Agenda item

Further to minute 69 of the North and East Plans Panel meeting held on 31^st October 2013, where Panel received a pre-application presentation on a mixed used development at the Millennium Village, to consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer setting out the formal application for 189 new homes including affordable houses and elderly person’s apartments, together with commercial facilities, including retail and industrial units and outline application for additional industrial units

(report attached)

  Further to minute 69 of the North and East Plans Panel meeting held on 31^st October 2013, where Panel received a pre-application presentation on proposals for a mixed-use development at the Millennium Village, Park Lane Allerton Bywater, Members considered the formal application

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

  Officers presented the report and outlined the revisions to the scheme since it had last been presented, which now included a reduction in the number of residential units from 191 to 189; reduced scale and re-design of the commercial zone included in the full application and an outline application for additional commercial uses accessed off Bramwell Road

  The layout of the development was outlined, which would be in three components, with access arrangements also being highlighted.  Members were informed that the adjacent land – the former timber site - would not be prejudiced by the development under consideration

  The proposals for parking within the development were outlined, with Panel being informed that parking areas taken directly off Flockton Road and Haigh Moor Way, and that there would be a loss of some greenspace to accommodate the parking, something which had been raised in the pre-application presentation.  Local objections had been made to the loss of greenspace and whilst this had not originally been envisaged as part of the design code, it was a response to the parking problems which were currently taking place on the site

  Receipt of additional representations were reported which included one from Councillor J Lewis supporting residents’ concerns about parking on Beeston Way and that the applicant should fund parking restrictions.  Two further letters of objection from local residents were reported but that these had not raised any new issues

  If minded to approve the application an additional condition regarding investigation in respect of land stability should be included in response to comments which had been received from the Coal Authority

  The Panel heard representations from an objector who provided information to the Panel which included:

·  local concerns regarding parking and loss of greenspace

·  road speed issues

·  road safety concerns

·  ecological concerns

The Panel heard representations from the applicant’s representative

who provided information to Members which included:

·  details of the parking scheme

·  the rationale for the devised parking arrangements

  Members discussed the application, with the key areas of debate relating to:

·  loss of greenspace

·  the inclusion of flats over garages and whether this was against local planning policy.  The Panel’s Lead Officer advised that he was not aware of any policy which prohibited flats over garages

·  affordable housing and elderly persons apartments and whether the correct balance between these had been achieved.  Members were informed that the same approach to affordable housing had been used on the adjacent Barratt Homes site and had been successful

·  the land owned by Network Rail; the provision of a footpath along the former railway line but that houses were now proposed on part of this area and the reasons for this change

·  pedestrian and cycle access through the site and the need to include access arrangements to the land beyond at this stage.  The Chair advised that access beyond the site boundary would need to be dealt with if and when an application for that land was submitted

The Panel considered how to proceed

RESOLVED -  To defer and delegate approval to the Chief Planning

Officer subject to the conditions set out in the submitted report; an additional condition requiring investigation in respect of land stability and the completion of a Section 106 agreement to secure the following:

·  Affordable housing – 28 units

·  Education – Primary - £118,893

  Secondary - £338,592

·  Off-site greenspace - £17,649

·  Bus stop real time information - £10,000

·  Employment and training initiatives

In the circumstances where the Section 106 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