Agenda and minutes

To approve the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2017 as an accurate record.

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 2 November 2017 be signed as a correct record.

In accordance with the Council’s Code of Conduct and the statutory provisions of the Localism Act, Members and co-opted Members of the Council are reminded that it is a requirement to register disclosable pecuniary interests (DPIs) and gifts and hospitality to the value of which exceeds £50 or multiple gifts and/or instances of hospitality with a cumulative value of £50 or more when received from a single donor within a rolling twelve month period. In addition, Members and co-opted Members are reminded that unless their disclosable pecuniary interest is registered on the register of interests or is the subject of a pending notification to the Monitoring Officer, they are required to disclose those disclosable pecuniary interests at the meeting. This should be done by completing the Disclosure of Interest form and handing it to the Democratic Services representative at the start of the meeting. The Chair will then invite Members to make their disclosure orally at the commencement of Agenda item 3. Completed disclosure forms will be provided to the Monitoring Officer for inclusion on the Register of Members’ Interests.

There were no disclosures of a pecuniary interest not already registered.

To receive notice of any business not on the agenda which in the opinion of the Chair, by reason of special circumstances, be considered as a matter of urgency.

There was none.

To receive the following presentations on a proposed development:

There are none.

There were none.

To consider the accompanying reports by the Director of Planning & Strategic Transport:

Mixed use redevelopment of the Site through the demolition (within and outside the Conservation Area), alteration, refurbishment and retention of existing buildings/structures and erection of new buildings/structures to provide a range of town centre uses including retail and related uses (Use Class A1 - A 5), leisure (Use Class D2), residential (Use Class C3), student accommodation (sui generis) or hotel (Use Class C1), community  facilities (Use Class D1), office (Use Class B1), residential amenity space and public realm. Alteration of existing and creation of new basements, underground servicing and multi-storey car parking, alteration to existing and creation of new vehicular and pedestrian access into the site, utility and energy generation facilities, infrastructure and associated facilities, together with any required temporary works or structures required by the development. Demolition within the conservation area of no. 5 George Street and nos. 2- 30 North End, but with retention of the building facades at no. 5 George Street and at nos. 2-30 North End. Demolition of buildings within the conservation area at no. 7 George Street and nos. 44-46, 48-50, 52, 54, 56, 94, 96, 98 and 114-126 North End including walls and fences, and part of the rear of nos. 34 and 108 North End and creation of  basements beneath buildings at nos. 114-126 North End. Properties at Nos. 32, 34, 34a, 34-36, 58, 60-68, 70, 72, 74, 76-78, 80, 82-84, 86, 88-90, 92, 100, 102, 104, 106, 110 and 112 North End and Nos. 3 and 3a George Street to be retained with minor works to facilitate construction.

Ward: Fairfield

Recommendation: Grant permission subject to a legal agreement

A planning officer gave a presentation, after which the Committee Members were invited to look at a model of the development. 

Members then asked a number of technical questions and officers responded:

·         What will the name be?  No name has been agreed yet.

·         Car park access – how will it work?  There is a single car park across the top of the development and both entrances can be accessed for entering or exiting.  Traffic coming from the north will be able to enter the northern access and traffic exiting from the northern access will exit in a northbound direction.  Traffic coming from the south will enter the car park at the southern entrance and exit in a southerly direction.  For traffic coming from the south and travelling in a northbound direction, there is a failsafe to prevent queues, so traffic would be able to access the northern access point on an intermittent basis.  This would be controlled by the car park management plan. 

·         Is the residential amenity strip across the top of the car park?  It is and will be accessible from the towers.

·         Poplar Walk - only one way in or are there plans to change the one way aspect?  There are no proposals to change it from one way.  The basement is a possible location for residential parking but disabled spaces could be provided in the main retail car park.

·         Will there be more to the leisure offer?   The application does not say there will definitely be a cinema.  The leisure floor space could be for other uses.  Whether proposed uses are acceptable would be for the Committee to decide.  They would be approved on the basis of use class.  That level of detail will come forward in reserved matters.  There is a separate regime for uses such as casinos, (which is a sui generis use and does not fall within the uses proposed by the application), which means it would also be dealt with by Licensing if such a proposal were to come forward.

·         How are the parameter issues managed and determined?  In some places minimums and maximums make a big difference.  This would be covered under reserved matters.

·         Control around 24 hour access - with a covered street, how will this be controlled?  Does the Council have total control or could the developer come back and ask to secure the entrances and remove 24 hr use?  The conditions ensure 24 hour use.  The developer would need to bring back a further application to change this which would be resisted.

·         Use of the galleria - could people sit there for 24 hrs?  The conditions require estate management plan, which the Council would approve.  The developer would probably have security provision.  Licensing restrictions would cover alcohol consumption.

·         What opportunities are there within the Section 106 agreement?  The uses are specified.  Some are financial and some not.  For example:

TV mitigation; restriction on parking permits; ensuring the quality of architects; public realm - requiring highways agreement, including the pedestrian  ...  view the full minutes text for item A189/17

To consider the accompanying report by the Director of Planning & Strategic Transport:

There are none.

There were none.

To consider any item(s) referred by a previous meeting of the Planning Sub-Committee to this Committee for consideration and determination:

There are none.

There were none.