Gloucestershire spoke in favour of the application.

He stated that the application should be granted on the following grounds:

- The project would be of huge benefit to Gloucester and the University;

- The granting of the application would provide space for the University to grow;

- The University of Gloucestershire wanted to be the communities university. The central location of the application would allow this ambition to be fulfilled;

- Discussions were well advanced with Gloucestershire County Council to provide a new public library on the ground floor of the proposed build;

- The granting of the application would benefit the development of Kings Square;

- The site would house nearly 4,000 students and 350 members of staff;

- The granting of the application would increase the supply of nurses to meet NHS demands;

- Approving the application would bring vibrancy and growth to the City;

- It was an environmentally sustainable project.

- They were happy to accept all the proposed conditions.

The Principal Planning Officer responded to members’ questions concerning the replacement windows, whether trees on the Oxbode would be felled, what would happen to the architectural features inside the building with historical value, whether the café proposed would provide hot food, whether there would be green roofs across the entire rooftop, whether there would be a garden on the rooftop, queries about parking for users of the site and construction vehicles, whether the escalators inside the building would be retained and whether the public library proposed on the site would replace the library on Brunswick Road as follows:

- After a long and rigorous consultation, the University had designed the windows to be as close to the original look of the previous windows as possible, whilst providing a more thermally efficient window system. The architect stated that the proposed window design would preserve the look of the windows and that any differences would be minor, if noticeable at all, by non-experts. Furthermore, there was a condition that stipulated that development would only take place in accordance with details, specifications, and samples of window materials.

- There was nothing to indicate that trees would need to be felled on the Oxbode. The tree officer had indicated that there might need to be some minor pruning works but not felling.

- The building was unlisted but was in the conservation area. In practice, that meant the authority had no statutory control over the inside of the premises. The University, however, had conducted a thorough heritage appraisal.

- The applicant had no intention to cook hot food on the site, and the café would provide reheated hot food only. A condition was proposed to address the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 62