Agenda item

Application for Determination

Demolition of former hall and ancillary structures. Redevelopment comprising 11 residential flats with associated bin and bike stores, external hard and soft landscaping. Outline application with landscaping reserved for future consideration.

The Principal Planning Officer presented the report, detailing an application for the demolition of former hall and ancillary structures. Redevelopment comprising eleven residential flats with associated bin and bike stores, external hard and soft landscaping. Outline application with landscaping reserved for future consideration.

The Principal Planning Officer further added that the application now included an additional note from Severn Trent Water, which was included in the late material. She confirmed that there were two additional conditions proposed, which were:

1)    The requirement for the submission and approval of details of the proposed PV Panels on the roof of the flats.

2)     The requirement for there to be controls placed on the consumption of water for occupiers of the prospective dwellings.

She further advised that she had received additional clarification following discussions with Gloucester City Homes (GCH) regarding the affordable housing requirement. There would be a 20/80 split of the 100% affordable housing for this scheme. The split would comprise 20% developer contribution and 80% additionality.

She concluded by stating that the Officer recommendation was that the grant of outline planning permission is delegated to the Planning Development Manager subject to:

1.    The completion of a S106 Agreement to secure:

• 100% of on-site affordable housing units (11 units)  (20% developer contribution and 80% additionality)
• A payment of £4,000 towards mitigation for the loss of 24 m³ flood storage volume to be spent on flood risk betterment.
• Payment towards mitigation of the impact on the Cotswold Beechwoods (£7,403 plus administration fee).
• S106 monitoring fee.

2.    The inclusion of the conditions set out in Section 7.0 of the report together with additional conditions to:

• Require the submission and approval of details of the proposed PV Panels on the roof of the flats.
•  The requirement for there to be controls placed on the consumption of water for occupiers of the prospective dwellings to satisfy City Plan Policy G6.
• The inclusion of the additional following note:

Severn Trent Water advise that it would not permit a surface water discharge into the public combined sewer, and recommend the applicant seeks alternative arrangements – please note, we would insist soakaways and other SUD techniques are investigated before considering a discharge to the public surface water sewer with restricted rates.

A local resident addressed the Committee in opposition to the application.

She stated that the application should be refused on the following grounds:

-       It was an abnormally sized building.

-       Intrusion concerns.

-       Loss of privacy.

-       Her family had a right to enjoy their home, which included their garden.

-       There was a doctors surgery ran by Gloucester City Homes in the area, which created a lot of anti-social behaviour. She added that the local YMCA, also experienced this.

-       She wanted the Committee and Officers to understand how intrusive the application would be.

-       Wellbeing concerns for herself and her family.

The Principal Planning Officer responded to Members’ questions concerning the archaeological concerns, questions about the design of the proposed windows and the impact the scheme would have on the amenity of neighbouring properties, whether work could commence on site if the application received consent but the applicant did not come to an agreement with Severn Trent, and how many additional units were being proposed compared to the previous application at the site as follows:

-       The permission the applicant currently had for the site was for nine flats. There was no requirement to provide affordable housing with that, as it was below the threshold of ten properties.

-       Conditions 18 and 19 of the Officer report dealt with queries regarding glazing of the windows. Condition eighteen stipulated that approved elevation plans marked ‘4’ ‘Opaque glazed windows’ shall be constructed so that no part of the framework less than 1.7m above finished floor level of that storey shall be openable. Any part below that level shall be fitted with, and retained in, obscure glazing (Pilkington level 4 or equivalent). This was to protect the amenity of local residents. Condition nineteen stipulated that the details submitted the first, second and third floor stairwell windows in the rear (north-east) elevation shall be constructed so that no part of the framework less than 1.7m above finished floor level of that storey shall be openable. Any part below that level shall be fitted with, and retained in, obscure glazing (Pilkington level 4 or equivalent).

-       Conditions 8,9,10 and 11 of the officer report dealt with archaeological concerns raised by the City Council’s Archaeologist and he was satisfied with the application subject to the inclusion of these conditions.

-       The main block had the exact same design and detail as the previous application. The difference was that there was now an additional ground unit being proposed at the rear and the originally proposed 3-bedroom unit on the third would be separated into two separate two bedroomed units.

-       The windows were specifically designed to help mitigate impact on neighbours and neighbouring properties. The proposed first and second floor rear windows would comprise ‘pop-out oriel style’ windows. These would be triangular in plan and would feature privacy glass on the long side facing north looking towards the rear of the terraced houses in St Michael’s Square, with clear glazing on the short side facing east. This would help minimise overlooking of the gardens and windows at the rear. There were windows to the stairwell on the rear elevation, which were indicated on the submitted plans as having clear glazing. A condition was recommended to require that these windows would also have obscure glazing to further reduce overlooking.

It is recognised that there would be some impact on the amenity of local residents. However, this had been mitigated as much as possible through the planning process.

-       Regarding the comments received from Severn Trent Water in relation to the public sewer on the site, this will be a matter for the applicant and Severn Trent to deal with. The applicant is aware of this issue, and it is understood that some discussions had already been undertaken. In the unlikely event that the applicant could not satisfy the concerns raised by Severn Trent, they could not commence development, even if the application received consent.

-       There were now two additional units being proposed. There was originally nine in the application.

Members’ Debate

Councillor Conder noted that the Council did not communicate effectively enough with residents about City development. She added that, as an authority, they needed to improve upon this.

The Chair moved, and the Vice-Chair seconded the Officer’s recommendation as amended in the late material, with the inclusion of an additional note from Severn Trent Water to grant permission subject to the conditions outlined in the Officer report, as amended in the late material and the inclusion of two additional conditions in relation to the instillation of PV panels and controls placed on water consumption of the dwellings and clarification regarding the affordable housing split.

RESOLVED that –  the grant of outline planning permission  be delegated to the Planning Development Manager , subject to the completion of a S106 Agreement and conditions as outlined in the Officer report, as amended in the late material with the inclusion of two additional conditions relating to the instillation of PV panels and controls placed on water consumption and the 20/80 split of 100% affordable housing (split as 20% developer contribution and 80% additionality).