Agenda item

To receive and consider the attached report of the Chief Planning Officer regarding residential development of 360 new build dwellings, conversion of offices to form 2 apartments in the Old Farmhouse, refurbishment and extension of Gate House, conversion of outbuildings to form garages, bin and cycle store; and associated works, on land at Red Hall Lane, Red Hall, Leeds.

The report of the Chief Officer updated Panel Members on the current full planning application for the residential development of 360 new build dwellings, conversion of offices to form 2 apartments in the Old Farmhouse, refurbishment and extension of Gate House, conversion of outbuildings to form garages, bin, and cycle store: and associated works, on land at Red Hall Lane, Red Hall, Leeds.

It was noted that an earlier pre-application presentation was made to the City Plans Panel on 8^th April 22 and appended to the report included a copy of the minutes from that meeting.

Members had attended a site visit and were shown slides and photographs throughout the officer presentation.

The Planning Officer presented the application, providing the following information:

·  Clarifying correct order of appendices to the report.

·  The site is located to the north of existing main urban area and spans between the existing Ring Road (A6120) and Wetherby Road (A58).

·  The former Council horticultural nursery has since been replaced by the temporary East Leeds Orbital Route (ELOR) works depot. It was noted that ELOR is currently under construction.

·  Site characteristics of the two broad development areas were provided.

·  The site is owned by the Council and sale will lead to a capital receipt.

·  There is a separate application relating to the Red Hall House site which is separately owned and not included within the red line.

·  Detailed layout of housing and design issues – a suggestion has been made by officers to connect the streets instead of having a number of cul-de-sacs.

·  A conservation issue has been identified by officers with the dwellings to the west of Red Hall House, which is a listed building. The current layout is considered to harm the setting of the Listed Building. Consequently – a suggestion has been made to reconfigure the area to include a landscaped area / greenspace to provide a visual buffer. It was noted that there are a number of design matters to be addressed in the scheme.

·  Officers provided an overview of the housing mix and explained the proposed mix was not consistent with planning policy. It was explained that the re-consideration of the layout will provide an opportunity to re-visit housing mix. 

·  An overview of house types was provided.

·  There are various clusters of affordable housing across the site and blocks of flats.

·  The woodland has been retained and additional tree planting has been proposed across the site, as well as a green buffer to the site’s boundary with ELOR.

·  There are concerns from residents living on Red Hall Lane that with a possible increase in traffic and road users, the proposed spine road may be used as a ‘rat run’. However, officers noted that parts of the site did not meet accessibility standards. To help address this, it is considered appropriate to design the spine road so that it can accommodate potential public transport penetration in the future. This would necessitate the width of the road being increased. Due to the proximity of ELOR and the Ring Road officers considered that it would not be useful as a ‘rat run’. The West Yorkshire Combined Authority (WYCA) also supported designing the spine road so that it can accommodate buses. This could facilitate the use of the road by on-demand buses.

·  Officers noted that careful thought should be given to a spine road through the site to enable potential public transport penetration in the future and that two points of access would be required for a development of this scale.

·  Showed sections of the spine road with different proposed widths outlining the public transport that could be provided on these routes and discussed the need for the route to be narrower in places to avoid the loss of hedgerows and trees.

·  A further representation has been received following publication of the report from a resident on Red Hall Lane relaying concerns regarding the number of houses proposed, loss of greenery, management of green space, access points and widening Red Hall Lane.

Representatives from Redrow and Optima attended the meeting in support of the application and explained they are unable to amend the design of the application before a decision on the through road is made. They were of the view that Highways have requested a through road, however, residents and elected members do not want one.

In response to questions from Members, the following was confirmed:

·  In the current design the “through road” is a narrower corridor to avoid the route becoming a rat run. The Red Hall Planning Brief does not anticipate a spine road through the site. It would be possible to widen the route to provide a bus connection.

·  There are no alternative access points to the proposed site from Wetherby Road.

·  The eastern half of the site is currently allocated for employment use.

·  Historic England have asked that the design of Red Hall be respected.

·  If a spine road is considered, there will be a loss of existing trees and verges.

·  There is scope to re-look at housing mix in terms of more 3-bed homes and less 4-bed homes.

Councillor P Grahame attended the meeting and explained that her main concern is ‘rat running’ issues from Red Hall Lane through to the Ring Road. In response to a question from a Member, Councillor P Grahame confirmed that widening the roads to reduce the overall number of houses is deemed acceptable.

Responding to questions from Members, officers informed the Panel with the following information:

·  Design guidance states that a development with over 200 houses requires 2 access points. Further considerations in terms of place-making and public transport penetration will need to be looked at. Officers want to ensure the development is future proofed to enable a bus route to access the site and to ensure accessibility of the site for residents. Provision for street trees, verges and cycle and pedestrian provision are being considered.

·  Additional road infrastructure is being delivered to mitigate ‘rat running’ problems on the through road. Additionally, it was confirmed that the through road is considered a ‘connector street’ to connect the development to external areas and is not a main road that encourages ‘rat running’.

·  There is a ramp accessed to the bridge over ELOR for cycling. Officers are pushing to put other links to the ELOR route and existing ring road.

·  The Northern Quadrant outline planning consent, requires Red Hall Lane to be closed east to Wetherby Road to address safety concerns. Alternative routes for existing residents were discussed.

·  Members believed revising existing bus routes will impact existing residents accessing public transport. It was confirmed that the future of how bus services will operate is not confirmed. However, officers do not want to preclude a bus service running through the proposed site. It was also noted that there are a significant number of houses in the proposed site that are over 400m from existing bus stops, and accessibility will need to be improved.

·  Officers explained that place-making is a consideration around design and layout of the proposals, to include greenery and being able to distinguish one street from another.

·  In response to a question regarding future proofing mass transit, officers explained that should this be delivered, it will be on main arterial routes in the city with key radial routes. This will not be a consideration for this development.

·  There is currently no policy basis on which to consider a mass transit and any future mass transit system would likely be on main arterial routes through Leeds. Feedback on flexi buses (Demand Responsive Transport, or DRT) can be obtained from WYCA, and it was noted that sustainability of such service cannot yet be confirmed.

·  There could be a commuted sum for bus stops on site.

·  Additional bus stop provision on the ring road would be un-likely to improve accessibility to the development.

Members comments included:

·  Whilst it was acknowledged that the closure of Red Hall Lane relates to the Northern Quadrant application, Members commented that there is a missed opportunity to improve the junction and looking at how to make the crossroads better in general.

·  Whether there is a need for a bus route to go through the site and further consideration regarding amenities on the site, particularly for older residents. Members suggested that officers utilise transport services outside of the site.

·  Speeding opportunities relating to the spine road.

·  Queried whether a bus could be provided on a narrower route and whether it would be diverted from an existing route.

·  Could the estate be future proofed for a mass transit system. To create a buffer around Red Hall to the western side.

·  A suggestion was made to receive some feedback on the impact of traffic from ELOR once this is operational.

The following responses were summarised in relation to officer questions in the submitted report:

1. What comments do Members have in respect of the design and layout, particularly in relation to the spine road?The general feeling from Members is not to encourage a bus route through the site along the spine road. Officers will take this away.

2. Do Members have any comments to make in respect of conservation matters?More of a buffer is required to the west of the site of Red Hall listed buildings.

3. Are there any observations Members would wish to make in respect of housing provision, including regarding the house-flat ratio, no. of bed units, and affordable housing proposed? Members suggested that housing mix is reconsidered and should include more 3-bed homes.

4. Do Members have any observations in relation to the landscape proposals?It was noted that the landscape proposals may change because of members comments in relation to the through road and bus route.

5. Do Members have any observations in relation to transport and connectivity, particularly in relation to the spine road? Members requested that connectivity within the site is improved but to also consider wider  links to ELOR and the Ring Road outside of the site.

RESOLVED – To note the content of the report on the proposal and to provide views in relation to the questions posed in the submitted report to aid the progression of the application.