Redevelopment of the site to provide a mixed use scheme including 29 no. Class C3 residential units and Class A1 retail floor space

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 Principal Planning Officer (CO) introduced the report.  He advised that the application sought the redevelopment of the site to provide a mixed use scheme including 29 residential units and Class A1 retail floorspace, with cycle parking and associated works.

The Chair invited Stefanie Mizen, the agent, to speak for the application.  Ms Mizen outlined the positive consultation undertaken with council officers during the pre-application stage.  The result was a high quality, mixed use development in a highly sustainable location providing 29 units to meet the town’s housing need.  The high quality contemporary design, including roof gardens, balconies and green roofs, would enhance the character and appearance of the area and ensure a good standard of amenity for future occupiers.

The Chair invited comments from the committee. 

Although the design of the scheme including its clever use of the site was welcomed by the committee, some members expressed frustration at the lack of affordable housing.  Concern was also raised about the tenure mix of flats which was predominantly one-bedroom, rather than larger family sized units. 

It was noted that the developer had agreed a review mechanism through which the viability of the scheme could be retested once the actual build costs and sales values of the flats were known.

The Chair moved the officer’s recommendation, subject to completion of a s.106 agreement.

RESOLVED –

That, pursuant to a planning obligation under s.106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 having been completed to secure the following Heads of Terms, conditional planning permission be granted subject to the conditions listed below:

Section 106 Heads of Terms

i)          To secure a review mechanism of the viability of the development to be undertaken towards the end of the project when actual build costs and sales values of the flats are known. This shall allow financial payment to be made towards affordable housing provision where the viability of the development can be shown to have improved to provide a financial surplus.

ii)         To secure a financial payment to the Council of £2,000 towards the variation of the Borough of Watford (Watford Central Area and West Watford Area)(Controlled Parking Zones)(Consolidation) Order 2010 to exclude the site from the controlled parking zone, thereby preventing residents’ parking permits being issued to this site.

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 drawings:-

            489 CDA ZZ 00 DR A 00 0100 Rev 02; 489 CDA ZZ 00 DR A 01 0100 Rev 02; 489 CDA ZZ 00 DR A 05 0100 Rev 07; 489 CDA ZZ 01 DR A 05 0101 Rev 07; 489 CDA ZZ 02 DR A 05 0102 Rev 06; 489 CDA ZZ 03 DR A 05 0103 Rev 06; 489 CDA ZZ 04 DR A 05 0104 Rev 06; 489 CDA ZZ 05 DR A 05 0105 Rev 06; 489 CDA ZZ 06 DR A 05 0106 Rev 06; 489 CDA ZZ 07 DR A 05 0107 Rev 06; 489 CDA ZZ XX DR A 05 0200 Rev 08; 489 CDA ZZ XX DR A 05 0201 Rev 07; 489 CDA ZZ XX DR A 05 0202 Rev 06; and 489 CDA ZZ XX DR A 05 0203 Rev 09.

3.         No construction works above damp proof course level shall commence until details of the materials to be used for all the external finishes of the building, including walls, roofs, doors, windows, fascias, balconies and balustrades, 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 construction works above damp proof course level shall commence until detailed drawings of the window and door reveals/projections, balconies, brick detailing, glazed external wall sections, shopfront and capping to the external walls, 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 details.

5.         No construction works above damp course level shall commence until a detailed surface water drainage scheme for the site, based on the approved Flood Risk Assessment and Surface Water Management Report, Project No 376 Rev C dated August 2018, prepared by Flo, drawing reference number DR-100 Rev. P5 – Outline Drainage Design and exceedance route layout, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall include:

1.         Detailed design of the drainage scheme including detailed engineered drawings of the proposed SUDS features including their location, size, volume, depth and any inlet and outlet features including any connecting pipe runs and all corresponding discharge and volume calculations/modelling. The plan should show any pipe ‘node numbers’ that have been referred to in network calculations and it should also show invert and cover levels of manholes.

2.         Structural calculations of the building in order to ensure that it can accommodate the proposed blue roofs.

            The scheme shall subsequently be implemented in accordance with the approved details prior to occupation of the development.

6.         No part of the development shall be occupied until a management and maintenance plan for the SUDS features and drainage network has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include:

1.                  Provision of complete set of as built drawings for the site drainage.

2.         Maintenance and operational activities and arrangements for adoption and any other measures to secure the operation of the scheme throughout its lifetime.

            The management and maintenance plan shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details throughout the lifetime of the development unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

7.         The development hereby approved shall be carried out in accordance with the Energy & Sustainability Report dated 31st July 2018 prepared by MES Building Solutions, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

8.         No construction works above damp course level shall commence until details of a final noise mitigation scheme which is based on the recommendations in the Noise Impact Assessment carried out by sound solution consultants Technical Report 30454 R2 dated 31st July 2018 has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include details of ventilation and specification details of the building envelope to achieve the internal noise levels contained in BS 8233:2014. No part of the development shall be occupied until all the works forming part of the approved scheme have been completed.

9.         No part of the development shall be occupied until full details of a soft and hard landscaping scheme have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved hard landscaping shall be carried out prior to first occupation of the development and the approved soft landscaping 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 within a period of five years die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, or in accordance with details approved by the Local Planning Authority.

10.       No part of the development shall be occupied until refuse, recycling and cycle storage facilities have been provided in accordance with the approved plans. The storage facilities shall be retained at all times thereafter.

11.       The ground floor commercial unit shall only be used for retail purposes within Use Class A1 of the Town and Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended), unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

12.       No development (other than demolition) shall commence until an Archaeological Written Scheme of Investigation has been submitted to and approved by the local planning authority in writing. The scheme shall include an assessment of archaeological significance and research questions; and:

1.         The programme and methodology of site investigation and recording.

2.         The programme for post investigation assessment.

3.         Provision to be made for analysis of the site investigation and             recording.

4.         Provision to be made for publication and dissemination of the            analysis and records of the site investigation.

5.         Provision to be made for archive deposition of the analysis and           records of the site investigation.

6.         Nomination of a competent person or persons/organisation to           undertake the works set out within the Archaeological Written             Scheme of Investigation.

            The development shall only be carried out in accordance with the programme of archaeological works set out in the approved Written Scheme of Investigation.

            The building shall not be occupied until the archaeological site investigation and post investigation assessment has been completed in accordance with the programme set out in the Archaeological Written Scheme of Investigation and the provision made for analysis and publication where appropriate.

Informatives

IN907 Positive and Proactive Statement – Grant.

IN909 Street Naming and Numbering.

IN910 Building Regulations

IN911 Party Wall Act

IN912 Hours of Construction

IN913 Community Infrastructure Levy

IN914 Section 106 Agreement