Agenda item - 16/01789/FUL: Demolition of Aristotle House, Aristotle Lane, Oxford, OX2 6TR

16/01789/FUL: Demolition of Aristotle House, Aristotle Lane, Oxford, OX2 6TR

Site address: Aristotle House, Aristotle Lane, Oxford, OX2 6TR

Proposal: Demolition of Aristotle House. Erection of four storey building to provide office space (Use Class B1) at basement, ground and first floor levels and formation of 2 x 2-bed flats (Use Class C3) above. Erection of 4 x 4-bed terraced dwellings (Use Class C3). Formation of access from Kingston Road. Provision of car parking and bin/cycle storage.

Officer recommendation: To grant planning permission subject to the conditions as set out in the officer report to West Area Planning Committee (Appendix 1):

1. Development begun within time limit

2. Develop in accordance with approved plans

3. Material samples

4. Design - no additions to dwelling

5. Screening - terrace serving flat

6. Accessible homes

7. Boundary treatments

8. Parking permits

9. Construction Travel Plan

10. Visibility splays

11. Cycle storage

12. Bin storage

13. Tree Protection Plan

14. Landscape Plan Details

15. Landscape Management Plan

16. Arboricultural Method Statement

17. Biodiversity enhancement measures

18. Ecology enhancement measures - planting

19. Lighting plan - bats

20. Archaeology

21. Drainage infrastructure

22. Drainage details

23. SuDs maintenance plan

24. Renewable or low carbon details

25. Risk assessment - land quality

26. Validation report - land quality

27. Ecological management plan – canal protection

Legal Agreements:

S106 to secure affordable housing contribution

Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL):

The development is liable for CIL.

Minutes:

The Committee considered an application for the demolition of Aristotle House and the erection of a four storey building to provide office space and 4 x 4-bed terraced dwellings with the formation of access from Kingston Road.

The application was approved by the West Area Planning Committee on 13 December 2016. The application was subsequently called-in to the Planning Review Committee on the grounds that the decision did not take adequate account of the road safety aspects of the proposal.

The Planning Officer presented the report and made the following points:

Paragraph 35, Appendix 1 referred to additional vehicular access on Hayfield Road, whereas in fact this would be from Kingston Road
There was an error in paragraph 2, on page 9 of the original committee papers which stated that the West Area Planning Committee had refused the application, whereas in fact they had approved the application. The original reports had been withdrawn and corrected copies of the agenda had been circulated
The highway safety concerns raised by the call in and by the St Margaret’s Area Society in their traffic survey (as circulated to the Committee) were fully addressed in the officer report (paragraphs 7, 8 and 9)
The Highways Authority had confirmed their view that the application is likely to result in a reduction in the overall motor vehicle trips to the site as a whole; the safety issues raised were pre-existing and there were no underlying road safety issues at the junction of Kingston Road, Hayfield Road and Aristotle Lane. Representatives from the Highways Authority were present at the meeting to answer questions

· An additional response in support of the application had been received from the Hayfield Road Residents Association and this had been circulated to the Committee.

· The new development would provide much needed family homes and modern employment space

Louise Upton (Oxford City Councillor), Irene Conway (Headmistress, St Philip & St James), Rev'd Canon Andrew Bunch (Vicar of St Giles' and St Margaret's) and Tim King (St Margaret’s Area Society spoke against the application.

Lois Partridge (Agent), Peter Alsop (Applicant) and Jean Bradlow (Hayfield Road Residents Association) spoke in favour of the application.

In discussion the Committee concentrated on the concerns raised by the public speakers about the traffic and road safety issues.

In response to questions from the Committee the Oxford City Council Officers and Highways Authority representatives made the following points:

· The application did not present a material change to the pre-existing traffic/road safety issues.

· The imposition of a condition which placed time constraints on the vehicular access to the office site would not be reasonable in planning terms

· The imposition of a condition which placed time constraints on the deliveries by third parties to the residential units or to the office site would not be reasonable in planning terms. However, the applicant indicated that they would be willing to produce an “awareness plan” for the residents/employers and the Committee agreed to include this as an informative

· Vehicular access to the office site would be over a raised pavement and as such traffic calming measures (eg. speed humps) were not necessary although the installation of traffic mirrors at the entrance might be beneficial. The Committee agreed to include the safety mirrors as a condition on the application.

· Road safety signage would be addressed as part of the section 278 agreement

· The possibility of moving the existing bollards between Hayfield Road and Kingston Road further south was an interesting proposal and technically possible but it would not be reasonable in planning terms to make this a condition of the application as the Highways Authority had stated that it was not necessary

The existing pavement was very narrow and it would be extended to provide a wider path suitable for pedestrians and cyclists
Concerns relating to construction traffic and deliveries would be addressed by the construction travel plan

· There were no policy reasons for refusing the application.

In reaching their decision, the Committee considered the officers report and presentation, the addresses from the public speakers and the professional advice of the Council’s legal and planning officers and the County Council Highways Authority.

On being put to the vote the Committee were equally divided in support and opposition for the officer recommendation to approve the application.

Therefore the Chair exercised his casting vote in support of the officer recommendation to approve the application.

The Committee resolved to approve application 16/01789/FUL at Aristotle House, Aristotle Lane, Oxford, OX2 6TR subject to and including the following conditions (as amended) and the satisfactory completion of a Section 106 agreement to secure a contribution to affordable housing and to delegate authority to the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services to issue the permission.