Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on an application for alterations and extension to form officers and A3/A4 bar/restaurant development and erection of a 5 storey office block with basement car parking and public landscape area, along with a Conservation Application for the demolition of the Mission Hut and 28 The Calls, Leeds. The Panel previously considered a report on the proposals 1^st July 2010 (minute 6 refers)

(Report attached)

  Further to minute 6 of the Plans Panel City Centre meeting held on 1^st July 2010 where Panel deferred consideration of a riverside development at 14-28 The Calls for additional information, the Panel considered a further report of the Chief Planning Officer

  Plans, drawings, graphics and an image of Atkinson Grimshaw’s 1880 painting ‘Leeds Bridge’ were displayed at the meeting

  Officers presented the report and referred to the areas where Members had sought additional information and how these aspects had been addressed, these being:

·  landscaping provision – additional soft landscaping was proposed with an increase in the number of trees being provided along the terrace, with these being Alders which were waterside trees and the addition of a raised stone planter to replace the ‘contemplation’ space

·  the design and position of the pedestrian crossing – that Members’ comments expressed at the previous meeting had been considered, however as The Calls formed part of the loop road around the city centre, a crossing area which gave priority to pedestrians was likely to result in accidents, with evidence of this having occurred in similar locations.  In terms of using cobbles/sett paving to complement the existing cobbles on The Calls, these would not be suitable for pedestrians and wheelchair users and changes to surfacing would require extensive construction and would be prohibitive on the grounds of cost.  In view of this, a standard signalised pedestrian crossing was the preferred approach

·  the visual height of the Warehouse Hill building together with the detailing of its base – the visual impact of this building had been reduced through raising the brick balustrade and reducing the depth of the roof covering. In respect of the stone plinth, this would incorporate further detailing at each course. The Civic Architect, Mr Thorp, highlighted the similarities which now existed between this building and the one depicted in Grimshaw’s 1880 painting

·  the detailing of the riverside elevation of the Atkinson building – that a punched vertical emphasis within a brick elevation was now proposed

A request for an extension of the time limit from 3 years to 5 years had

been sought to provide the applicant with a level of flexibility, if Panel was minded to approve the application, with Officers stating they were satisfied with this

The Panel discussed the revisions and commented on the following

matters:

·  the proposed demolition of 24 The Calls and whether it had been established that this building could not be retained

·  concerns at the proposed tree species with the view that Willows might be more suitable

·  whether the view against using cobbles/sett paving was due to traffic noise in view of this part being the least used section of the loop road

·  that this was a special part of the city and that a standard highways solution might not be appropriate in this location and could look incongruous

·  whether there was a need for a pedestrian crossing to be provided

·  that a 5 year time limit attached to any approval was acceptable

Officers provided the following comments:

·  that a structural report had been commissioned which had stated there was little of the original fabric of 24 The Calls remaining, with what did exist being in very poor condition and not viable to convert. Because of this, its demolition was justified

·  concerning the highways issues, that the Chief Planning Officer would discuss these with the Chief Officer Highways and Transportation

Members considered how to proceed, with concerns being raised that it

was necessary to be satisfied on the highways elements of the scheme before reaching a final decision on the applications

  The Head of Planning Services stated that rather than delay the whole scheme for something which was outside the developer’s control to resolve might not be seen to be fair. However, it was accepted there were concerns about the details of the crossing proposal and that these could be brought back to Panel at a future date

  RESOLVED -  

  Application 08/05307/FU

  To defer and delegate to the Chief Planning Officer for approval subject to the conditions in the submitted report, including an increase in the time limit for the scheme from 3 years to 5 years (and any others which he might consider appropriate) and the completion of a Section 106 agreement, to include the following obligations:

-  index linked public transport contribution of £115,627

-  implementation of travel plan and monitoring fee of £4000

-  car club trial membership of £7625

-  provision of on-street car club space and compensation for loss of revenue

-  management and accessibility to public areas

-  employment and training initiatives

-  monitoring fee

In 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 shall be delegated to the Chief Planning Officer

  That in respect of details of the proposed crossing, that the Chief Planning Officer undertake discussions on this with the Chief Officer Highways and Transportation and that a further report on this matter be presented to Panel in due course

  Application 08/05309/CA

  To grant consent subject to the conditions set out in the submitted report