Site address:                   Cherwell House, Osney Lane, Oxford, OX1 1BZ

Proposal:                         Erection of additional second and third floors to provide 26 no. en-suite student bedrooms and 2 x 1-bed warden flats. Alterations including re-cladding of the existing building. Extension of existing bin store and erection of new bike shelter. (Amended plans) (Amended description)      

Reason at Committee:     The application is before the committee because it was called in by the Head of Planning Services following concerns from councillors about the impact on neighbouring amenity.

Recommendation:

The West Area Planning Committee is recommended to:

1.     approve the application for the reasons given in the report subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of the report; and subject to:

·       the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement under section.106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers to secure the planning obligations set out in the recommended heads of terms which are set out in the report;

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

a.               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; and

b.               finalise the recommended legal agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers as set out in the report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in the report (including to dovetail with and where appropriate, reinforce the final conditions and informatives to be attached to the planning permission) as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary; and

c.               complete the section 106 legal agreement referred to above and issue the planning permission.

The Committee considered an application (20-01139-FUL) for the erection of additional second and third floors to provide 26 no. en-suite student bedrooms and 2 x 1-bed warden flats. Alterations including re-cladding of the existing building. Extension of existing bin store and erection of new bike shelter. (Amended plans) (Amended description)

The Planning Officer presented the report.

Rhiannon Ash (Resident) spoke against the application.

Adrian James (architect/agent) spoke in support of the application and Stephen Clarke (applicant) was present and answered questions from the committee.

The Committee considered a number of points of detail on the application including but not limited to the following. In response to a question the applicant said they were in favour of the provision of sprinklers in the new development which they would discuss with building control. Officers confirmed that while not a University, the application of Policy H8 was relevant in this case;  as an extension to an existing student accommodation block  there was therefore no objection to the principle. Policy RE1 was not applicable as the proposal did not meet the ground floor criterion (1,000 square metres) for it.

A question was raised with respect to the safety of cladding material for the building. The applicant confirmed that the DfE had expressed satisfaction with the nature of the current building’s non-combustible cladding and that the new build would use the same type of cladding. The fencing around the site was impermeable to animals; the condition relating to ecological enhancements could be adapted to include gaps in the fence to allow the passage of animals. The copper on the building, because of air quality in Oxford and its vertical application, was unlikely to become green. Officers had no evidence of complaints about noise from the current development which would, in any case, be an environmental health matter and not a planning consideration.

In considering a previously refused scheme which had been dismissed on appeal, the committee recognised that the current proposal was different to that scheme and that there were no reasons to object to the current proposal on that basis.  Officers also confirmed that there had been significant changes in national and local planning policy since that decision.

In reaching its decision the West Area Planning Committee considered all the information put before it. On being proposed, seconded and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officers’ recommendation to approve the application. 

The West Area Planning Committee resolved to:

1.    Approve the application for the reasons given in the report subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report; and subject to:

the satisfactory completion of a legal agreement under section.106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers to secure the planning obligations set out in the recommended heads of terms which were set out in the report;

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; and

·       finalise the recommended legal agreement under section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers as set out in the report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in the report (including to dovetail with and where appropriate, reinforce the final conditions and informatives to be attached to the planning permission) as the Head of Planning Services considers reasonably necessary; and

·       complete the section 106 legal agreement referred to above and issue the planning permission.