The Head of City Development has submitted a report which details a planning application to erect a 4 storey building comprising community room, retailing and workshop floor space on ground floor and 40 residential flats (18 x 1 bed, 22 x 2 bed) on upper floors.  Provision of 5 car parking spaces, 100 cycle parking spaces, bin stores and ancillary works MP

Officer recommendation: That the Committee GRANT planning permission subject to conditions, but defer the issuing of the decision notice until the satisfactory completion of the associated Section 106 legal agreement. and delegate the issuing of the decision notice to the Head of City Development.  

Conditions

1          Development begun within time limit         

2          Develop in accordance with approved plans

3          Samples Materials

4          Archaeology – mitigation

5          Suspected contamination – Phased risk assessment

6          Variation of road traffic order - Car Club Spaces

7          Car and cycle parking to be laid out prior to use of building in accordance with details to be agreed in writing by the Council beforehand

8          Bin storage facilities

9          Wheelchair accessible spaces allocated and retained

10        No development to commence until signage erected on Knolles Road and in application site dissuading parking by residents and visitors       

11        Real time pedestrian information points to be installed in all flats

12        Drainage details required

13        Balcony details required

14        Pedestrian link required at all times between Barns Road and Knolles Road

15        Landscape plan required

16        Landscape carry out by completion

17        SuDS Compliant Hard surfacing

18        Details of boundary treatment required

19        Details of layout of community centre required prior to commencement

20        Construction Traffic Management Plan required prior to commencement

21        Travel Plan required

22        Environmental Management Plan required prior to work commencing

23        Public Art - Scheme Details & timetable

24        Details of sound proofing of workshop

25        Vision Splays required

26        Compensatory landscaping along Barns Road to be agreed with Council and Highway Authority prior to commencement of development

27        Wheel Washing Facilities to be agreed to prevent mud on highway

28        To be undertaken in accordance with the Natural Resource Impact Analysis document

29        Furniture construction, repair, treatment, demolition to take place only within sound attenuated building

30        Personal permission for use of retail/workshop restricted to Emmaus only

31        Details of cycle parking required prior to commencement of development

32        No development to take place until a replacement freestanding bus shelter on Barns Road has been erected to the County Council’s standards and specifications

33        Prior to first occupation of the development the existing dropped kerbs allowing vehicular access to the site from Barns Road shall be reinstated to the County Council’s standards and specifications

Legal Agreements

A total of £395,000 Section 106 contributions over the 3 application sites [Northway Centre/Dora Carr Close, Westlands Drive and Barns Road] (which includes admin fees for city and county) will be secured as follows:

·        £250,000 towards primary and secondary education

·        £100,000 towards highways, £37,500 of which will be safeguarded for a possible CPZ in the Bares Road area, otherwise to be used on other highways infrastructure such as cycle city

·        £45,000 towards a variety of City section106 matters, e.g. indoor and outdoor sport facilities, allotments and play areas.

A number of other matters would need to be secured by Section 106 legal agreement including the following:

·        Arrangement for temporary changes to the Traffic Regulation Order in the Barns Road area (£3,600 to be paid to the County Council to cover the cost of this);

·        £3000 to be paid to the County Council to cover the cost of a number of parking/traffic surveys on roads in the vicinity of the Barns Road site;

·        Developer to make arrangements for and meet the costs of the provision of the replacement bus shelter along Barns Road, which must be to Oxfordshire County Council’s standards and specifications;

·        Provision of a car club at the Barns Road site with all occupiers eligible for free membership of the car club scheme for a minimum of 12 months funded by the developer;

·        Arrangements with the county council for the provision of the landscaping scheme on either side of Barns Road to mitigate the loss of existing on-site trees, the full costs of which to be met by the developer; and if it is not possible to provide such a scheme to make arrangements with the county council and fund the provision of a similar landscaping scheme on the public highway elsewhere in the local area;

·        All marketing information for the flats to clearly specify that no car parking is provided and that occupiers are expected not to own or keep a car at or close to the Barns Road site;

·        Provision of and long-term maintenance of biodiversity measures including newt pond at Dora Carr Close.

The Head of City Development submitted a report which detailed a planning application to erect a 4 storey building comprising community room, retailing and workshop floor space on ground floor and 40 residential flats (18 x 1 bed, 22 x 2 bed) on upper floors.  Provision of 5 car parking spaces, 100 cycle parking spaces, bin stores and ancillary works MP

In accordance with the criteria for public speaking, the Committee noted that Robert Wakefield, Daniel Lordan and Judith Harley spoke against the application and Jo Curson (GreenSquare Group), Carl Hibbing (Emamus) and Paul Ruff (AHMM) spoke in favour of it.

The Committee resolved to REFUSE planning permission on the following grounds:

1.  The proposal fails to provide sufficient social rented affordable housing on this site thereby failing to meet the objective of creating mixed and balanced communities and does not comply with policy HP3 of the Council’s Sites and Housing Plan 2013,

2.  The proposal seeks to provide a car-free development in an area which is not subject to a Controlled Parking Zone (CPZ). Consequently the car-free nature of the scheme cannot be enforced. As a result the proposals are likely to lead to significant on-street parking to the detriment of highway safety and the parking conditions for existing local residents. Consequently the proposal is contrary to policy CP1 of the Oxford Local Plan 2001-2016 and HP16 of the Sites and Housing Plan 2013.

3. The proposal fails to make sufficient and safe provision for access and circulation for delivery and servicing vehicles as well as pedestrian movement in and around the site to the detriment of highway safety, contrary to policy CP1 of the Oxford Local Plan 2001-2016.

4. The excessive height and bulk of the building fails to reflect the smaller suburban scale of properties at the rear to the detriment of the character of the area and the amenity of the neighbouring residents, contrary to policies CP1, CP6, CP8 and CP10 of the Oxford Local Plan 2001-2016 and policy HP14 of the Sites and Housing Plan 2013.

5. The proposed amount and intensity of development and competing uses is inappropriate on this restricted site, amounting to overdevelopment to the detriment of the amenity of existing residents and future occupiers, contrary to policies CP1, CP6 and CP10 of the Oxford Local Plan 2001-2016.