Agenda item

Further to minute 127 of the Plans Panel East meeting held on 23^rd October 2008 when Panel resolved to grant outline planning permission for a major residential development forming the Beeston Hill and Holbeck PFI scheme, to consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer in respect of the applications listed below, seeking to vary conditions relating to number of units, affordable housing, greenspace, education provision, public transport provision and land contamination and to extend the time limit of applications for residential development

 

10/02786/LA/10/02785/LA/10/02947/EXT –  Folly Lane

10/02780/LA/10/02779/LA/10/02887/EXT –  Holbeck Towers

10/02772/LA/10/02770/LA/10/02956/EXT –  1-21 Coupland Road

10/02774/LA/1002773/LA/10/02957/EXT –  1 - 4, 2 – 20 St Luke’s Green

10/02769/LA/10/02768/LA/10/02956/EXT – 15 – 44 Coupland Place

10/02778/LA/10/02777/LA/10/02952/EXT –  Malvern Rise

10/02783/LA/10/02782/LA/10/02955/EXT –  Waverley Garth

10/02776/LA/10/02775/LA/10/02954/EXT – 165-183&131 159 Malvern Road

10/02788/LA/10/02787/LA/10/02951/EXT – 53-133 Bismarck St and 1-75 Bismarck Drive

10/02748/LA/10/02781/LA/10/02949/EXT –  10 - 64 Fairfax Road

 

(report attached)

 

 

  Further to minute 127 of the Plans Panel East meeting held on 23^rd October 2008 where Panel resolved to grant outline planning permission for residential development on twelve sites comprising the Beeston Hill and Holbeck PFI scheme, Members considered a further report seeking variations to conditions in respect of ten of the sites

  Officers presented the report and informed the Panel that the project had reached the stage where two rival bidders had drawn up schemes for each of the sites and once a successful bidder had been selected, detailed Reserved Matters applications would be submitted

  Although outline permission was granted on twelve sites, only eight of these would be progressed to the detailed planning application stage.  Whilst ten sites were the subject of proposals to vary conditions, two of the sites could be subject to a future scheme but would not be progressed at this stage, these being the sites at Waverley Garth and Malvern Rise.  Members were also informed that the site at Cambrian Street had been removed from the project

  Members were informed that the original proposal was for approximately 700 dwellings being split between social housing and private dwellings.  Although a lesser number of homes would now be built – 275 - the revised scheme would provide 100% social housing

  Officers outlined the proposed variations in conditions which were set out in detail in the report before Panel

  Members were informed of the following amendments to the report:

·  paragraph 10.6 – it was not proposed to retain the requirement for a contribution towards education provision on the Bismarck Street/Drive and Holbeck Towers sites

·  that in all cases, the time limit for submission of Reserved Matters to be 3 years

Members commented on the following matters:

·  whether Ward Members had been consulted on the proposals

·  that the Council had consistently requested affordable housing on private developments over a certain size but it appeared there had been a u-turn in this case

·  which ALMO the sites came within.  Members were informed that the sites were within the control of Aire Valley Homes ALMO

·  planning contributions and how the figure of 50 had been arrived at as the threshold to attract developer contributions on certain schemes

·  whether a home zone aspect would be a feature of the developments

·  whether all safety implications had been considered, ie cctv, gates etc

·  the importance of Ward Members being involved in all stages of PFI schemes; the need to ensure time limits for construction were included and that there was full understanding of the amount of leeway contractors seemed to have, for example in respect of the materials to be used in construction

·  the need to ensure local training and employment opportunities

·  whether the principle of mixed development had been lost and that this should be referred back to Environment and Neighbourhoods Department

 

Councillor Finnigan declared a personal interest as a member of Aire

Valley Homes ALMO

  Discussion ensued on whether the fact that Councillor Gruen is the Executive Member for Neighbourhoods and Housing, with responsibility for affordable housing should be precluded

  The Panel’s Legal representative stated that there was no legal principle to prevent a member with executive functions from taking part in the determination of a planning application at Panel.  Councillor Gruen stated that he had not had any previous involvement in the matters before Panel and that whilst his Executive responsibilities incorporated affordable housing this was in the context of a general remit and not in the context of promoting these particular development proposals

  Officers provided the following responses:

·  that a summary of the report had been provided to all the Ward Members

·  The Head of Planning Services stated that the nature of the PFI programme had changed and that Officers had attempted to assess it as a whole.  Although the number of sites being developed had decreased, they would provide 100% affordable housing, with two sites not providing any, but that this would still result in a higher number of affordable units being provided.  On the 100% affordable housing sites there would not be education or public transport contributions but these would be required on the private sites if more than 50 dwellings were built on any one site.  Consideration also had to be given to whether there was a need for additional education and public transport provision due to the reduction in the amount of accommodation being provided

·  that the threshold for developer contributions to education provision had been  included in the SPD of 2001 which was currently being reviewed

·  that the detailed design issues would be considered at Reserved Matters stage

·  that a condition relating to training and employment was attached to the outline planning permission

The Chair requested that Officers take back the concerns raised by

Members to the Director of Environment and Neighbourhoods

  RESOLVED -  To defer and delegate approval of the applications listed below to the Chief Planning Officer subject to the conditions set out in the appendix to the submitted report, subject to in all cases, condition no 2 being amended to read ‘ time limit – 3 years for submission of RM …’ and following the expiry of the consultation time period (10^th August 2010) relating to the additional site notes which have been posted as set out in section 6 of the submitted report: and no new issues being raised

 

Folly Lane –     Outline application number 08/03012/LA

10/02786/LA    removal of condition 3 and variation of conditions 4, 5, 6

10/02785/LA –   removal of condition 7

10/02947/EXT -   extension of time application

 

  Holbeck Towers-   Outline application number 08/03018/LA

  10/02780/LA  removal of conditions 3 and 5 and variation   of conditions 4, 6, 18, 19

  10/02779/LA   removal of condition 7

  10/02887/EXT  extension of time application

 

  1-21 Coupland Road  Outline application number 08/04065/LA

10/02772/LA  removal of condition 3 and variation of conditions 4, 5, 6

10/02770/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02956/EXT  extension of time application

 

1-4, 2-20 St Luke’s Green  Outline application number 08/04066/LA

10/02774/LA  removal of condition 3, variation of conditions 4, 5, 6

10/02773/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02957/EXT  extension of time application

 

15-44 Coupland Place  Outline application number 08/04067/LA

10/02769/LA   removal of condition 3 and variation of conditions 4, 5, 6

10/02768/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02958/EXT  extension of time application

 

Malvern Rise  Outline application number 08/04272/LA

10/02778/LA   removal of conditions 3 and 5 and variation of conditions 4, 6

10/02777/LA   removal of condition 7

10/02952/EXT  extension of time application

 

Waverley Garth  Outline application number 08/04274/LA

10/02783/LA  removal of condition 3, variation of conditions 4, 5, 6

10/02782/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02955/EXT  extension of time application

 

165-183 &   Outline application number 08/04276/LA

131-159 Malvern Road

10/02776/LA  removal of condition 3 and variation of conditions 4, 5, 6

10/02775/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02954/EXT  extension of time application

 

53-133 Bismarck Street  Outline application number 08/04334/LA

& 1-75 Bismarck Drive

10/02788/LA  removal of conditions 3 and 5 and variation of 4 and 6

10/02787/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02951/EXT  extension of time application

 

10-64 Fairfax Road  Outline application number 08/4335/LA

10/02784/LA  removal of condition 3 and variation of conditions 4,5,6

10/02781/LA  removal of condition 7

10/02949/EXT  extension of time application

 

(Councillor Coulson left the meeting at this point)