Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer and a presentation in respect of the redevelopment of the balance of undeveloped land at Thorpe Park to provide 160,000 sqm of development comprising B1 offices, retail (including a single large formal supermarket), leisure uses (including hotels) and food and drink uses.  The laying out of the Manston Lane Link Road is also proposed as is the provision of a new public park

(report attached)

This is a pre-application presentation and no formal decision on the development will be taken, however it is an opportunity for Panel Members to ask questions, raise issues, seek clarification and comment on the proposals at this stage.  There is no opportunity for public speaking about the proposals outlined in the presentation

Prior to consideration of these pre-application proposals, Councillor Nash and Councillor Wilkinson left the meeting

  Plans, photographs and graphics were displayed at the meeting.  A Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  Officers presented the report which outlined pre-application proposals for the redevelopment of the remaining land at Thorpe Park Business Park, Junction 46 of the M1, in LS15

  Details of the residential planning permissions granted in the Crossgates/Manston area were provided with Members being informed that in the case of the former Optare site and the adjacent Threadneedle site, phasing conditions had been implemented to control the amount of development which could take place before the Manston Lane Link Road (MLLR) was required to be built

  Due to the strategic importance of the site locally and the city as a whole and the issues raised by the scheme, the proposals were being brought to Members at an early stage for comment, with East Leeds Regeneration Board and East Outer Area Committee also receiving a similar presentation and the opportunity for comment

  The Panel then received a presentation on behalf of the developers

  With reference to the consented scheme, Members were informed that this was a product of its time; the site was unwelcoming; lacked greenspace and amenities and facilities for the 4500 staff employed there.  To attract new occupiers this shortfall in amenities had to be addressed as higher standards of staff welfare were now expected from large employers

  The proposals were to create a sense of place; to create amenities; to stimulate demand and by doing so, to create 5500 – 6500 new job opportunities in a broader range than the predominantly professional jobs currently available on the site.  A key part of the proposals was the delivery of the MLLR

  As well as providing additional office accommodation, the site would also provide new retail opportunities, including food and drink uses together with a large – approximately 12,000 sqm - supermarket in one corner of the site which was considered to be the best location for this which would add to the offer on Thorpe Park and for local residents.  A landscape and visual impact assessment of the proposals had been carried out and a decision had been taken to reduce the floor level of the foodstore to minimise its visual impact

  A considerable amount of greenspace would be provided.  The amount of Brown Moor to be retained would be enhanced with a central area of parkland connecting to this.  The nearby Barrowby Woods would be respected in the scheme and good pedestrian links would be provided, including a new footbridge.  A new public park to be known as ‘Green Park’ would be created, with the possibility of an additional hotel on the site to add to the increased leisure and recreational uses being proposed

  Employment and training opportunities would be provided in the scheme and the creation of a successful Thorpe Park to the standard of a European Quality Business Park would reinforce the position of Leeds in the city region and could help to attract greater investment

  Details of the level of consultation on the proposals was provided with Members being informed that 70 hours of face to face consultation time had been provided to supplement the letters and leaflets distributed across a wide area

  Over 800 people attended the consultation events with considerable support being given to the proposals

  In terms of timescale, dependent upon obtaining outline planning permission for the scheme, it was hoped to commence on phase 1 of the development in 2015

  Members commented on the following matters:

• the proximity to the site of an existing supermarket and the future for this store
• whether a retail impact study had been carried out in the neighbouring wards
• the decision to site the supermarket away from the rest of the development and the reasons for this
• the need to guarantee jobs and apprenticeships for local people
• the need for early delivery of the MLLR
• the impressive images of Green Park and that such a new facility was welcomed
• car parking proposals and concerns that local residents visiting the site might park in the surrounding streets in order to easily access the pedestrian links to the retail areas
• that as sports pitches were being provided, some thought had to be given to ensuring visiting teams knew where to park
• whether discussions on the scheme had taken place with public transport providers
• that clarification of the route of the MLLR was needed, together with details about how this would be secured and how the financial contributions from other developments for the MLLR would be secured
• the concept of creating a European Quality Business Park, and that whilst the comments for the need for enhanced facilities for office workers on Thorpe Park could be understood, as could for example, the provision of a small convenience-type supermarket, the suggestion of introducing a large supermarket and bulky goods retailing would have an impact on other district and town centres
• the considerable policy objections to the proposals; the guidance contained in the NPPF which strongly defended the role of traditional town centres and concern that if a special case to deviate from policy was accepted on this site, similar applications would be brought forward on other sites

The following responses were provided by the development team:

• that in drawing up the proposals, 15 defined centres and been taken into account, 12 of these being local and that whilst there would be impacts, these were of a low order due to the catchment areas of the site and that a retail impact study had been carried out and had been submitted to the Council for consideration by its retail consultant
•  in respect of the supermarket located close to Thorpe Park, if the current operator vacated, the unit would most likely be taken over by someone else
• that the location of the major foodstore had been carefully considered.  As there was a move towards creating a sense of place and the provision of an urban grid, the decision had been taken to site the foodstore on the east side of the MLLR which would create minimal disruption to the street pattern and would enable more of Brown Moor to be retained
• that there was now a strong duty towards developments providing local employment and this scheme would seek to do this
• that concerns about increased on-street parking had been one of the issues raised by local residents throughout the consultation process and that whilst there was an acknowledgement of the need to carefully handle this issue, it was felt that the proposed centrally located multi-storey car park would address this issue
• that the point raised about visiting sports teams had not been considered but this could be managed by the provision of good signage and information to encourage use of the formal car parking areas
• concerning the delivery of the MLLR, a commitment had been made to deliver all of the MLLR in the first phase of development and although there were issues about the East Leeds Orbital Road linking in to the MLLR, that was a separate issue
• about how contributions to the MLLR from developers would be ensured, this might be dealt with corporately or through planning, with discussions taking place with all relevant parties and highways.  In terms of third-party land issues, the possibility of the Council using its powers of CPO could be considered
• the MLLR would be provided, as previously approved with the only element of discussion on this being the possibility of some minor reorientations to the line of the link road and some possible impact on private land owners
• that the creation of a small district centre to serve the business park was not possible and would not be viable and that for a major improvement in the status of Thorpe Park and the possible benefits flowing from that, good shopping and leisure facilities were needed

In answer to the specific questions contained in the report for Members’

comments, the following responses were provided:

• regarding the provision of a significant amount of retail at Thorpe Park, there were concerns relating to highways; the type and quantity of retail being proposed and how this would fit with policy requirements; the height of the supermarket and the fact that it was separated from the rest of the retailing; the need for Members to see the retail assessment and the demonstration of the special circumstances in this case to set aside policy.  On this point, the question of whether retail being considered acceptable on the site was also raised
• Members considered that the approach of the concept/parameter plans and indicative masterplan for the site was beneficial
• that Members appeared happy with the nature and location of the open space on the site and how this linked through to Green Park
• that in respect of the proposed MLLR, that this should be delivered early in the scheme, if not before the start of the development and that building the MLLR per se would not be sufficient to deal with the increased traffic coming to the development from further afield
• concerning the proposed layout and facilities at Green Park, there was the need for the parking for the sports pitches to be located in Thorpe Park and that further information on the parking/access arrangements and the timescale for its delivery be provided at the outline application stage
• that a dangerous precedent could be set if policy was set aside to accommodate the proposals
• that other proposals were being considered in the area and that it would be necessary to have regard to the combined implications of any applications which were submitted

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