Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on applications for the second phase of Victoria Gate, specifically:

Application 14/01903/FU – For the use of the land as a shopper’s car park for a temporary 5 year period – land bounded by Vicar Lane, Lady Lane and Templar Place LS2 and

Application 14/01924/DEM – For a determination for demolition of the buildings; Lyons Works, Templar Street/Templar Lane/Templar Place, 100-104 Vicar Lane (former bus station), 108-116 Vicar Lane (Provident House), 1-5 and 7 Templar Street (former Park Lane College) and 130 Vicar Lane – land bounded by Vicar Lane, Lady Lane and Templar Place LS2

(report attached)

  Further to minute 157 of the City Plans Panel meeting held on 27^th February 2014, where Panel considered pre-application proposals for works to the Victoria Gate Phase 2 site in relation to car parking provision and demolition of buildings, Members considered the formal applications

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

  Officers presented the report and outlined the proposals for the car parking. Members were informed there were currently 542 car parking spaces, all of them long stay.  The proposals were to increase the number of parking spaces to 687, with these spaces being reorganised to provide 370 long stay spaces and 317 short stay spaces.  Disabled parking provision and parent and child spaces would also be provided.  The additional short stay parking would provide replacement parking spaces for those lost on the Union Street car park for the first phase of Victoria Gate and would also provide additional parking for nearby businesses as well as for theatre-goers

  Details of the landscaping proposals and boundary treatments were outlined

  In respect of the proposed demolitions, Members were informed that in view of Members’ comments in February about the demolition of Lyons Works, the developer had agreed to delay this for a period of 18 months to enable further discussions on the building in respect of the Phase 2 development of Victoria Gate

  Members were informed that the Templar Hotel was outside of the red line boundary and would be protected.  Although Templar House, a Grade II Listed Building was also outside of the red line boundary, the developer had agreed to undertake some minor improvement works to this building

  Members discussed the proposals, with the main issues relating to:

·  car park provision

·  the proposed demolitions

·  the position in respect of Lyons Works; whether the developer had been asked if Lyons Works had to be demolished and why an 18 month period of grace had been allowed for the building when the car parking application was for temporary use for 5 years

·  the extent of the improvement works to Templar House with the view that additional works should be carried out to those proposed by the developer

·  the North Bar Stone and whether this had been removed and stored, as requested by Members

·  the landscaping proposals for Vicar Lane and need for the planting to be sufficient to provide an obvious ‘stop’ along this street

  Officers provided the following responses:

·  that the developer had been asked about the need for Lyons Works to be demolished, with Members being informed that a viability statement had been submitted by the developer indicating the retention of the building was unviable.  The Chief Planning Officer stated that a helpful compromise had been reached on Lyons Works to explore its possible incorporation into a revised scheme for the second phase of Victoria Gate and that Panel would be fully engaged in this process

·  that Templar House played a key role in the second phase of the development and noting the comments made about the proposed improvement works to this building, the Chief Planning Officer suggested that a further report be presented to Panel setting out reasonable actions to secure the repair of the building

·  regarding the North Bar Stone, this was still in situ but was covered by a condition for its safe removal and storage prior to the commencement of works

The Panel considered how to proceed

RESOLVED -  

Application 14/01903/FU – To defer and delegate to the Chief

Planning Officer for approval, subject to the conditions set out in the submitted report, plus a condition relating to provision of cycle parking and any other conditions which he might consider appropriate

  Application 14/01924/DEM – To defer and delegate to the Chief Planning Officer for the demolition of buildings