Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Chief Planning Officer regard a pre-application presentation for a proposed residential development.

This is a pre-application presentation and no formal decision on the development will be taken, however it is an opportunity for Panel Members to ask questions, raise issues, seek clarification and comment on the proposals at this stage. A ward member or a nominated community representative has a maximum of 15 minutes to present their comments. 

  Plans, graphics, drawings and photographs 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 pre-application proposals for a residential scheme at Holbeck Urban Village (HUV)

Officers outlined the background to the proposals and informed Members that Igloo Regeneration, the proposed developer, had a track record of providing highly sustainable developments and creating vibrant communities.  It was noted that Igloo owned and had developed the Round Foundry and Temple Works, with the subject site being the last element of the  long-term plan for this unique area

The Panel then received a presentation on the proposals from the developer’s agent, with information being provided on:

·  layout – that the site provided four active frontages, each one facing a different area; that the central area provided the undercroft car park which would be accessed off David Street

·  building heights; that the existing building heights in HUV had been considered and respected in the proposals, with the town houses being three storey and the two apartment blocks being six storeys in height

·  amenity space and facilities – all houses would have a garden or terrace space, with each apartment having a balcony area; a ground floor commercial/retail unit was also proposed

·  design; lighting and materials

Members discussed the proposals and commented on the following

matters:

·  the size of the rooftop garden space.  It was clarified by the developer’s architect that this space was 12m wide

·  that the heritage references within the design of the scheme were welcomed

·  concerns about the massing of the apartments, particularly in relation to their dominance of the town houses

·  the size of the town houses; that these were not three storey, as a small basement area was being counted and that an extra storey should be provided on the houses but that the width of these should be narrower

·  the height of the apartment block, with mixed views about this

·  the nature of the tenure of the properties

In response to the specific issues raised in the submitted report, the

Panel provided the following comments:

·  that the principle of proposed uses were considered to be appropriate to Holbeck Urban Village and that Members were comfortable with a mixed use

·  to note there were mixed views on the emerging design and scale of the proposals

·  that Members were broadly satisfied with the emerging mix and standard of residential accommodation proposed

·  that the proposed car and cycle parking provision and access arrangements were acceptable, however the Panel noted the comments of the Transport Development Services Manager who raised concerns about the provision of two access points off David Street and that further work should be carried out to establish the possibility of not using David Street to directly access the car park

·  that the landscaped proposals were considered to be appropriate and to note that the elements of Wonderwood which required removal in order to develop the site, would be re-sited close by

·  that the approach to sustainability was considered to be acceptable

RESOLVED – To note the report, the presentation and the comments

now made