Agenda and minutes

  The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and asked Members and Officers to introduce themselves

To declare any personal/prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81(3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members Code of Conduct

  The following Members declared personal/prejudicial interests for the purpose of Section 81(3) of the Local Government Act 2000 and paragraphs 8 to 12 of the Members Code of Conduct

  Applications 08/05307/FU and 08/05309/CA – 14 – 28 The Calls LS2 – Councillors Hanley and Monaghan declared personal interests as members of Leeds Civic Trust which had commented on the proposals (minute 52 refers)

  Application 09/04615/RM – Archive Building Western Campus University of Leeds Moorland Road – Councillor Hamilton declared a personal and prejudicial interest through being employed by Leeds University who were the applicants (minute 53 refers)

Apologies for absence were received from Councillor Latty.  The Chair welcomed Councillor Wilkinson who was substituting for Councillor Latty

To approve the minutes of the Plans Panel City Centre meeting held on 5^th November 2009

(minutes attached)

  RESOLVED -  That the minutes of the Plans Panel City Centre meeting held on 5^th November 2009 be approved

  Further to minute 37 of the Plans Panel meeting held on 5^th November 2009, the Head of Planning Services informed Members that following a recruitment exercise, Daljit Singh had been appointed to the post of Area Planning Manager for Central Area Team, pending a restructure within Planning Services

  Members congratulated Daljit on his temporary appointment

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on an application for alterations and extension to form offices and A3/A4 bar restaurant development and erection of a 5 storey office block with basement car parking and public landscaped area, together with a Conservation Area application for demolition of the Mission Hut and 28 The Calls

(report attached)

  Further to minute 6 of the Plans Panel City Centre meeting held on 18^th June 2009 where Members considered a position statement for a mixed use development, car parking and public landscaped area at 14-28 The Calls and associated Conservation Area application for the demolition of the Mission Hut and 28 The Calls, the Panel considered the formal application

  Plans, photographs and graphics were displayed at the meeting

  Members were informed that the applicant had submitted a letter after the agenda had been despatched raising issues about the viability of the S106 contribution.  As a result Officers would need to review a financial viability statement submitted by the applicant so Panel would be unable to determine the application at the meeting.  However Members’ views were sought on the revisions which had been made to the scheme since it was last presented in June

  For the purposes of identification of the two buildings, these would be referred to by their new names of the Warehouse Hill building and the Atkinson building

  The revisions to the scheme were outlined and comprised:

·  alteration of the form and extent of the overhang on the Warehouse Hill building and removal of the columns which would lead to more open views of the River Aire from The Calls

·  amendments to the entrance to the Warehouse Hill building to create an improved relationship and connection with The Calls

·  introduction of a stone plinth to the Warehouse Hill building which would create a strong base to the building, provide vertical emphasis and visually link the building with the riverside walkway

·  reorganisation of windows to provide a vertical emphasis to the Warehouse Hill building facing the river

·  clearer definition of the roof form which would be expressed by a floating façade of copper

·  improved relationship to the residential units at 32 The Calls and the creation of a wider public route

·  improvements to the visual link from the ‘contemplative space’, so reducing the possible risk of anti-social behaviour

·  increased openness of the public space through remodelling the space within the Atkinson building

Officers reported that following these revisions, Leeds Civic Trust now

supported the scheme but had raised minor concerns regarding:

·  the importance of the detailing of the junctions from the stone plinth to the brickwork above it

·  the need for increased greenery within the scheme

·  that no external plant should be sited on the roof of the buildings

Leeds Civic Trust had also requested that every effort should be made

to link the site across to 32 The Calls, but accepted that this area was in a different ownership

  Receipt of a letter of objection was reported which raised concerns as to how the application had been dealt with and the impact of the A3/A4 uses on nearby residents’ amenity

  Members were of the view that the current scheme was much improved on the previous one and commented on the following matters:

·  the irregular aligned windows on the Warehouse Hill building and whether this detracted from the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on a Reserved Matters application for a three storey university archive building with exhibition, conference space and associated offices

(report attached)

  Having declared a personal and prejudicial interest, Councillor Hamilton vacated the chair and withdrew from the meeting

  Councillor Monaghan was nominated and elected to chair this item

  Councillor Monaghan in the Chair

  Further to minute 21 of the Plans Panel City Centre meeting held on 13^th August 2009 where Panel agreed an outline application for the scale and position of a document archive store as part of a University development of three buildings around a collegiate-style green, Members considered a Reserved Matters application for an archive building which would be used by the University Library and by Marks and Spencer to house their archive collection which was currently sited in London

  Plans, graphics, drawings and a sample panel of the proposed cladding were displayed at the meeting

  Officers presented the report and informed Members that the building would align with the corner of the Charles Thackray building and be oriented to the campus green

  The entrance to the building would be from the green and would feature raised planters and formal seating outside

  At ground level there would be a reception and exhibition area with opportunities for reading rooms/ seminar rooms.  An internal plant area together with kitchen and office facilities would also be located on this floor and there would be two stair cores; one with a lift

  The next level would not be publicly accessible and would contain the Marks and Spencer strong room and archive materials.  This level would also provide some library storage space for the University as would the top floor

  The building was functional in design and comprised stainless steel pleated cladding which would be chemically coloured in a bronze colour.  The cladding would be arranged along the building to enable the pleats to change direction and add visual interest.  The highly reflective panels had been used on the Millennium Building in Cardiff and had proved to be highly weather resistant.  The panels would be pre-formed and have 5mm joints which would give a seamless appearance

  At ground level the proposed materials would be curtain wall glazing and brick cladding.  Two wall features would extend from either end of the building which due to the land levels, would hide the plant from the sports centre at the rear and also help define the bank of trees from the formal landscaping to the front of the building

  A delivery area to the east of the building would be accessed from the existing Clarendon Road and Moorland Road access and exits;  three disabled parking spaces would be provided outside the entrance to the building

  In terms of landscaping proposals, trees in raised planters would be situated at the front of the building and a double bank of trees was proposed around the college green area, the site of which would also be levelled out and include a diagonal footpath 3m – 6m in width

  There was a requirement for roof-top plant and this had been carefully sited to ensure that views of the plant reduced  ...  view the full minutes text for item 53.

Thursday 7^th January 2010 at 1.30pm

  Thursday 7^th January 2010 at 1.30pm in the Civic Hall, Leeds