Agenda item

To receive a report of the Chief Planning Officer detailing Planning Application - 16/02175/FU : Demolition of existing building and erection of part 6, part 8 storey student accommodation building comprising 96 studio apartments, ancillary student amenity areas and two commercial units in A1, A2 or A3 use, 67-83 Cookridge Street, Leeds 2.

The Chief Planning Officer submitted a report which detailed a planning application – Demolition of existing building and erection of part 6, part 8 storey student accommodation building comprising 96 studio apartments, ancillary student amenity areas and two commercial units in A1, A2 or A3 use, 67-83 Cookridge Street, Leeds 2.

Site photographs and plans were displayed and referred to throughout the discussion of the application. Members had also attended a site visit prior to discussion of the item.

Further issues highlighted in relation to the application included the following:

• The importance of the development relating to the historic buildings in the area;
• That the area proposed for development was sensitive; and
• That the stone to be used was good quality sandstone.

In response to Members comments and questions the following was discussed:

• The layout of the apartments and how to best use the space available;
• The level of demand for student accommodation in the city centre, considering the number of recent developments and the need for careful consideration for how much student accommodation Leeds required;
• The report agreed by Executive Board on 4^th September 2013 in relation to purpose built student housing provision in the city centre and the requirement for a needs based criteria to be included in the application of policy H6B of the Core Strategy;
• That the design looked very “busy” and that the visual impact of this was not particularly appealing;
• The amount of green space that would be available to residents and the public; and
• That the building be designed so that it could be easily converted to standard flats for the open market.

Simon Grundy of Indigo, representing the applicant, addressed the Panel commenting that within the last two years there had been an increase in demand for purpose built student housing especially for self-contained studios.

The City Centre Team Leader commented that the September 2013 Executive Board position to apply a test of need for student housing was considered at the public examination of the Core Strategy and not supported. Policy H6B of the  Core Strategy was subsequently adopted in November 2014 without the requirement for a needs based assessment and that the development proposal should be tested against the adopted policy.

The City Centre Team Leader clarified that the only external space to be delivered would be private courtyard areas at first floor level for the occupiers of the flats.

The Head of Development Management addressed the Panel commenting that the detailed design of the front elevation could be addressed through consideration of the details to be submitted pursuant to Condition 16 at Appendix 1 of the submitted report.

RESOLVED

To approve the application in principle and defer and delegate the final decision to the Chief Planning Officer subject to the conditions set out at Appendix 1 of the submitted report and finalising the Section 106 agreement with the obligations outlined in the report. Additional conditions agreed during discussion on the item included:

• The design of the front elevation to be re-considered by the developer pursuant to Condition 16 detailed within Appendix 1 of the submitted report.