Site address:         The Irving Building, Hertford Street, Oxford, OX4 3AJ

Proposal:               Change of use to a mixed business (Use Class B1) and non-residential institutions (Use Class D1). Erection of a single storey side and rear extension to create a community building (Use Class D1). Erection of to 9no. buildings to create 3 x 3 bed  6 x 2 bed apartments (Use Class C3). Provision of car parking, bin and bike stores.

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 12 of the report and grant planning permission; and

2.     Agree to 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

The Committee considered an application for change of use to a mixed business (Use Class B1) and non-residential institutions (Use Class D1); erection of a single storey side and rear extension to create a community building (Use Class D1); erection of buildings to create 3 x 3 bed and 6 x 2 bed apartments (Use Class C3); and provision of car parking, bin and bike stores at The Irving Building, Hertford Street, Oxford, OX4 3AJ.

The Planning Officer:

·       Reported that the houses and flats would be car free as expected in an area with a CPZ (controlled parking zone)

·       Recommended Condition 21 amended to read ‘fitted with obscured glazing and fixed shut to a minimum height of 1.7 metres and this shall be retained as obscured, fixed shut glazing at this minimum height’.

Catherine King (the headteacher at Comper School) and County Councillor Damien Haywood spoke objecting to the application.

Liz Hume (representing the applicant) and Nicky Brock (the agent) spoke in support of the application.

The Committee asked questions of the officers to clarify matters including but not restricted to the impact of the proposed church hall on the two heritage assets of the Comper School and the Irving Building and the open setting between the two buildings; the public benefit to the church and the wider community; parking and traffic related to use of the community spaces and future residents eligibility for parking permits; and overshadowing of the play spaces associated with the Comper School caused by the proposed hall.

The Committee debated the proposal, focussing on but not confined to the degree of ‘less than substantial harm’ caused to the designated heritage asset of Comper School and the non-designated heritage asset of the Irving Building balanced against the community benefits of the proposed side extension (hall and lift shaft) and alterations to the Irving Building.

On a proposal to accept the officer’s recommendation of approval (with the conditions listed in the report, with condition 21 amended as referred to above, and an additional condition regarding non-eligibility of the new dwellings for parking permits) being seconded and put to the vote, the Committee voted against the proposal.

The Committee considered a proposal to refuse the application because the level of less than substantial harm which would be caused to the setting and heritage significance of the Comper School and Irving Building by the loss of the gap and change of spatial connection between the buildings was not outweighed by the public benefits arising from the provision of new community space within the proposed church hall and the enhancements to the provision of community and office space within the Irving Building.

On a motion to refuse the application for the reasons above being seconded and put to the vote, the Committee agreed to refuse planning permission for these reasons.

The West Area Planning Committee resolved to:

Refuse planning permission for application 20/01898/FUL for the following reason:

The proposed church hall and lift tower by reason of its scale and siting would erode the spatial connection between the Comper School and Irving Building which would result in less than substantial harm to the significance of the Comper School, a designated heritage asset and the Irving Building, a non-designated local heritage asset, and this would not be outweighed by the public benefits associated with the provision of the new community space within the church hall and the Irving Building and the provision of office space within the Irving Building, contrary to Paragraphs 196 and 197 of the NPPF and Policies DH3 and DH5 of the Oxford Local Plan 2016-2036.