Agenda item

To consider the report of the Chief Planning Officer on an application for the demolition of existing buildings and construction of six apartments with associated access, landscaping and car parking at 7 Wakefield Road, Garforth.

(Report attached)

The report of the Chief Planning Officer set out an application which proposed the demolition of the existing buildings and the construction of 6 two bedroom apartments with associated access, car parking and landscaping at 7 Wakefield Road, Garforth.

Members were advised that this application was a resubmission following the refusal of planning permission for a detached house and six self-contained flats with associated gardens and car parking at the site under planning Ref: 14/01717/FU. The applicant appealed against the decision but the decision was dismissed due to design and residential amenity concerns. 

This planning application was brought to Plans Panel at the request of Cllr. Mark Dobson who cites reasons of over saturation of vehicles at a pinch point at Town End junction with Wakefield Road and flooding issues. Members were given an update in which Cllr. Dobson reiterated his representations against the application and included the following comments:-

·  I am disappointed to read that the development at 7 Wakefield Road, Garforth has been recommended for approval;

·  Again Cllr. Field and I feel that the overdevelopment on a busy A road, the increased traffic and flood risk have not been addressed by the applicant and question the officers recommendations;

·  Please consider this and, we suggest, panel members look to, again, reject.

Members had attended a site visit earlier in the day, photographs and plans were shown throughout the presentation.

The proposal for the site was set out at point 2.0 of the submitted report. Members were advised that the current reconfiguration with a single access had been submitted after negotiations with officers.

Members were informed of the following points:-

·  Concerns raised in relation to on street parking in relation to associated terraces and the doctors surgery nearby.

·  Proposal sets out 9 parking spaces which is within parking guidelines.

·  The proposed development was adequately positioned away from the bungalow to the rear of the site and was not considered to be unduly dominant.

·  It was proposed that there would be replacement planting on the site.

·  The six apartments would be over 3 floors with the upper apartments in the roof space.

·  All the apartments would be 2 bedrooms.

·  Two side windows which would serve stairwells and bathrooms would be obscure glazed.

Issues relating to drainage had been set out at 10.18 and 10.19 of the submitted report.

In response to Members comments and questions the following was discussed:-

·  Assurance that the site would be checked for Japanese Knotwood and eradicated if found.

·  Parking was adequate and the layout would be as set out in the submitted plan.

·  Parking of construction vehicles to be on site.

·  Construction work to be undertaken within standard times with no work on Sunday or Bank holidays.

·  Size of the flats as Members had been informed that 4 of the flats were below space standards guidelines. The 4 flats were short by 7.5sq metres. Members were also informed that consultation was still ongoing in relation to the emerging policy of National Space Standards. The Consultation will end on 23^rd March and it was hoped that Leeds would adopt the National Space Standards Policy.

·  Layout of the development.

·  Members were informed that drainage issues had been addressed and would be for the betterment of the area.

RESOLVED – To defer consideration to seek amendments to the layout of the flats so that all accord with the emerging Minimum Space Standards (Policy H9 of the Core Strategy Selective Review, February 2018).