Agenda and minutes

There were no declarations of interest.

To approve as a correct record the minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday, 3^rd October 2023.

The minutes of the meeting held on Tuesday 3^rd October, 2023 were confirmed and signed as a correct record.

Please note that any late material in respect of the applications detailed below will be published as a supplement on the Council’s website in the late afternoon of the day before the meeting. Additional late material will be uploaded as a supplement on the Council’s website on the day of the meeting, should further relevant representations be received thereafter.

Late material has been circulated regarding agenda item 6 – White City Community Hub (22/00833/FUL) and 7 – 2 Oxford Street (23/00037/FUL & 23/00038/LBC). Additional late material was circulated in relation to agenda item 5 – Station Hotel (23/00070/FUL).

Application for determination:

Change of use of first and second floors from Hotel (C1 use) to a 17 bed House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) (sui generis use).

The Principal Planning Officer presented the report detailing an application for a change of use of first and second floors from Hotel (C1 use) to a 17 bed House of Multiple Occupation (HMO) (sui generis use).

She referred to the supplementary late material, which incorporated additional comments from the Housing Team and Gloucestershire County Highways. The Highways team had indicated that a S106 agreement was no longer necessary as part of the application.

An agent representing the applicant addressed the Committee in favour of the application.

She stated that it should be granted on the following grounds:

-       There were currently more than 200 households living in temporary accommodation in Gloucester, granting the application would help to combat this.

-       The applicant had had thorough conversations with the Housing Strategy Team and other relevant officers and had made alterations when required.

-       The application would provide 17 rooms, and 4 communal kitchen areas/ dining areas.

-       There would be no alteration to the exterior of the property.

-       A bat box and Vivaro Pro Woodstone Swift nest box would be provided.

-       The application site was in a highly sustainable location.

-       The application complied with policy A2 (Houses in Multiple Occupation) of the adopted City Plan.

-       Granting the application would put back into active use the upper floor of the disused hotel, would provide 17 bedrooms and was in an excellent location.

The Principal Planning Officer responded to Members’ questions concerning whether amenity space would be provided, concerns around whether the HMO would be used for emergency temporary accommodation or could be used by residents on a longer term basis, clarification about the classification of sui generis, concerns about who would be the housing provider, whether there would be children at the accommodation, whether there would be animals living at the property, whether providing bike storage was a required condition, clarification regarding whether the build would be for temporary or longterm use, whether the public house was still operating as usual, whether the application was still subject to a S106 agreement and what the applicant’s potential course of action if the application was refused as follows:

-       In regard to amenity space, there was no outdoor amenity space being provided as part of the application. The north side of the site included a small hard standing yard area but this would be set aside for bin and cycle storage

-       The application was for a change of use. Officers had had discussions with the applicant and Housing Providers, but whether or not the accommodation would be used for emergency/temporary accommodation or was used on a longer-term basis by tenants, fell outside the scope of the application.

-       The term sui-generis was one used for properties that did not fall into any specific category.

-       The financial history of the applicant company who would provide the housing was not a material planning consideration in determining the application

-       Children would probably be housed at some of the dwellings.

-  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

Application for determination:

Proposed demolition of existing venture playground building and construction of new community and recreation centre with associated external works, multi use games area, new play area, car park and associated vehicular access, and formation of vehicular access at Dickens Close (amended scheme pursuant to ref. 21/00298/FUL)

The Principal Planning Officer presented the report detailing an application for the proposed demolition of existing venture playground building and construction of new community and recreation centre with associated external works, multi-use games area, new play area, car park and associated vehicular access, and formation of vehicular access at Dickens Close (amended scheme pursuant to ref. 21/00298/FUL)

The Principal Planning Officer pointed to the late material which noted that bat mitigation measures had now been submitted by the applicant and would be reviewed by officers. He noted that the Officer recommendation had been updated in the late material to reflect this.

He also highlighted that the applicant had now agreed to change their proposed opening hours to 8am-9pm daily, when it was previously proposed to be 7am – 10pm Monday to Saturday and 8am – 9m Sundays plus a limited number of later evening openings. He stated that therefore, the committee, if they were minded to, could update condition 11 of the Officer report to reflect this change of time. He added that the application no longer sought to host any events outside of these times so condition 12 of the Officer report had become largely superfluous and could also be deleted if the Committee agreed.

The Principal Planning Officer responded to Members’ questions concerning what hours were originally granted for the opening of the site, questions about the play equipment that would be on site, whether there was a running track, questions and concerns raised about the number of parking spaces, whether there would be a lift, whether there would be a café, clarity on the type of netting that would be used in the multi-use games area, queries about whether there were specific policies pertaining to number of renewable units on the roofs of buildings and whether or not the potential noise of the Zip-Wire had been considered as follows:

-       The times of operation that were proposed originally in the application before the Committee were generally the same than the prior approved application. The difference was that the applicant had originally sought 6 instances per year of events out of hours in the previously approved application. This had been changed to 11 in the current application but now, the applicant no longer wished to conduct any out of hours events.

-       The drawing on the site plan was of a playground Pirate Ship. A condition was recommended that would require the provision of  details for approval ofmore play equipment.

-       The plan did not show an outline of a running track.

-       There would be 40 parking spaces, it would probably be private land, so any person/s who parked there without permission would be subject to prosecution, similar to parking infractions on any other private land.

-       There would be a lift.

-       There would be a café bar.

-       Clarity could be sought from the applicant as to the type of netting would be over the multi-use games area (MUGA) by way of additional wording  ...  view the full minutes text for item 41.

Application for Determination:

Listed Building Consent for external and internal alterations to facilitate part Change of Use from Bookmakers (sui generis) into a five-bedroom house in multiple occupancy (C4).

The Planning Officer presented the report detailing an application for a listed Building Consent for external and internal alterations to facilitate part Change of Use from Bookmakers (sui generis) into a five-bedroom house in multiple occupancy (C4).

The Planning Officer responded to Members’ questions concerning bin storage, and the location of the courtyard as follows.

-       The courtyard would be located at the back of the site.

-       The proposed bin and bicycle storage had been moved from the dwelling basement and was instead proposed to be located within the rear courtyard.

Members’ Debate

The Vice-Chair noted that he was happy that the application after the applicant had sought to move the proposed Bin and Cycle Storage to the courtyard.

Councillor Sawyer highlighted her dissatisfaction with retaining the shop frontage as the building was originally a house.

Councillor Conder noted that she was more content with the application now it was proposed to have a courtyard. She stated that the area had issues with litter but that the application in front of the committee was a useful way of starting to deal with this issue.

The Chair stated that he believed granting the application would tidy up the area.

The Chair moved, and the Vice-Chair seconded the officer’s recommendation to grant the application (23/00037/FUL) subject to conditions outlined in the report as amended in the late material.

RESOLVED that the application (23/00037/FUL) was granted subject to the conditions outlined in the report as updated in the late material.

The Chair moved and the Vice-Chair seconded the officer’s recommendation to grant (23/00038/LBC) subject to the conditions outlined in the officer report.

RESOLVED that the application (23/00038/LBC) was granted.

To consider a schedule of applications determined under delegated powers during the month of September 2023.

RESOLVED that the delegated decisions of September 2023 were noted.

Tuesday, 5^th December 2023.

Tuesday, 5^th December 2023.