Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on the current position on an outline application for mixed use redevelopment including A1, A3, A4 and A5 uses, offices (B1), residential (C3), medical centre, (D1), college (D1), student residential accommodation, multi storey car park, basement car parking, access and open space

(report attached)

  Plans, photographs, including a historic image of Quarry Hill Flats, and graphics were displayed at the meeting.  A Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  The Panel considered a report of the Chief Planning Officer setting out the current position in respect of a major mixed use development at Quarry Hill which comprised 6 buildings around a centralised pedestrian route.  It was noted that a previous outline application for the central part of the Quarry Hill site was approved in principle by City Plans Panel in 2005 but as the S106 agreement was not signed, the application was never approved

  Details of the mix of uses were provided.  Members were informed that a flexible approach was being sought in terms of two of the buildings for office use/education use/student accommodation, depending upon the market conditions prevailing at the time of construction

  Matters of scale, layout and public realm were also outlined to Panel

  Members discussed the proposals, with the main issues raised being:

·  the importance of understanding the surrounding context including extant planning permissions and for the development to link into Victoria Gate at the bottom of Eastgate

·  the courtyards and the amount of sunlight these would receive and that rooftop gardens might be more appropriate in this location

·  the possibility of a fully accessible, ramped route being incorporated into the main pedestrian east-west route proposed through the site

·  the need for good design in terms of the pedestrian access arrangements and for improved linkages to the rest of the City Centre

·  to bear in mind the proximity of the District Heating system and that it could be linked to the proposed development

·  car parking arrangements and the need to ensure sufficient car parking remains on site through the construction process, to serve the West Yorkshire Playhouse

  In respect of the specific point raised in the report, the following comments were provided by Members

·  that Members were happy with the approach being adopted in relation to determining the mix and size of residential flats at reserved matters stage and that the housing need would be assessed closer to the point of likely construction

·  on student housing provision, concerns were raised that the site was some distance from the main higher education establishments, although it was accepted that the College of Music was close by.  Some concerns were raised about the mix of student accommodation and residential on the same site, with the Deputy Area Planning Manager suggesting any concerns about this be addressed by not siting these two types of accommodation in the same building

·  that the range of city centre uses proposed were acceptable on the site, including the proposed flexible uses for two of the buildings

·  that the footprints of the buildings, including the readjustment to the building corners at the western end of the site were acceptable

·  that the heights of the buildings proposed were acceptable to a point, although there were concerns about the impact of high buildings on the amount of shadowing this would cause in the courtyards

·  that the amount of open space on the site was acceptable

·  that as development commences, there was a need for a strategy for the phasing and layout of open space and routes to ensure the site could be properly accessed as the development progresses.  On this matter, the Panel insisted that the car parking which would be lost to the development would be re-provided before the development commenced

RESOLVED -  To note the report and the comments now made

During consideration of this matter, Councillor Hamilton left the meeting