Agenda item

Agenda item

16/02651/OUT: William Morris Close Sports Field, Oxford, OX4 2SF

Site address: Sports Field, William Morris Close

 

Proposal: Outline application with all matters reserved, seeking permission for 72 new affordable key worker dwellings, retention of and extension to existing parking area, together with private amenity space, access road, landscaping and new publicly accessible recreation space.

 

Officer recommendation: to refuse planning permission for the reason set out below:

 

1          The proposal does not include a mix of dwelling types and makes no provision for affordable housing. A mixed and balanced development which contributes to meeting the most pressing housing needs of the city would not result from this proposal. It is therefore contrary to Policies CS23 and CS24 of the Core Strategy and Policy HP3 of the SHP, and does not comply with the guidance set out in the Balance of Dwellings Supplementary Planning Document.

 

2          The site is protected open space (including associated car parking). It is not allocated for housing development nor is it needed to meet National Planning Policy Framework housing land availability requirements. It has not been clearly shown that the site is surplus to requirements for sport or recreation. It is not essential that the need for housing development should be met on this particular site, and there are no other balancing reasons or mitigating circumstances why housing should be allowed. It is necessary to retain the site as open space for the well-being of the local community, and its development is contrary to Policies CS2 and CS21 of the adopted Core Strategy, and Policy SR2 of the Oxford Local Plan.

 

3          The application, because of inadequacies in the indicative layout, the lack of cycle parking and waste storage facilities, the unacceptable car park location and design, and because of unresolved highway issues, has not satisfactorily demonstrated that 72 dwellings can be accommodated on this site in accordance with Policies CP1, CP6 and CP8 of the Oxford Local Plan, Policy CS18 of the Core Strategy and Policies HP9, HP13 and HP14 of the Sites and Housing Plan.

 

4          The application does not propose to incorporate renewable energy or low carbon technologies and thus does not adequately seek to minimise its carbon emissions contrary to Policy CS9 of the adopted Core Strategy and Policy HP11 of the adopted Sites and Housing Plan.

Minutes:

The Committee considered an application for outline application with all matters reserved, seeking permission for 72 new affordable key worker dwellings, retention of and extension to existing parking area, together with private amenity space, access road, landscaping and new publicly accessible recreation space at the Sports Field, William Morris Close.

 

Hazel Dawe and Judith Harley, representing local residents groups, spoke against the application, referencing the Local Plan policies designating this site as open space.

 

Patrick McDonald, the developer; Janie Hampton and Andrew Gilmore, local residents; and Councillor Andrew Gant spoke in support of the application.

Councillor Gant started that while he was speaking in his personal capacity and was a friend of the developer, he had no financial or personal interest in the company or the project.

 

The Committee asked questions of the officers and speakers and debated the merits of the application and the policies pertinent to the site. They concluded that there was no reason to depart from the adopted Local Plan policy and site designation to permit development on this site, and any changes to the long term use of the site should properly be considered in the new Local Plan.

 

The Committee resolved to refuse planning permission for application 16/02651/OUT for the reasons set out below:

 

1.     The proposal does not include a mix of dwelling types and makes no provision for affordable housing. A mixed and balanced development which contributes to meeting the most pressing housing needs of the city would not result from this proposal. It is therefore contrary to Policies CS23 and CS24 of the Core Strategy and Policy HP3 of the SHP, and does not comply with the guidance set out in the Balance of Dwellings Supplementary Planning Document.

 

2.     The site is protected open space (including associated car parking). It is not allocated for housing development nor is it needed to meet National Planning Policy Framework housing land availability requirements. It has not been clearly shown that the site is surplus to requirements for sport or recreation. It is not essential that the need for housing development should be met on this particular site, and there are no other balancing reasons or mitigating circumstances why housing should be allowed. It is necessary to retain the site as open space for the well-being of the local community, and its development is contrary to Policies CS2 and CS21 of the adopted Core Strategy, and Policy SR2 of the Oxford Local Plan.

 

3.     The application, because of inadequacies in the indicative layout, the lack of cycle parking and waste storage facilities, the unacceptable car park location and design, and because of unresolved highway issues, has not satisfactorily demonstrated that 72 dwellings can be accommodated on this site in accordance with Policies CP1, CP6 and CP8 of the Oxford Local Plan, Policy CS18 of the Core Strategy and Policies HP9, HP13 and HP14 of the Sites and Housing Plan.

 

4.     The application does not propose to incorporate renewable energy or low carbon technologies and thus does not adequately seek to minimise its carbon emissions contrary to Policy CS9 of the adopted Core Strategy and Policy HP11 of the adopted Sites and Housing Plan.

 

Supporting documents: