Site address:                     Site Of Millway Close, Oxford, OX2 8BJ

Proposal:                          Erection of 4 x 1 bed flats (Use Class C3) to first and second floor infills between existing block gable ends. Provision of bike storage. Retaining all car parking spaces, garages and refuse stores.

Reason at Committee:       The application has been called into committee at the request of Councillors Goddard, Gotch, Harris, Garden and Smith due to concerns relating to the impact on existing residents and parking issues.

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 this report and grant planning permission.

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

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

The Committee considered an application (18/02644/FUL) for planning permission for the erection of 4 x 1 bed flats (Use Class C3) to first and second floor infills between existing block gable ends; provision of bike storage and retention of all car parking spaces, garages and refuse stores.

The application had been called into the Committee at the request of Councillors Goddard, Gotch, Harris, Garden and Smith due to concerns relating to the impact on existing residents and parking issues.

The Planning Officer presented the report and made the following observations in relation to transport and parking:

·       The proposed development was not “car free” as defined in the Local Plan but there was no allocated parking associated with the development

·       The parking survey undertaken by the applicant indicated that there was adequate capacity for any additional parking demands resulting from the proposed development.

Natasha Robinson, representing the Millway Close Leaseholders Association, spoke against the application. 

James Gillies, representing the applicant, spoke in favour of the application.

The Committee asked questions of the officers and speakers and raised a number of concerns about the proposal. These included the lack of details relating to the proposed location and design of the cycle parking which should be covered and not prominent in the amenity space; the potential for an increase in anti-social behaviour by the enclosure of the existing “bin and cycle” areas.

The Committee was especially concerned by the assertionof the local leasehold residents that they had not been consulted by the applicant on the proposed development.

The Planning Lawyer confirmed thatthe applicant was required to serve notice of the application on anyone with a leasehold interest that exceeds 7 years.  The certificate of ownership submitted with the application stated that the applicant was the sole owner of the site.  Mr Gillies, speaking on behalf of the applicant, indicated that this was because his client owned the freehold of the refuse stores where the flats were to be located.  The Planning Lawyer confirmed that the red line plan submitted with the application covered the whole site rather than just the refuse stores and therefore the correct certificate of ownership had not been issued. Accordingly she recommended that the Committee should defer consideration of the application to allow for notice to be served on the leaseholders and for the correct certificate to be submitted.

A motion to defer the decision to allow this to be undertaken was proposed which also requested further details and revised locations for the cycle stores and confirmation from Thames Valley Police with respect to the concerns raised about the access arrangement alongside the refuse stores.

On being seconded and put to the vote the Committee agreed to defer the application for the reason given above.

The West Area Planning Committee resolved to defer the decision on this application to allow the required notices to be served, the correct certificate to be submitted and to enable the Head of Planning Services to bring the application to a future meeting with further information on the points set out above to allow the Committee to reach a decision.

Councillor Azad joined the meeting during the officer presentation and so took no part in the debate on or the decision to defer the application.