Agenda and minutes

Agenda and minutes

Venue: Town Hall

Contact: Ishbel Morren  Email: legalanddemocratic@watford.gov.uk

Note: Please note there are currently two vacancies on this committee 

Items
No. Item

74.

Apologies for absence/Committee membership

Minutes:

There were none.

75.

Disclosure of interests (if any)

Minutes:

There were none.

76.

Minutes

The minutes of the Development Management Committee held on 29 March 2017 to be submitted and signed.

 

Copies of the minutes of this meeting are usually available seven working days following the meeting.

 

All minutes are available on the Council’s website.

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 29 March 2017 were submitted and signed.

77.

16/01621/FUL 37, Bucks Avenue pdf icon PDF 160 KB

Demolition of 37 Bucks Avenue and equestrian facility, removal of hardstanding, ménages, buildings and structures and the redevelopment of the site to include 24 dwellings (including 8 affordable dwellings), all to be served by modifying the existing access from Bucks Avenue/Sherwoods Road (amended scheme). (Duplicate application to Hertsmere Borough Council)

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee received the report of the Head of Development Management, including the relevant planning history of the site and details of the responses to the application. 

 

The Development Management Team Leader introduced the item, explaining that this was a duplicate application to Hertsmere Borough Council for the demolition of 37 Bucks Avenue and equestrian facility and the redevelopment of the site to include 24 dwellings (including 8 affordable), to be served by modifying the existing access from Bucks Avenue/Sherwoods Road (amended scheme).

 

It was noted that the part of the development falling within the jurisdiction of Watford Borough Council as the Local Planning Authority was the modified access and the first 13m of the access road within the site.  As such, only matters relating to the access were relevant planning considerations.  All other aspects of the proposal fell under the jurisdiction of Hertsmere Borough Council, which had granted planning permission for the proposed development at its meeting on 16 March 2016. 

 

Attention was drawn to the update sheet, which included a corrected drawing reference and listed the additional representations received.

 

The Chair invited Kim Baxter from Oxhey Village Environment Group (OVEG) to speak against the application.  Ms Baxter outlined residents’ concerns about the highway, which had recently seen a minor vehicle collision.  Residents considered that too little attention had been given to the highway issues affecting the development and it was questioned whether Hertfordshire County Council had, in fact, ever visited the site to take accurate measurements of the access from Bucks Avenue/Sherwoods Road.

 

Listing the exact measurements of the access road and referring to the National Joint Utilities Group guidance, Ms Baxter suggested that good practice required greater consultation between the utility companies regarding service margins, which would then inform discussions with the emergency services regarding safe access.  In the absence of any such consultation, Ms Baxter urged the committee to refuse or defer the application pending further consideration of the issues.

 

The Chair invited Graham Bellamy on behalf of Clovercourt Fusion to speak to the committee.  Mr Bellamy explained that he was the highways consultant to the applicant and drew the committee’s attention to the existence of a full transport statement which had accompanied the application.  This had been considered by the Hertfordshire County Council. 

 

Mr Bellamy explained that the new development would result in a relatively small number of additional vehicle movements.  The proposed gateway design was an improvement on the existing access and would control speed to the benefit of neighbours and other road users.  It would also provide sufficient access for large vehicles.  As such, there were no credible grounds to refuse planning permission.

 

The Chair invited Oxhey Ward Councillor, Peter Taylor, to speak to the committee.  Reiterating the concerns of residents, Councillor Taylor suggested that the layout of the road was dangerous and liable to cause an accident as had been seen recently. 

 

Since the safety of residents was the primary concern of councillors, he considered it prudent to defer any  ...  view the full minutes text for item 77.

78.

17/00240/FUL Land at Buttermere Place, Linden Lea pdf icon PDF 116 KB

Demolition of garage court, incorporation of garden space at 111-121, Linden Lea into application site and erection of a 2 storey block of 6 flats and car parking

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee received the report of the Head of Development Management, including the relevant planning history of the site and details of the responses to the application. 

 

The Development Management Team Leader introduced the item.  He explained that the application was for the demolition of the garage court, incorporation of garden space at 111-121, Linden Lea into the site and erection of a two storey block of six flats with car parking.

 

Attention was drawn to the update sheet which listed some additional representations which had been received.

 

The Chair invited Woodside Ward Councillor, Glen Saffery, to speak to the Committee.  Councillor Saffery outlined the concerns of local residents regarding the lack of car parking provision in the area around the application site.

 

Whilst the eleven parking spaces included in the application were welcome, Councillor Saffery considered that the loss of casual car-parking spaces as a result of the development would impact detrimentally on already congested roads. 

 

Should planning permission be granted, Councillor Saffery sought assurances that the access needs of local residents would be respected during construction.

 

The Chair invited comments from the committee.

 

Members of the committee were sympathetic to residents’ concerns about parking.  This issue was raised frequently in all wards, particularly in regard to planning applications, and had been discussed previously at development management committee.  It was suggested that ward councillors should consult with Watford Borough Council’s parking officers and with their county council colleagues to see if solutions to acute concerns could be devised.

 

However, since the existing parking issues on Linden Lea remained outside the remit of the committee, members agreed that there were no grounds to refuse the current application.

 

The Chair moved the officer recommendation.

 

RESOLVED –

 

that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:

 

1.         The development to which this permission relates shall be begun within a period of three years commencing on the date of this permission.

                       

2.         The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved drawing:-

                       

                        931.03 Rev.D

 

3.         No construction works shall commence until details of the materials to be used for all the external finishes of the building, including walls, roof, balconies, doors and windows have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be carried out only in accordance with the approved materials.

 

4.         No dwelling shall be occupied until full details of a soft landscaping scheme have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. This scheme shall include the retention of the existing trees along the western boundary, measures to protect these trees during construction works, and new tree planting within the site. The approved tree protection measures shall be implemented before construction works commence and shall be retained throughout the construction period. The approved planting scheme shall be carried out not later than the first available planting and seeding season after completion of the development.  Any trees or plants whether new or existing which  ...  view the full minutes text for item 78.

79.

16/01245/FULM Clarendon House, 33, Bridle Path pdf icon PDF 212 KB

Demolition of the existing office building and erection of a mixed-use building of 4, 9 and 14 storeys incorporating 1,800m of office floorspace (Class B1a) and 41 residential flats

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee received the report of the Head of Development Management, including the relevant planning history of the site and details of the responses to the application. 

 

The Development Management Team Leader introduced the item, explaining that the application was for the demolition of the existing office building and erection of a mixed-use building of 4, 9 and 14 storeys incorporating 1,800m² of office floorspace and 41 residential flats.

 

The application had been considered previously by the committee on 8 March 2017, when it was decided to defer a decision, pending full consideration of the developer’s viability report and rationale in regard to its offer of £368,000 for off-site affordable housing provision.

 

The Chair invited Adam Murray from Coda Planning to speak for the application.  Mr Murray described the lengthy discussions which had taken place with planning officers to agree an exciting, landmark development which would provide a near doubling of the current office accommodation available.

 

Referring to the viability report which had been received by the committee and addressing the £368,000 payment in lieu of affordable housing, Mr Murray advised that this sum had been achieved by reducing the developer’s profit margins.  The one-off payment, rather than a sliding scale arrangement, was intended to provide greater clarity and certainty for both sides.

 

The Chair invited comments from the committee.

 

Committee members welcomed the mixed-use design of the development within the town’s designated employment area.  This successfully combined modern, high quality office space on its lower floors with much needed housing on its upper storeys. 

 

However, committee members were mindful of the need for affordable housing in the borough and were frustrated by the developer’s claim that viability issues prevented adequate provision in the scheme.  It was noted that, according to the council’s own guidelines, the development should have provided 14 affordable dwellings.  The developer’s £368,000 payment in lieu of this provision was considered derisory.

 

The committee noted that the original contribution from the applicant had been £150,000.  Following an in depth analysis of the viability, this contribution was challenged by officers and was subsequently agreed by the applicant.   Committee members were aware that officers had proposed that the time limit for commencement of the development was two years, as opposed to the normal three years, so that the matter of viability would need to be reconsidered as part of any new application if the development were not commenced during that time.

 

Members of the committee questioned the profit levels enjoyed by the developer and the apparent lack of social responsibility this engendered.  The ability of developers to use viability as an excuse to avoid affordable housing provision was fuelling higher land prices.  As a consequence, Watford was becoming unaffordable for many workers.

 

Notwithstanding these arguments, the committee accepted that the application needed to be considered in accordance with adopted local and national planning policies.  There were no grounds for refusal.

 

The Chair moved the officer recommendation.

 

In accordance with Standing Committee Procedure Rules 4.5, Councillor Bell requested it be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 79.

80.

Review of Performance October 2015 to December 2016 pdf icon PDF 48 KB

Report of the Development Management Section Head

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The committee received the report of the Head of Development Management.  This report had been deferred from the previous meeting on 29 March 2017 in the absence of the Head of Development Management in order to allow him to respond directly to questions and comments from the committee.

 

The committee thanked officers for the good performance.  It was agreed that it would be good practice to undertake an annual review as part of the continued learning for the council.

 

Whilst performance exceeded the current targets, members were mindful that the government target for appeal decisions on major applications had been reduced recently from 20% allowed on appeal to 10%.  As a consequence, it would not require local planning authorities to lose many appeals before this threshold was reached.

 

Members were asked to identify any training needs, in addition to the general training provided for them as part of their committee role.  It was agreed that training sessions on development viability and design issues would be useful.

 

RESOLVED –

 

that the committee note the content of the report on the performance of Development Management.

 

 

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