Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Chief Planning Officer regarding an application for the change of use, extensions, part demolition and alterations to form 32 no, extra care apartments and ancillary facilities for older people

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

  Officers presented the report which sought approval for extensions and alterations to 29-31 Moor Road Headingley LS6, which was situated in the Far Headingley Conservation Area.  The proposals were to create 32 extra care apartments for people aged 60 or over who had a personal care requirement, each with an accompanying family member or person with a close personal relationship to the occupier

  The proposals were outlined to Members with details of the separation distances from the property to neighbouring dwellings being provided.  To assist the Panel, a graphic submitted by the applicant was circulated, for information

  Members were informed that the applicant had engaged with the Council over the design of the scheme; that it had been through the Design Review Panel, with Officers considering the proposals represented a positive solution for the site

  The receipt of three additional letters of representation was reported, one from Councillor S Bentley which was read out to Panel

  Members heard representations from an objector who attended the meeting and outlined his and neighbouring residents’ concerns about the proposals, which included:

·  the impact of the proposals on those residents who lived closest to the property

·  concerns about overlooking

·  the separation distances

·  that some of these issues could be mitigated against

·  the approach of the applicant

The Panel discussed the application and commented on the following

matters:

·  the possibility of reconfiguring the accommodation or reducing the number of units to provide a better outcome for the immediate neighbours.  Members were informed that five iterations of the scheme had been considered and that the applicant had indicated the level of units being provided could not go below 32 for viability reasons.  Officers had looked at similar schemes for comparative purposes, with these being larger at between 40-50 units.  Details were also provided of the revisions which had been made to the scheme to lessen its impact on adjacent residents

·  the appearance of the property.  The Council’s Conservation Officer advised there were no proposals to clean the stonework of the existing dwellings to match the stone of the new build element of the scheme

·  the location of the bin store

·  separation distances; that the report did not set out the full extent of these and that not all of these met the Council’s guidelines

·  the level of car parking provision at 18 spaces, with concerns this was not sufficient to cater for residents, staff and visitors etc

·  the design of the hipped roofs to the flat roofed section of the existing building

·  the absence of an image showing the proposed scheme from 25 Moor Road

The Panel considered how to proceed.  Although noting the high

quality care provided by the applicant in such settings, Members were of the view that currently there were several issues with the application which required further consideration

  RESOLVED -  To defer determination of the application to enable Officers to negotiate amendments to the scheme to reduce the impact on 25 Moor Road and provide an image of the scheme viewed from the side garden of this property; to give further consideration to the impact of the proposals to the houses to the rear of Castle Grove Avenue; the relocation of the bin store; that car parking levels be reconsidered as well as the design of the hipped roofs to the flat roofed section of the existing building and for the Chief Planning Officer to submit a further report on these matters to Panel in due course