Agenda item

To consider a report of the Chief Planning Officer on the current position regarding an outline application to layout access road and erect light industry, general industry and warehouse development (use classes class B1C, B2 and B8), a 115 bed hotel and pub/restaurant with car parking

(report attached)

Plans and photographs were displayed at the meeting.  A

Members site visit had taken place earlier in the day

  Members considered the first of two reports of the Chief Planning Officer in respect of development proposals on sites in close proximity to each other, in Gildersome. 

  Officers presented the report which set out the current position on an outline application for an employment led scheme comprising industrial and warehouse uses together with a hotel and pub/restaurant on an undeveloped, sloping site of approximately 3.23 hectares to the south east of Junction 27, between Wakefield Road and the M621.  The site was surrounded by a number of existing industrial and offices uses, together with residential properties on Wakefield Road in close proximity

  Members were informed about the main issues relating to the proposals which included:

·  principle of development; that the site was mainly allocated for employment uses and that industrial use was acceptable in principle.  In terms of the hotel/pub uses, these were usually seen as town centre uses.  Paragraphs 10.3-10.8 of the submitted report set out the applicant’s reasons for wanting to pursue these uses in an out of town centre location

·  highways issues; that a new, signalised access junction was proposed to serve the site, with Highways Officers being satisfied on the provision of this.  A 3 metre cycle route was also to be provided together with a bus layby.  At the time the report was written, the application was subject to a Holding Direction by the Highways Agency relating to, amongst other matters, the scope and costs of works necessary at Junction 27, with Members being informed that the Holding Direction had been extended on13th December 2012 to 31^st January 2013

·  landscaping proposals; the existing mature vegetation would be retained where possible, although a number of trees would be removed, some because they were diseased and some to facilitate development.  Replacement planting would be provided, with the Council’s Landscape Officer being generally happy with the proposals

·  impact on residential amenity of the proposed 4 storey hotel use.  Issues of overdominance or overlooking from the hotel use had been considered but due to the sloping nature of the site, and the distance to the nearest residential properties, it was felt that residential amenity would be adequately protected

·  S106 agreement; that this was being negotiated and the need for Members’ views on whether the hotel was needed to deliver the employment uses on the site

Members were informed that further comments had been received from

residents and these would be detailed in a further report when the application was due for determination

Panel then discussed the impact of the proposed signalised junction on

a resident who lived opposite the site and parked a caravan in his driveway, and referred to discussions held with the resident when Members visited the site that morning.  Whilst it was possible for his vehicle and caravan to turn in his curtilage, it could be that his driveway would require widening to enable safe access on to the revised highway, with this to be paid for by the applicant

  Members then commented on the following matters:

·  the location of bus stop 10353, as set out in the submitted report; the absence of public bus services from that part of the A650 for five years, with two buses a day to serve Bruntcliffe High School, in term time only and that spending money to upgrade the bus stop to real time display could not be supported

·  the possibility of retaining the wrought iron fencing which was on the site

·  the lack of a compelling case to support the pub/restaurant use

·  the planning history of the site, which originally was the remnants of a farm; the number of applications which had come forward for the site and the recognition that the site required development but that this should be low density, light industrial development

·  highways issues, with concerns that Gildersome roundabout was now working well but could once again become problematic if a more intensive development was approved

·  the proposed hotel use and that there were several sites in the Morley area which could accommodate this use and that in respect of the pub/restaurant, this could also be located in either Gildersome or Morley

·  that the site was isolated and would result in more traffic on the roads

·  doubt about whether this was an enthusiastic or realistic proposal for the site

·  that the site was not suitable for a hotel and that the suitability of the site for the pub/restaurant uses was questionable, particularly in view of the number of such establishments in Gildersome and Drighlington which had closed down through lack of trade

·  the possibility that the hotel use was aimed at a wider area in view of its location, at the apex of neighbouring districts

Officers provided the following responses:

·  that bus stop 10353 was not located where Metro had indicated it was and that updated comments on the application were being sought from Metro

·  that there was an intention to retain materials which would also include the wrought iron fencing and some stonework

The Chief Planning Officer stated that the hotel was an important

component of the scheme as the case was being made that a hotel and pub/restaurant should be out of centre, yet Morley was in need of investment and that details would need to be provided as to why this use could not be sited in Morley

  In respect of the visual appearance of the development, the Chief Planning Officer stated that the appearance of this and the site being considered next on the agenda was important, especially from the motorway, as it would be the first view of Leeds from this side of the city and that this, together with the height of the proposals and the amount of landscaping had to be considered

 In addressing the specific points raised in the report, Members

provided the following responses:

·  about whether, in the circumstances, a hotel  and pub/restaurant uses were considered to be appropriate to the site, if tied to the delivery of employment use on the site, there were mixed views on this, with the smallest majority in favour of the hotel use, but that guarantees were needed in respect of the whole site and the extent of the benefit had to be clearly set out.  The possibility of a smaller hotel on the site was suggested but it was accepted that the issue of hotel use in the centre of Morley must be  properly considered

·  regarding the access arrangements and whether these were sufficient to deal with the anticipated level of traffic, there were mixed views on this with concerns being raised at the extent of the congestion in the evening peak

·  concerning the landscaping proposals and whether these were sufficient to allow the development to proceed, further information was needed to enable full consideration of the landscaping and the positioning of buildings

·  about whether the development could be considered to be harmful to residential amenity, Panel felt the development was located sufficiently far away not to be unduly detrimental to residential amenity

·  in terms of the scope of the Section 106 Agreement, there was a wish for the bus route to be reinstated, with the Chief Planning Officer suggesting that in view of the importance of public access to the larger of the two sites being considered by Panel (minute 49 refers) there was the possibility this could be discussed with Metro to tie the two sites together

·  finally, whilst there was the desire for the site to be developed, it was important that the applicant had a clear plan for it and town centre uses could only be considered as enabling if they ensured the delivery of the rest of the site via a legal agreement

RESOLVED-  To note the report and the comments now made