Agenda item

Report of the Head of Regeneration and Development

Cabinet received a report of the Head of Regeneration and Development which introduced a Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) which would accompany the forthcoming Taller Buildings Policies with Local Plan 2. 

The SPD had been prepared as a number of pre-application enquiries relating to proposals for taller buildings had been received.

The Mayor commented that it was an extremely important policy.  The policy was there to protect residents and the character of areas.  The council was already being approached by developers, in common with other towns and London.

Councillor Sharpe gave some background to the issue, that in the 1990s national policy was for edge of town development.  This led to towns merging into one another and resulted in urban decline and depopulation as people moved out of urban areas.  There was then a change of policy which was designed to protect greenbelt land and regenerate town centres.  The end result was pressure for urban development and intensification.  The report stated that London was to deliver up to 270 tall buildings in forthcoming years.  Although Watford was not London it was an urban area within the M25, and therefore had similar pressures and also pressure from government on brownfield sites.

Councillor Sharpe continued that the importance of this policy together with Local Plan 2 was to give more control over what was allowed and where and what quality.  The alternative was planning by appeal in places the council did not want developments with designs that the council did not like.  The tall buildings SPD was not about saying what the council would actively seek but it was to deal with what would happen to the town, as developers wanted to build tall buildings and government would be encouraging this.  There was a moral responsibility to existing and future residents of Watford regarding the legacy of planning decisions.  The council needed to get control and make sure development was steered so where tall buildings applications were received the council was insistent on a certain environmental quality which would not adversely affect residential neighbourhoods or the skyline.  The council had to operate within one of the most centralised planning systems within Europe.  It was right and responsible to agree a policy to give more chance to control the process.

The Mayor commented on the current Housing and Planning Bill in the Lords and said that things were set to get worse for councils’ planning.  The powers reserved to the Secretary of State were unprecedented, and could mean that decisions were taken out of the hands of councils.  The bill was a result of the frustrations of resistance to developments such as wind farms. 

The Planning Policy Section Head described a computer model of the town which could be used to navigate the streets of Watford to see how tall buildings would appear at different views.  The idea behind the programme was for developers to use the facility to drop in ideas in so the public could see what they would look like.

The Mayor explained that the policy was not focussed on floor numbers but used the model to see and understand the impact of a tall building.  It was important that councillors on the Development Management Committee (DMC) understood the changes in development and if it was not possible for development to spread out then it would need to go up.

Councillor Bell commented that following discussion on conservation areas, they would need to be taken into account when it came to tall buildings.  Ordinary people attending DMC needed to understand how it would affect them.

The Mayor responded that this was a legitimate concern and the policy would highlight areas where tall buildings would be acceptable.  These were very limited for example, Watford Junction.  She was pleased there was cross party consensus about the need to have a policy as there was no doubt that these were homes which were needed for people.

Following a comment by Councillor Scudder the Mayor stated that the DMC needed to be tough on the quality of tall buildings.

Councillor Johnson agreed that as a member of DMC it was important to have a policy which was transparent and open about where we could have tall buildings.  The vast majority of Watford was not appropriate to have tall buildings.

RESOLVED

That Cabinet:

1. agrees to adopt Skyline – Watford’s approach to Taller Buildings SPD.
   
   
2. delegates authority to the Head of Regeneration and Development to approve editorial changes to layout, photos and general editing post Cabinet.