Agenda item - 16/02689/FUL: Cooper Callas - Unither House, 15 Paradise Street, Oxford, OX1 1LD

16/02689/FUL: Cooper Callas - Unither House, 15 Paradise Street, Oxford, OX1 1LD

Site address: Cooper Callas - Unither House, 15 Paradise Street, Oxford, OX1 1LD

Proposal: Demolition of existing building and construction of new hotel building (use class C1), with associated vehicle and cycle parking, landscaping, plant and engineering works. (Amended plans) (Amended information).

Officer recommendation:

The West Area Planning Committee is recommended:

1. To approve in principle the application (16/02689/FUL) for the reasons set out in the report and subject to the conditions listed and on the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement to secure a contribution towards affordable housing; and

2. To delegate to Head of Planning and Regulatory Services authority to issue the permission subject to the satisfactory resolution of the Environment Agency’s technical concerns.

Conditions

1. Development begun within time limit

2. Develop in accordance with approved plans

3. Materials - samples prior to construction (excluding demolition)

4. Revised Landscape plan - including living walls & green roof– as approved

5. Landscape management plan - as approved

6. Landscaping - carry out after completion

7. Cycle parking - further details of on-street cycles required

8. Travel Plan - draft approved & update required post occupation

9. Travel Information Packs

10. Shared Surface – further details to be submitted

11. Traffic Regulation Order – variation required

12. Delivery and Service Management Plan – as approved

13. Construction Traffic Management Plan required

14. Flood Risk Assessment – construct in accordance with

15. SUDs - further details to be submitted

16. SUDs Maintenance Plan - to be submitted

17. Biodiversity - details of bat box and Swift bricks, Prior construction (excluding demolition)

18. Biodiversity - details of external lighting (bats) prior occupation

19. Biodiversity - implementation of the outline Ecology Management Plan

20. Contamination – Revised Phased Risk Assessment

21. Contamination – Validation Report

22. Contamination – Watching Brief

23. Sustainability – further details required

Legal Agreement & CIL:

Legal agreement required to secure contribution of £53,832 towards affordable housing.

The development is CIL liable: £51,973.11

County:

· A Section 278 Agreement (of the Highways Act 1980) to deliver public realm improvements to Paradise Street. The improvements are to be carried out at the developer’s cost.

· A Section 38 Agreement will be required to amend the highway boundary and adopt the new area of footway created along the frontage of the new building.

· Amendments to the Traffic Regulation Orders will be required for the loading bay, taxi bay and disabled parking bay. A cost of £3,000 must be met by the developers for this action.

· Travel Plan monitoring fees of £1,240 will be required.

Minutes:

The Committee considered a report detailing an application (16/02689/FUL) for planning permission for the demolition of existing building and construction of new hotel building (use class C1), with associated vehicle and cycle parking, landscaping, plant and engineering works at Cooper Callas - Unither House, 15 Paradise Street, Oxford, OX1 1LD.

The Planning Officer presented the report and made the following verbal updates:

· A total of 29 submissions had been received from members of the public after the agenda publication and all of these had been circulated to members of the Committee. None of the submissions raised any new issues and all had been addressed in the officer’s report.

· He recommended that the Committee should include an additional condition to deal with Public Art and a condition dealing with Archaeology.

· There was an outstanding technical objection from the Environment Agency regarding the proposed mitigation against extreme flooding events. The Environment Agency, applicant and planning officers were in discussion about this and expected to reach a satisfactory conclusion. This matter would be addressed by the delegated authority to officers detailed in recommendation 2.

The following spoke against the application and answered questions from the Committee: Alan Divall, Helen Wilkinson (for Oxford Preservation Trust), Councillor Brandt, Natasha Williams, Jenny Berrill and David Ish-Horowicz.

Neil Warner (agent), Adrian Stewart and Steven Adams (architects) spoke in favour of the application and answered questions from the Committee.

The Committee discussion included, but was not limited to, the following points:

· Discussions about the impact on light for neighbouring properties; particularly relating to the BRE guidance and the assessment of the proposals against the Council’s planning policies

· An acknowledgement of the concerns of local residents about the impact of future traffic movements; the need to prohibit delivery access via the Quaking Bridge and the importance of enforcement of this restriction; and the obligation on the hotel to publicise the property to guests as a car free destination

· Confirmation from the planning officer that there was adequate provision of cycle parking for staff, residents and visitors within the proposed development and in the local area

· That the planting on the “green areas” should be height appropriate and this can be dealt with in the scope of the conditions recommended

· That careful consideration should be given to the public art installation as it would be set against the blank façade of the north elevation of the development

· The impact of the proposal on the heritage assets and conservation area.

The Committee agreed that the discharge of the following conditions should be reserved to the Committee for determination:

· 8 - Travel Plan - draft approved & update required post occupation

· 9 - Travel Information Packs

· 12 - Delivery and Service Management Plan

· 13 - Construction Traffic Management Plan

· 24 - Public Art

· 25 – Archaeology

In reaching their decision, the Committee considered the officer’s report, presentation and the views and information provided by the public speakers.

On balance a majority of the Committee concluded that the proposal would meet the need for additional hotel accommodation within the City Centre in a sustainable location and would not harm the setting of the adjacent listed buildings and scheduled monuments. Any perceived harm would be outweighed in this case by the public benefits of the proposal in the form of hotel accommodation, public realm improvements and quality replacement building. There would be no harm to the highway or neighbouring residential amenities.

On being put to the vote the Committee agreed with the officer recommendation.

The West Area Planning Committee resolved:

1. To approve in principle the application (16/02689/FUL) for the reasons set out in the report and subject to the amended conditions listed and on the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement to secure a contribution towards affordable housing; and

2. To delegate to Head of Planning and Regulatory Services authority to issue the permission subject to the satisfactory resolution of the Environment Agency’s technical concerns; additional conditions that are required to address the Environment Agency’s concerns can be added to the decision.