Site address:                   Site Of Oxford University Science Area, South Parks Road, Oxford

Proposal:                        Public realm works, including hard and soft landscaping, rationalisation of car and cycle parking, provision of new cycle store buildings and creation of public spaces.                   

Recommendation:

The West Area Planning Committee is recommended to:

1.     approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 11 of the report and grant planning permission; and

2.     agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning Services to:

·       finalise the recommended conditions as set out in the report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary

The Committee considered an application (19/03149/FUL) for planning permission for public realm works, including hard and soft landscaping, rationalisation of car and cycle parking, provision of new cycle store buildings and creation of public spaces.

The Planning Officer presented the report and recommended the inclusion of two additional conditions for:

•           cycle parking to be provided and maintained in accordance with approved plans

•           Bicycle Parking Maintenance Plan which would ensure that “abandoned” bikes could be removed in order to maintain adequate provision of cycle parking spaces.

The Planning Officer advised that as the applicant had confirmed that 10% of the car parking spaces would have electric charging points, the application plans would be amended to reflect that.

Steven Roberts, agent, spoke in favour of the application.

The Committee asked questions of the officers about the details of the application in relation to the proposed landscaping and the safety implications of the shared surfaces. The Committee noted that access to the covered bike shelters would be controlled and that this would be secured by the new condition.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered all the information put before it.

After debate and on being proposed, seconded and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application subject to the inclusion of the two additional conditions relating to cycle parking detailed above.

The West Area Planning Committee resolved to:

1.         approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 11 of the report and subject to the addition of two new conditions relating to cycle parking and grant planning permission; and

2.         delegate authority to the Head of Planning Services to:

•           finalise the recommended conditions as set out in the report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary.