The Committee considered an application (22/03042/RES) for erection of a commercial building (revised design of approved Red Hall) and immediate hard landscaping at Oxford North Northern Gateway land adjacent A44 A40 A34 and Wolvercote Roundabout, A40 section from Cherwell District Council boundary to Wolvercote Roundabout, Oxford.

The Planning Officer gave a presentation and highlighted the following:

·       The Red Hall building, alongside two employment buildings, had been approved as part of the detailed hybrid planning permission 18/02065/OUTFUL.  It was intended to function as a striking landmark centrepiece for the site with retail and café units on the ground floor and office space on the upper floors, and was to be clad in distinctive red powder-coated aluminium.  The application sought reserved matters approval for an enlarged Red Hall building, including a three storey side extension to the approved building.

·       The application related to development on land which fell within both the full and outline permissions covered under planning application 18/02065/OUTFUL.  As it crossed the boundaries of the areas defined on the approved plans as being the subject of both the detailed and the outline permission, it had been considered necessary for the relevant plans accompanying the hybrid permission to be amended to reflect the changes being sought under the reserved matters application: principally, amendment to the plan for the full application such that the entirety of the Red Hall application fell outside of it.  Officers considered that, procedurally, an application would need to be made under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act before the reserved matters application could be determined, with consent being subject to the prior approval of the Section 96A application.  The proposed changes were considered to be non-material in the context of the wider masterplan.

·       The enlarged building would allow for a greater amount of floor space at ground floor level for use as café, retail and community space and improved functioning of the building.  This had been achieved by moving the core of the building, including internal stairs, lifts and cycle storage.  Enlivening of the north elevation of the building would also result in a better relationship with the public realm as compared to the approved scheme.

·       One comment from a member of the public had been received since publication of the report.  This had expressed objection to the red colour of the building, its height, and general scale in relation to the character of the surrounding area.

·       Officers considered that the extension would be subservient to the main section of the building and that it was acceptable in design terms and harmonised appropriately with the approved design.  The height of the main building would be unchanged from the approved plans, and sat within the Heights Parameter Plan for Oxford North.  The amendments would allow the building to function more effectively as a social hub for the site by providing more space for communal, retail and café use and by enlivening the frontages across all elevations of the building and the external spaces surrounding it.  It was considered acceptable when assessed against the relevant policies in the Local Plan, the Wolvercote Neighbourhood Plan and the NPPF.  The application was therefore recommended for approval for the reasons outlined in the report, subject to the application under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act as noted above.

Paul Buckley (Chair of the Wolvercote Neighbourhood Forum) and Councillor Jo Sandelson spoke against the application.

Ron German (for the applicant) spoke in favour of the application.

The Committee asked questions about the details of the application, which were responded to by officers.  The Committee’s discussions included, but were not limited to:

·        The proposal did not fulfil the criteria for Class D community use required by the hybrid application.  This would therefore need to be provided elsewhere on the site.

·        A temporary car park, including temporary cycle parking, had been approved under the detailed element of the planning permission.  Additional temporary cycle parking for the building would be delivered across the site as conditioned and set out in the report.  A more dedicated area of permanent cycle parking to the north of the building would be brought forward in a future reserved matters application.

·        The larger building would encroach into an area of public space, and it was intended that this would be replaced within a forthcoming reserved matters application relating to the area to the north of Red Hall. Officers would therefore consider the merits of the standard of public ream to be provided as part of that process.  It was noted that the total area of public space to be provided had been agreed within the hybrid application.

·        The building design and colour was subjective; however, this had been considered and approved as part of the hybrid application.

Councillor Aziz, having arrived at the meeting after the conclusion of the officer’s presentation, did not participate in determining the application.  Councillor Sandelson left the meeting room for the duration of the item, save for speaking in the public speaking slot, and did not participate in determining the application.

On being proposed, seconded and put to the vote the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons set out in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in the report and approval of an application made under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to secure the necessary changes to planning permission 18/02065/OUTFUL to allow the development to proceed.

The Oxford City Planning Committee resolved 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 reserved matters approval subject to the approval of an application made under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to secure the necessary changes to planning permission 18/02065/OUTFUL to allow the development the subject of this reserved matters application to proceed; and

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

·       determine the application should the necessary changes to planning permission 18/02065/OUTFUL not be approved under  the application made under Section 96A of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 referred to in 1 above.