Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer which sets out details of a Pre- Application for a new Educational Campus on the former Yorkshire Chemicals site at Cudbear Street, Hunslet Road and Black Bull Street, Hunslet, Leeds 10

(Report attached)

  Plans and graphics were displayed at the meeting

  Members considered a report of the Chief Planning Officer on preapplication proposals for a new educational campus at Cudbear Street, Hunslet Road and Black Bull Street, for Leeds College of Building and received a presentation on the proposals on behalf of the developers

  Reference was made to the application for a six storey data centre at Black Bull Street, which was approved by City Plans Panel at its meeting on 22^nd November 2012, with Members being informed that the site boundary for the proposed college campus overlapped with that of the Data Centre, meaning that the Data Centre could not be built in this location in its approved form

  Members were informed by a representative of the developers that a revised scheme for the Data Centre would be submitted and that there were no proposals to change the design of the building or the quality, with Members welcoming this

  Concerns were raised that when considering the Data Centre application, Members had stressed the importance of future developments relating to the design and quality of the approved scheme but that now a different scheme was being proposed, with the possibility of housing also being introduced on the site.  By way of response, Members were informed that the whole site was 7.5 acres and that as the Data Centre would take up only 1.5 acres, it was felt there was sufficient area left to create a development of quality and innovation which related well to its surroundings

  Members then considered the proposals for the first phase of the new Leeds College of Building Campus

  The following information was provided:

·  background details about the establishment of the college in 1962, its size, the number of sites it operated from; the fact that it was the only FE construction college in the UK and that several of its former students had won awards in building competitions around the world

·  the number of companies the college worked with and contracts it supported, including the Leeds Arena and that the proposed development would provide an opportunity to build in work placements and apprenticeships

·  that the proposals for a new campus would rationalise the colleges sites and bring three sites together under one roof, whilst providing better facilities for students and staff and enabling greater flexibility for the college to meet the needs of industry

·  the timeline for the scheme, if approved, which was to be on site in October 2013 and the building to be occupied by 2015

·  that there was an opportunity to create a unique building for Leeds and provide a greater prominence for the college, in a fairly central location on a sustainable site

·  that the site was within the South Bank Masterplan and that the design principles picked up on the main points of that design masterplan

·  the main entrance, leading on to a gathering space at the front of the building was an important feature of the design and gave the building prominence on Hunslet Lane

·  reference and respect had been paid to the adjacent Alf Cooke building, through reference to its proportions and brickwork, which would then be presented in a contemporary manner.  Reference had also been made to the traditional, saw-tooth design of workshop roofs, with this design being replicated in the design of the rooftops of the campus workshops

·  in terms of landscaping, the building had been set back by 5m to enable a good landscaping scheme to be provided

·  car parking for 50 cars and cycle parking would also be provided at the side of the building 

  Members commented on the following matters:

·  the site of the car park and whether the buildings could be reconfigured to enable this to be sited between the main building and the workshops, or located at the rear of the site, on the land which formed phase 2 of the proposals

·  the boundary treatment to the car park and the site beyond it and that some landscaping was required in this location

·  that consideration should be given to including a parapet at the top of the buildings to improve their visual appearance and definition

·  the design of the northern elevation; that this was very prominent along Black Bull Street and did appear stark

The following responses were provided:

·  that the site for the second phase of the proposals was not yet within the ownership of the applicant so using this for car parking for the first phase was not an option

·  that the location of classrooms and workshops was critical and had to provide an easy flow, so it would not be possible to relocate the car park from its proposed position

·  that there was the possibility for improved landscaping, with the treatment to the Fenton Street car park off Woodhouse Lane given as an example, which, through tree planting, effectively screened the car park

·  that the side and front elevation of the building would be seen together, although if it was felt too stark, consideration could be given to a different treatment or colour

  In response to the specific questions raised in the report for Panel’s

consideration, the following responses were provided:

·  that the proposed use of the site would be appropriate in principle

·  that in general, Members were satisfied with the form, massing, architectural treatment and materials would be appropriate to the character of the area and the setting of the Alf Cooke Printworks

·  to note Members’ comments about the need to improve the appearance of the car park and the need for a parapet on the buildings

·  that little detail had been provided about appropriate activity and natural surveillance to the surrounding streets and spaces.  On this issue the Chief Planning Officer stated that future developments on the wider site and in the south bank area would require enhanced pedestrian links across the area.  Whilst a green edged route was shown to the northern side of the site, it was not clear what the detail of this would be but that it would be a key route and therefore the handling of the boundary edge was of great importance to ensure a safe and attractive route through was provided

·  that in general, Members agreed that the strategy for public realm and landscaping at this site would be appropriate in principle

·  that Members agreed that it was necessary to secure significant pedestrian and cycle connectivity improvements from all new development in the immediate area (including this one) in order to enable safer walking and cycling routes from the railway station and bus stops to the west of the bus station in the central core, via the re-opened Hunslet Road

·  that in terms of pedestrian connections in this area, a new crossing on Crown Point Road should be provided with appropriate contributions from this proposals.  The Chief Planning Officer stated that the Alf Cooke Printworks scheme had sought contributions towards a new pedestrian crossing and the city park and that there would need to be some equity about how the applicant for this scheme would be treated.  On the Data Centre application, there was a suggestion made to calm the traffic on Crown Point Road and there was now a willingness from Highways to do this, so consideration had to be given to who would contribute to that

The Chair requested that a masterplan for the whole area

be provided, showing how this proposal, the revised location for the Data Centre and siting of housing in this area could be accommodated, together with highways and new links to the surrounding developments, including New Dock, to provide context for this evolving area of the City.  The Chief Planning Officer stated that this area was part of the Urban Eco Settlement and that the Council was keen to work with developers to achieve this

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