Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on an application setting out proposed alterations to public open space at Victoria Gardens, The Headrow, Leeds LS1

(Report attached)

  Plans, graphics and historical images were displayed at the meeting

  Officers presented the report which sought permission for alterations to Victoria Gardens at the Headrow which were to be wholly sponsored by Marks and Spencer PLC to mark their centenary and links with the city

  The Civic Architect, Mr Thorp, outlined the history of the site with Members being informed that the original intention had been to implement Sir Reginald Blomfield’s 1925 scheme for a building on the Victoria Gardens site which mirrored that on the opposite side of the Headrow, formerly the Leeds Permanent Building Society.  Whilst Sir Reginald had begun to implement his scheme at this corner and progressed down to Appleyard’s Petrol Filling Station in Eastgate, the Council reconsidered the adjacent area with the original proposal being discounted and Victoria Gardens being completed during World War II, with the War Memorial being resited there from City Square

  In 1996 there had been a further opportunity to refurbish this area, however the Millennium Commission had selected Millennium Square as the primary project to receive funding, leaving Victoria Gardens in need of some improvement

  The Head of Planning Services stated that the area was an important feature and was critical in terms of event space in the city. Whilst the basic form of the space would remain the same, the proposals would remove the raised step between the planters to create a level access from all parts of the site; replace the cracked stone slabs; provide new seating, litter bins and signage; upgrade the large chess boards and introduce smaller boards into the coping stones of the existing planters and replace the trees along The Headrow frontage with 26 London Plane Trees. These would be clipped in a square shape on a clear stem which would be a minimum of 2.4m in height and would be uplit and underplanted with early spring flowering bulbs

  Members were informed that the Victoria Cross and Leeds PALS memorials would be retained as would the Italian Alder, the Joseph Beuys Oak and the two Oaks in front of the library, although these two trees would be subject to some crown pruning

  The Panel was informed that the proposals provided the opportunity for further trees to be planted in the city centre.  Whilst a condition to this effect had been included, Recreation Services had indicated they were not unsympathetic to this and if minded to approve the application, condition 7 requiring submission of off site tree planting adjacent to the Civic Hall should be deleted to enable this to be resolved between the Chief Planning Officer and the Chief Recreation Officer

  Members commented on the following matters:

·  that whilst the offer of works to Victoria Gardens was welcomed, there were other areas around the city in more need of attention

·  that there should be no change to the name of the gardens

·  that ideally the area outside the Town Hall would benefit from being included in the proposals, but an acceptance that the funding could not include this area

·  that the interest shown by Marks and Spencer to commemorate their beginnings in Leeds was welcomed

·  that the improved chess facilities were welcomed but that there was the opportunity for other games to be laid out to appeal to a greater number of people; concerns that the number of large chess boards was being reduced from 3 to 2 and had been re-sited away from their current position in the corner, which was considered to be the appropriate location for them

·  concerns at the proposed removal of the planter adjacent to the chess boards as this acted as a barrier to the loop traffic

·  the need for further details to be provided on the proposed benches and street furniture; that there should be a move away from stainless steel seating; that the benches should be comfortable and that replica art deco seats could be considered as a replacement for the original art deco benches which had been removed some years ago

·  whether consideration should be given to siting the War Memorial centrally within the site, with mixed views on the appropriateness of this

A discussion on the proposed landscaping proposals ensued, with the

following comments being made:

·  concern at the loss of the flowering cherry trees along The Headrow and that they provided much needed colour in the area

·  the information in the report which stated that the existing trees were not suitable due to the pollution levels and in time, they would need to be replaced

·  the suitability of London Plane trees; their vigorous growth and their need for high level maintenance, particularly due to the manicured form which was being proposed

·  that currently there were 16 trees in the planters; that these would be replaced by 26 trees and that unless their growth was carefully managed, the end result could be a dense hedge which could impact on views of the buildings behind them

·  that London Plane trees were not evergreen and so for several months of the year would appear as bare branches

·  the need for a maintenance agreement with Recreation Services to ensure the trees would be maintained as shown on the drawings presented to Panel

·  whether the shape proposed for the trees was the most suitable

·  the need for colour to be included within the scheme in addition to the underplanting with bulbs and light treatment

Officers, including the Principal Landscape Architect, provided the

following comments:

·  that there had been no suggestion that the applicants were seeking to change the name of Victoria Gardens

·  that whilst the scope of the scheme could not cover everything, substantial improvements, particularly provision of disabled access, would be achieved

·  that oak and stainless steel seating was being considered but that the stylistic reference to the previous art deco benches could be useful to consider

·  that several options had been considered for the landscaping treatment of the scheme, including the removal of the planters.  Whilst this option had been discarded it meant that a limited soil volume still remained, although the proposals would re-engineer soil volumes and provide underground irrigation

·  that climate change had to be considered and that London Plane trees would grow there and be effective in clipped forms

·  that the site fronted the city’s Art Gallery and the Henry Moore Institute and perhaps was a part of the city where one could expect sculptural treatment, so giving the landscaping an artistic value

The Panel considered how to proceed in view of the issues which had

been raised.  Concerns were expressed that matters of personal taste were influencing consideration of the planning application and that with the exception of the trees, all of the proposed conditions set out in the report were acceptable

  A proposal to accept the Officer’s recommendation was made and seconded but was not approved by the majority of the Panel

  RESOLVED -  That determination of the application be deferred and that the Chief Planning Officer be asked to submit a report to the next meeting to cover the following matters:

·  details on the proposed litter bins and benches

·  the opportunity to lay out other games in the site

·  further information about the use of London Plane trees; the shape to be created; the maintenance requirements and how those would be achieved