There were no declarations of interest.

Site address:           Unit 5, Ashville Way, Oxford, OX4 6TU

Proposal:                  Change of use from Storage and Distribution (Use Class B8) to Assemble and Leisure (Use Class D2) on ground floor and Offices (Use Class B1a) on first floor. Provision of additional car parking, bin and cycle store.

Officer recommendation:

The Planning Review Committee is recommended to refuse planning permission for the following reason:

The proposed development would result in the loss of a key protected employment site, which would be harmful to the range of job opportunities in the city and contrary to Policy CS28 of the Oxford Core Strategy 2026.

The Committee considered a report detailing an application for planning permission for a change of use from Storage and Distribution (Use Class B8) to Assemble and Leisure (Use Class D2) on the ground floor and offices (Use Class B1a) on first floor and provision of additional car parking, bin and cycle store at Unit 5, Ashville Way, Oxford, OX4 6TU.

The Committee noted that the application had been called-in to the Planning Review Committee on the grounds that:

“East Area Planning Committee have now both allowed and refused the application and, in the interest of ensuring consistency in decision making it would be sensible for Planning Review Committee to look again at all the issues before a final decision is made”. 

The Committee noted the East Area Planning Committee decision to a) approve the application on 12 October 2016 and b) refuse the application on 11 January 2017.

The Planning Officer presented the report and drew the Committee’s attention to the following matters:

·         There was an erroneous reference to an Appendix 4 in the addendum report submitted in January 2017 – no appendix 4 was attached to that report.

·         There was an erroneous reference to CS8 in para. 8 of the original report submitted in October 2016 – the reference should have been to CS28.

·         Member of the Committee and officers who had undertaken a site visit had seen the permanent equipment and long vault run which the applicant had drawn attention to in their submissions

Cameron Thompson, representing Mayfield Press, spoke against the application.  He made the following points:

·         Mayfield Press had been at the Ashville Way location since 2002

·         The majority of employees were local

·         One third of the business was local

·         The need to expand to Unit 5 was immediate due to an acquisition in December 2016 and a further acquisition which was pending

·         The business would have to move if there was no possibility of expansion

·         There were no other suitable locations in the city

Councillor Linda Smith (ward councillor and Leisure portfolio holder) and Michael Crofton Briggs (agent), Sarah Fry, Rob English and Denise Brown spoke in support of the application from Cherwell Gym Club. They made the following points:

·         The Council’s leisure team had been working with Cherwell Gym Club for some time but they had been unable to identify suitable alternative premises

·         The Cherwell Gym Club met many of the Council’s corporate aspirations, to promote healthy lifestyles and social inclusion, provide a range of leisure opportunities and encourage young women to participate in sport

·         The success of other gym clubs in neighbouring counties was testimony to the demand for such facilities and their commercial viability

·         The application would provide employment opportunities in classes D2 and B1a

In conclusion the applicant asked the Committee to consider granting temporary planning permission for a period of three years to allow the Cherwell Gym Club to find alternative premises.

The Committee considered the officers report, presentation and the address of the public speakers and asked questions  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

The Committee is asked to approve the minutes of the last meeting held on 18 January 2017 as a true and correct record.

The Committee resolved to approve the minutes of the meeting held on 18 January 2017.

The Committee noted the dates for future meetings (if required).