Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on an application for the erection of a supermarket and associated infrastructure including car parking provision for 265 vehicles and petrol filling station

(report attached)

  Having declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in this matter, Councillor Nash withdrew from the meeting

Plans, photographs and graphics were displayed at the meeting.  A Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  Officers presented the report which related to an application for a supermarket with associated infrastructure, car parking and petrol filling station on land off Sandbeck Lane Wetherby LS22, a site which was surrounded by a range of uses, these being agricultural, industrial and residential as well as being in close proximity to the A1

  Members were informed that the site was allocated for employment use in the UDPR and that there was an extant outline permission for this use

  The proposals were for a 24 hour Asda supermarket which would offer 70% convenience goods and 30% comparison goods.  On-site car parking for 265 cars was proposed together with a petrol filling station.  An in-store café would be provided and an ATM.  In terms of job creation, the scheme would provide 200 full-time jobs

  In respect of public transport to the site, the applicant would fund the diversion of the X70 into the site for a period of five years, although this diversion would not run on an evening or on Sundays

  The realignment of an existing bridleway would be required and there would be some loss of trees, although there was the potential for replacement planting

  Attention was drawn to the context of the site in relation to Wetherby Town Centre and the retail offer which currently existed in the town.  Members were informed that the Morrisons supermarket was the main food retailer in the town centre; that planning permission had been granted for an extension to that store and that it acted as a focal point and anchor for the town

In terms of retail policy, Members were informed that the NPPF directed the proposed foodstore to main retail centres first and then to smaller centres.  The Council’s independent retail consultant had considered the impact of the proposed Asda store and had assessed that there would be a 30% diversion of trade from the Morrisons store, if extended; 23% diversion of trade from Wetherby Town Centre and 21% diversion of trade from the overall catchment area, with Panel being informed that this should be given significant weight when considering the application.  The remoteness of the site from Wetherby Town Centre at 1.2km away was also a factor; it was not an attractive walk from the site to the town and therefore it was unlikely to generate linked trips from the Asda store to the businesses and shops in Wetherby Town Centre

A revised travel plan had been recently submitted by the applicant but Officers had not been able to fully consider this.  Members were informed that they might wish to allow time for this to be looked at in detail or might wish to determine the application on what had been previously submitted

Members were informed that there was considerable support for the scheme, particularly the jobs which would be created and the increased choice a new supermarket would provide, however there was also considerable opposition to the proposals.  Having considered the application, Officers were of the view that it would have a significant adverse impact on the retail vitality of Wetherby Town Centre; that accessibility was poor and because of that would likely become a car borne destination and were recommending to Panel that the application be refused

If minded to accept the recommendation to refuse the application, Members were advised of a slight rewording of the first reason for refusal to acknowledge the likely negative impact of the proposals on planned investment in Wetherby Town Centre

Three further representations were reported, although it was stated that these did not raise any new issues

In view of the level of representations received, the Chair on this occasion allowed a period of up to 6 minutes per side for speakers to address the Panel

Members commented on the following matters:

·  the level of overtrading by Morrisons in Wetherby

·  that the proposals offered greater retail choice for local residents

·  public transport to the site

·  the design of the car parking in the scheme

·  whether Officers were satisfied on the size, design and scale of the proposals

·  future housing proposals in the area

·  that the proposals were contrary to planning guidance

·  that the proposals would not lead to linked trips and would deny trade to businesses in the town centre

·  the difficulty in regenerating Wetherby Town Centre if it lost its current vitality and viability

·  the possibility of another supermarket in this area being needed in the future but not necessarily at this time

The following responses were provided:

·  that the level off overtrading by Morrisons would balance out if the Asda store was granted planning permission, however the implications of this had to be considered in respect of Wetherby Town Centre as a whole and it was felt that the Asda proposals would have a serious adverse impact on other town centre businesses overall, particularly in respect of the potential level of linked trips between town centre businesses

·  that the X70 bus route would be reconfigured to take in the new store, however Metro was of the view that this would not be sustainable after the 5 year period of funding by the applicant

·  that there were no concerns about the design, car parking proposals, size and scale of the supermarket

·  that the housing site allocations considered by Executive Board had proposed housing in Wetherby and Thorp Arch but that this was at an early stage and in terms of outstanding housing proposals, there was the site at Spofforth Hill which Panel had received a pre-application presentation on at its meeting on 11^th April 2013

Members considered how to proceed

RESOLVED -  That the application be refused for the following

reasons:

1 The Local Planning Authority considers that the proposed retail store which would be located in an out- of-centre location, together with the absence of linked trips and lack of integration to the town centre, would likely to have a significant adverse impact on the vitality and viability of Wetherby town centre and is likely to have a negative impact on planned investment in Wetherby town centre.  The proposal is considered to be contrary to Policy S5 of the Unitary Development Plan Review (2006), the guidance contained within the National Planning Policy Framework and emerging Policies P5 and P8 of the Draft Core Strategy Leeds Local Development Framework

2 The Local Planning Authority considers that by virtue of the site’s location, poor access to public transport services and with limited scope for walking trips, the movements to and from the proposed retail store will be dominated by trips by the private car, contrary to Strategic Aim SA2 and Policy T2 of the Unitary Development Plans Review (2006), the guidance contained within the National Planning Policy Framework and emerging Policy T2 of the Draft Core Strategy Leeds Local Development Framework

3 The Local Planning Authority considers that the submitted Travel Plan is unacceptable as regards site assessment and audit, measures/actions, mode splits and targets, role of Travel Plan Co-ordinator and the form, timing and length of monitoring.  As such, the proposal is considered detrimental to the aims and objectives of sustainable transport, contrary to Strategic Aim SA2 and Policies GP5 and T2c of the Unitary Development Plan Review (2006), the Supplementary Planning Document ‘Travel Plans’ and the National Planning Policy Framework and emerging Policy T2 of the Draft Core Strategy Leeds Local Development Framework

Following consideration of this matter, Councillor Nash resumed her seat in the meeting