Site address: Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility, Churchill Hospital, Old Road, Headington

Proposal: Erection of a modular manufacturing building (Use Class E). Extension to service road. Installation of sprinkler with palisade fencing, electrical transformer, vehicle barriers, bollards and lampposts. Provision of car and cycle parking, bin storage, loading area, fencing and landscaping. (amended description, plans and drainage strategy).

Reason at Committee: Called in by Councillors Smowton, Miles, Smith, Railton, Fry and Lygo to consider whether proposal is acceptable with regards to drainage in the catchment of the Lye Valley SSSI.

RECOMMENDATION

Oxford City 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 this report and grant planning permission subject to:

•       to the removal of an objection from Natural England;

•       the satisfactory completion of a unilateral undertaking 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 this report; and

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; and

•       finalise the recommended unilateral undertaking under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other enabling powers as set out in this report, including refining, adding to, amending and/or deleting the obligations detailed in the heads of terms set out in this 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 unilateral undertaking under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 referred to above and issue the planning permission.

The Committee considered an application for the erection of a modular manufacturing building (Use Class E), extension to service road, installation of sprinkler with palisade fencing, electrical transformer, vehicle barriers, bollards and lampposts, provision of car and cycle parking, bin storage, loading area,fencing and landscaping (amended description, plans and drainage strategy).  

The Planning Officer gave a presentation outlining the details of the location and the proposal. This included site photos and existing and proposed elevations and plans. 

·       The application sought planning permission for the erection of a modular manufacturing building and associated works at the ClinicalBiomanufacturing Facility in Churchill Hospital, Headington. The Clinical Biomanufacturing Facility islocated on the eastern side of Churchill Drive, within the wider Churchill Hospital Site. The facility is used for clinical medicine, providing a link between academic research and clinical drug development to facilitate rapid progress into clinical trials.  

·       The Planning Officer provided a verbal update, stating that it was noted in the Committee report that the recommendation was for Planning Committee to grant approval, subject to Natural England removing their objection. The Council had not yet received further comments from Natural England, and as such, the objection still stood. However as emphasised in the Committee report, Officers expected the objection to be removed in due course. 

·       The proposed development was considered to be acceptable in terms of its design and would not cause detrimental harm to the character and appearance of the surrounding area,nor to the setting of the non-designated heritage assets on the wider Churchill site. The proposals would not cause any detrimental impacts on the amenity of neighbouring occupiers, nor would the proposal cause any impact with regard to highways and car parking, bicycle storage, sustainable design and construction, land quality,archaeology or trees. The proposal, as amended, would not cause any detrimental impactconcerning drainage, biodiversity, or the SSSI. 

·       Subject to the recommended unilateral undertaking, conditions and informatives, and Natural England removing their objection, the proposals were considered to comply with the relevant policies such as the local plan, the Headington Neighbourhood plan and the NPPF. 

Professor Catherine Green, Dawn Brodie, Petar Petrov andDavid Giles spoke in favour of the application. 

TheCommittee asked questions about the details of the application which were responded to by the officer.  

·       Concerns were raised regarding the Natural England objection.The Planning Officer clarified that they expected Natural England to remove their objections, and the latest comments received explicitly askedthe applicants to conduct further monitoring of the groundwater levels on the site during peak periods in February. This was because Natural England expected February levels to be the wettest, to capture theworst-case scenario. The February results were lower than the previous readings taken, and the Planning Officer stated thatthey were requesting approval subject to Natural England withdrawing their objection. The Officer clarified that if Natural England did not remove theirobjection, the scheme would need to be revised further based on the received comments and potentially reported back to Committee. 

·       Concerns were raised about whether the site or drainage area fell within the Lye Valley SSSI Catchment. TheEnvironmental Quality Team Leaderstated that determining the catchment was difficult as there is a new study on the Lye Valley SSSI which is currently unpublished but regarded as the best available up-to-date information. The Environmental Quality Team Leader explained thatwhether the site  did or did not fall within the catchment,  either way the impacts of the scheme were considered to be appropriately mitigated.  

On being proposed, seconded, and put to the vote, the Committee agreed with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application for the reasons listed on the report, and subject to the conditions set out in the report and the completion of a legal agreement. 

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 this report and grant planning permission subject to: 

·   to the removal of an objection from Natural England; 

·   the satisfactory completion of a unilateral undertaking 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 this report; and 

2.    Agree to delegateauthority to the Director of Place & Regulation  to: 

·   finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Director of Place & Regulation  considersreasonably necessary; and 

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

·   complete the unilateral undertaking under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 referred to above and issue the planning permission.