Agenda item

Agenda item

17/00617/CT3: Oxford City Council Depot, Marsh Road, OX4 2HH

Proposal: Temporary extension of depot to provide additional storage space for up to 5 years, permanent reconfiguration and extension of car park, installation of cycle parking, widening of access and erection of fencing.

 

Site Address:  Oxford City Council Depot, Marsh Road, Oxford OX4 2HH

 

Officer recommendation:

 

This is an updated recommendation that takes account of the decision of East Area Planning Committee on 2nd August 2017. The East Area Planning Committee resolved that conditions 1, 5, 6, 7, 12 and a new condition on restoration were not to be discharged before consulting the Chair of East Area Planning Committee. These conditions are now listed as 1, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 14 in this report.

 

The Planning Review Committee is recommended to:

 

(a)   Approve the application for the reasons given in this report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 8 of this report and grant planning permission.

 

(b)   Agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services to:

1.  Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services considers reasonably necessary; and

2.  to consult the Chair of East Area Planning Committee prior to the discharge of conditions 1, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 14 as set out in this report.

 

Minutes:

The Committee considered an application (17/00617/CT3) for planning permission for the temporary extension of the depot to provide additional storage space for up to 5 years, permanent reconfiguration and extension of car park, installation of cycle parking, widening of access and erection of fencing.

 

The Planning Officer presented the report and highlighted the developments since the East Area Planning Committee meeting. An additional five objections from members of the public had been submitted but the issues raised were not new and were addressed in the original report. 

 

The report before the Committee presented an updated recommendation that takes account of the decision of East Area Planning Committee on 2nd August 2017. The East Area Planning Committee resolved that conditions 1, 5, 6, 7, 12 and a new condition on restoration were not to be discharged before consulting the Chair of East Area Planning Committee. These conditions are now listed as 1, 4, 8, 9, 10 and 14 in this report.

 

The following spoke against the application:

  Judith Harley

  • Rob Wells
  • Patrick Lingwood
  • Hazel Dawe
  • Rachel Myers
  • Judith Harley

 

The following spoke in favour of the application:

  • Geoff Corps,  Shaun Hatton and Ian Bourton – OCC officers (applicant)
  • Tom Edwards - Peter Brett Associates (agent)

           

The Committee invited the applicant to respond to the question posed by the public speaker about the merits of “just in time” delivery of disassembled recycling bins to the site.  Council officers (representing the applicant) explained that the recycling bins were already received disassembled and that they were delivered in bulk to optimise storage and delivery costs.  In view of the volume of bins required on a weekly basis (in excess of 100) a “just in time” system would increase delivery costs and the frequency of vehicle movements to and from the site.

 

The Committee discussion included, but was not limited to, the following points:

·         Condition 8 – the planning officer confirmed that the wording of this condition would be revised to make it clear that the Sustainable Drainage Maintenance Plan would be a temporary requirement in regard to the depot extension and a permanent requirement for the car park extension.

·         The County Council Waste & Minerals Plan mentioned by the public speakers had not been adopted and in any event would not cover the operational detail of a district council depot; the application before the Committee should be determined against relevant adopted policies.

·         Condition 12 – the planning officer confirmed that a wildflower meadow would be created at a new location within the park and that in the view of the Council’s Biodiversity officers this would provide an overall net gain to the habitat within the park.

·         Council officers (representing the applicant) advised that they were actively pursuing options to rationalise all the satellite sites across the city into a single depot site.  They believed that this would be achieved within the timescale of the temporary planning consent.

·         The planning officer advised that the details for the fencing would be controlled by Condition 21 and that there was no expectation that the new boundary created near the existing footpath would lead to an increase in anti-social behaviour in this location.

·         The planning officer reminded the Committee that their comments about the previous removal of three willow trees, the poor state of repair of the existing fences, the possible provision of new benches and other landscaping enhancements in the wider park were not relevant to the application. 

·         Condition 14 – it was essential that adequate control measures would be in place to prevent misuse of the car park by commuter parking.

·         That policies CS21, SR16 and SP12 were not relevant for the reasons set out in the officer report.

 

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered all the information put before it, including the officer’s presentation and the comments from the public speakers.

 

In determining this application a majority of the Committee were persuaded that there was a proven need for a temporary extension to the depot and that this outweighed the harm caused by the loss of open green space under policy SR2.

 

In reaching this decision the Committee emphasised that they expected the applicant to secure an alternative, consolidated depot site within the timescale of the temporary planning application.

 

The Committee agreed to an amendment to require the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services to consult the East Area Planning Committee prior to the discharge of Condition 14.

 

On being put to the vote a majority of the Committee agreed with the amended officer recommendation as set out below.

 

The Planning Review Committee resolved to:

(a)   Approve the application for the reasons given in this report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 8 of this report and grant planning permission;

(b)   Agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services to:

              i.       finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services considers reasonably necessary; and

            ii.       to consult the Chair of East Area Planning Committee prior to the discharge of conditions 1, 4, 8, 9 and 10 as set out in this report; and

           iii.       to consult the East Area Planning Committee prior to the discharge of condition 14 as set out in this report. 

 

Supporting documents: