Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on proposals to erect new Division Police Headquarters on the site of the former Greyhound Stadium, Elland Road.

(Report attached)

  Further to minute 207 of the Plans Panel East meeting held on 11^th March 2010 where Panel considered a position statement for a divisional police headquarters together with multi-level car parking, offices, storage areas and custody suite on the former greyhound stadium on Elland Road LS11, Panel considered the outline application

  Plans, drawings, photographs and graphics were displayed at the meeting

  Officers presented the report and outlined the main issues raised by Panel at the meeting held on 11^th March 2010 which were:

·  car parking proposals

·  the travel plan

·  match day parking

·  scale

The Panel was informed that the original proposal included 500 car

parking spaces which was a significant overprovision on UDP standards and Highways Officers had raised concerns at this.  The revised proposals included 315 spaces in the multi-storey car park and surface parking for operational vehicles.  Within the mulit-storey car park space had been set aside to be available at all times to relocate operational vehicles during massing of police vehicles for large events

  A travel plan had now been submitted and agreed

  Regarding match day car parking, that the proposals would result in the loss of approximately 350 spaces but that the applicant had agreed to fund Traffic Regulation Orders in the order of £250,000 which was equivalent to providing parking permits for 69 streets around the football stadium.  Officers were of the view that this was considered to be reasonable and proportionate to the loss of match day parking; a plan of the area which would be considered for parking permits was displayed and Ward Members would be included in the negotiations to identify the streets in the area to be designated

  In respect of the scale of the proposals there was a 10.6 metre difference in height between the residential property at 277 Elland Road and the four storey building.  Graphics showing the lower scale of building at this point were displayed but Members were informed that the applicants were seeking to create a civic building on the site and were of the view that a lower scale detracted from the prominence the building was seeking to achieve

  Officers provided the following updates:

·  condition 21 within the report was no longer required

·  in respect of condition 18, - design of the site access junction – a revised junction arrangement had been submitted which would be considered, with the original proposal being a suitable fall back position if needed

·  page 47, the reference to 400 cars in the multi-storey car park should read 315

·  that refuse vehicles would not use Heath Road

Members discussed the following matters:

·  a possible reduction in scale of the building on Elland Road adjacent to the Heath Road junction and where larger building could be sited.  Officers stated that it might be possible to re-site the larger building in a less sensitive area but that detailed discussions on this had not taken place

·  the possibility of stepping back the building adjacent to 277 Elland Road whilst retaining the presence of the building

·  that the building should not be perceived as imposing

·  concerns at the reduction of match day parking and that this was something which Ward Members had never agreed to

·  acknowledgement of the implementation of TROs but concern at the relatively small area which had been identified for these; that parts of Cottingley and Holbeck suffered from match day parking as much as streets within the Cross Flatts area and that it was necessary to ensure that sufficient money was being provided for TROs in all of the affected areas

·  the need for meaningful consultation with Ward Members on this issue

The Head of Highways Development Services stated that discussions

with the developer had led to an area larger than the 350 spaces which would be displaced being agreed on for the implementation of TROs and this had been costed.  Whilst Officers were happy to discuss where the money could best be spent, Members were informed that further money to cover a larger area could not requested.  However, another development in the area was to be put forward and it was likely that as part of any approval, contributions for a permit scheme would be requested on that scheme

  Regarding the scale of the building it was agreed that this matter be left to Officers to negotiate through the discussion of the Reserved Matters application

  RESOLVED -  To approve the application in principle and to defer and delegate approval to the Chief Planning Officer subject to the conditions specified (and any others which he might consider appropriate); the deletion of condition 21 and rewording of condition 18 and following completion of a Section 106 Agreement to cover the following matters:

·  travel plan monitoring evaluation fee £4545

·  public transport improvements contribution of £101,814

·  Metro contributions of £20,000 for real time information at bus stop numbers 10104 and 12116

·  £250,000 contribution towards traffic regulation orders to surrounding residential streets as considered necessary by the Council to mitigate the loss of match day parking at the site

·  car parking levy charge if peak time vehicle trip rate targets within the travel plan are not met and/or provision of free bus metro cards to 9-5 staff

In the circumstances where the Section 106 Agreement has not been

Completed within 3 months of the resolution to grant planning permission, the final determination of the application to be delegated to the Chief Planning Officer