Agenda item

To consider a report by the Chief Planning Officer which sets out details of an application for the remodelling of the former Majestic Night Club to create a 6 storey office building with ground floor and commercial B1/A1/A3/A4/D2 uses. Creation of office floors behind retained outer walls and new glazed elevation to roof top addition at City Square, Leeds 1.

(Report attached)

The Chief Planning Officer submitted a report which set out details of an application for the remodelling of the former Majestic Night Club to create a 6 storey office building with ground floor and commercial B1/A1/A3/A4/D2 uses. Creation of office floors behind retained outer walls and new glazed elevation to roof top addition at City Square, Leeds 1.

Site photographs and plans were displayed and referred to throughout the discussion of the application.

Addressing the proposal the Chief Planning Officer highlighted the following:

·  Following a fire in 2014 a substantial part of the building’s interior and the majority of the roof were lost, much of the external fabric of the building remained intact

·  The proposal was for a primarily office-led scheme of approximately 6,000 sqm floor space with ground and lower ground levels capable of accommodating Class B1/A1/A3/A4 and D2 uses

·  The new glazed roof was designed to respond to the height of the 2 neighbouring buildings in City Square.

·  The rear wall of the building would be reconstructed to accommodate the insertion of new floor plates

·  The upper floors would be set back resulting in the top floors appearing dome-like when viewed from the ground

·  New windows would be introduced in the original façade at the upper floor levels along Wellington Street and Quebec Street elevations, new windows were also proposed at ground level to either side of the main entrance.

·  The rebuilding of the rear Palm Court area

·  The re-interpretation of many features which had been destroyed, including 1920’s styling

·  Use of high quality materials to be used throughout

·  Entrance canopies to be refined and reduced to a scale commensurate to the proposed use

The Panel then heard from representatives of the Cinema Theatre Association who were objecting to the proposal and referred to the following:

·  The mains grounds of the objection was the fact that more of the original features/ materials should have been retained, in particular the  Palm Court structure

·  The proposed glazed roof was miss-conceived, it was too tall and should be reduced to its original height

·  A photographic record of the building should be retained for historic purposes

·  The were no objections to the proposed office use 

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

·  Very little remained of the original Palm Court fabric

·  The proposals would save the building and bring a new use for the site

·  There was a need to retain the spirit of the building

·  What was proposed was a sympathetic treatment of the building 

The applicant’s representative addressed the Panel, speaking in detail about the proposal and highlighted the following:

·  The proposal would create a long term sustainable use for the building

·  The Majestic building occupied a prominent site within City Square

·  A period of 50 years has elapsed since the building had operated as a cinema

In response to Members comments and questions, the following issues were discussed:

·  Very little of the original building remained

·  The proposed office use was an appropriate use for the building

·  The new glazed roof (a crown veil) added quality to the design

·  A suggestion was made that the glazed roof appeared to be too dominant (Officers pointed out that glass often looked dark and could be sympathetic to the dark appearance of the original roof)

·  Six storey’s in height was compatible with the existing building heights in the area

·  Members welcomed the art deco detailing within the redesigned canopy

·  Members welcomed the design of the building suggesting it was a classical/ elegant design with a modern addition, the proposal would make a positive impact on the street scene

In summing up the Chair suggested that there appeared to be a good deal of support for the proposal.

RESOLVED –

(i)  That application No. 16/04913/FU be deferred and delegated to the Chief Planning Officer for approval, subject to the conditions specified in the submitted report with additional conditions concerning the design and treatment of the canopies, the treatment of the glass to the upper floors  to emphasise the verticality of the solar shading treatment (and any other conditions which he may consider necessary) and following the completion of a Section 106 Agreement to cover the matters:

·  Travel Plan review fee of £5,300

·  Car club membership package of £6,800

·  Jobs and skills priority for local people

In the event of the Section 106 Agreement not being completed   within 3 months of the Panel resolution to grant planning   permission, final determination of the application be delegated to the Chief Planning Officer

(ii)  That application No. 16/04914/LI (Listed Building consent) be approved subject to the conditions specified in the submitted report (and any other conditions which the Chief Planning Officer may consider necessary)