The Chair introduced the item to the committee and invited the Principal Planning Officer (AC) to present his report

 

The Principal Planning Officer presented the application as set out in his report.

 

The Chair thanked the Principal Planning Officer for his report and noted that the variation application was broadly the same as the already approved plans.  He then invited Mr Ben Spencer of GS8 to address the committee.  

 

Mr Spencer explained that a replacement for the old print works had been sought since 2017, to provide a building that local residents could be proud of and to provide a location for the Random Café.   He asserted that this would be the most sustainable development in Watford, to date.  Due to the effects of the pandemic, it had proved difficult to obtain the necessary finance as lenders had deemed the initial proposal as unviable. 

 

This variation reflected the assessment that this location was better suited to one bedroom apartments rather than larger ones, with more bedrooms, as this suited the core demographic of first time buyers and young professionals. 

 

He went on to explain the processes behind the viability study, how the £243,000 was reached and the decision to retain the consented massing.  He commented how this would replace a run-down and dilapidated building and provide a community space with active ground floor, larger frontages and pavement spaces, plus first time buyer housing.  Mr Spencer added that there would also be a contribution to the CPZ consultation on behalf of local residents. 

 

Mr Spencer concluded by commending the application variation to the committee.

 

The Chair thanked Mr Spencer and invited comments from the committee. 

 

There followed a discussion on concerns such as:

·        The lack of provision of affordable housing.

·        The reduction of £47,000 in the affordable housing contribution.

·        The lack of family homes within the development.

·        The small size of the units.

·        The risk, despite being in a controlled parking zone, of this development bringing in a number of additional residents’ cars. 

 

Various comments were made to address these concerns:

·        The independent viability study had arrived at the contribution figure.

·        It was felt better to remove the additional floor and keep to the original envelope, as this would be preferred by local residents.

·        It was felt that this location was better suited to smaller units and the difficulties of younger people getting on to the property ladder, meant that one bed flats were often all they could afford. 

·        All the units met the nationally described space standards. 

·        There were considerable difficulties with possessing a car inside a CPZ without entitlement to a permit, which would strongly discourage car ownership.

 

The Chair put the motion to the committee 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, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions listed in Section 8 of the officer’s report

 

In accordance with Standing Committee Procedure Rules, paragraph 4.2, Councillor Jeffree requested that it be recorded in the minutes how members cast their votes.

 

Those members voting for the motion:

Councillors Jeffree, Johnson, Collett, Pattinson, Sharpe and Watkin

 

Those members voting against the motion:

Councillor Smith

 

Those members abstaining:

Councillors Bell and Mills

 

The motion was declared to be CARRIED with six votes for and one against.

 

RESOLVED –

 

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

Deed of Variation Heads of Terms

i)          To secure a financial payment to the Council of £243,000 (reduced from £290,000) towards the provision of affordable housing in the Borough of Watford;

Conditions

1.         The development to which this permission relates shall be begun before 19 March 2022.

           

 

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

1715-LS-X-XX-DR-A-0100_P1

1715-LS-X-XX-DR-A-1000_P1

            1715-LS-X-00-DR-A-1100 / P4

1715-LS-X-05-DR-A-1100 / P4

1715-LS-X-10-DR-A-1100 / P2

1715-LS-X-20-DR-A-1100 / P2

1715-LS-X-30-DR-A-1100 / P3

            1715-LS-X-50-DR-A-1100 / P3

1715-LS-X-XX-DR-A-1201 / P2

1715-LS-X-XX-DR-A-1202_P4

 

3.         No demolition of the existing buildings shall commence until a Historic Building Record of 58, Vicarage Road has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

           

4.         No demolition of the existing buildings shall commence until details of the tree protection measures to protect the retained tree at the rear of 56E, Vicarage Road have been submitted to and approved in writing and these measures have been installed as approved. These measures shall be retained at all times during the demolition and construction of the development.

           

5.         No demolition of the existing buildings or construction of the development shall commence until a detailed scheme to deal with the risks associated with the potential contamination of the site has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include:

           

i)          a preliminary risk assessment which has identified: all previous uses; potential contaminants associated with those uses; a conceptual model of the site indicating sources, pathways and receptors; and potentially unacceptable risks arising from contamination at the site;

ii)         a site investigation scheme, based on (i) to provide information for a detailed assessment of the risk to all receptors that may be affected, including those off site;

iii)        the results of the site investigation and risk assessment referred to in (ii) above and, based on these, an options appraisal and remediation strategy giving full details of the remediation measures required and how they are to be undertaken;

iv)        a verification plan providing details of the data that will be collected in order to demonstrate that the works set out in the remediation strategy in (iii) are complete and identifying any requirements for longer-term monitoring of pollutant linkages, maintenance and arrangements for contingency action.

           

No changes to these components shall be undertaken without the written approval of the Local Planning Authority. All works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

           

6.         No construction works shall commence until a verification report demonstrating completion of the works set out in the approved remediation strategy (see Condition 4 above) and the effectiveness of the remediation has been submitted to and approved, in writing, by the Local Planning Authority. The report shall include results of sampling and monitoring carried out in accordance with the approved verification plan to demonstrate that the site remediation criteria have been met.

           

7.         If, during development, contamination not previously identified is found to be present at the site then no further development shall be carried out until the developer has submitted to, and obtained written approval from, the Local Planning Authority for a remediation strategy detailing how this unsuspected contamination is to be dealt with. All works shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

           

8.         The development permitted by this planning permission shall be carried out in accordance with the approved surface water drainage assessment carried out by Elliott Wood Partnership Ltd (job number 2170842, revision P3, dated December 2018):

 

i)          Limiting the surface water run-off generated by the critical storm events so that it will not exceed the surface water run-off rate of 2.5 l/s during the 1 in 100 year event plus 40% of climate change event.

ii)         Providing storage to ensure no increase in surface water run-off        volumes for all rainfall events up to and including the 1 in 100 year +           climate change event providing a minimum of 46m³ (or such storage volume agreed with the LLFA) of total storage volume in underground tank.

iii)        Discharge of surface water from the private drain into the Thames Water sewer network.

 

            The mitigation measures shall be fully implemented prior to occupation and subsequently in accordance with the timing / phasing arrangements embodied within the scheme, or within any other period as may subsequently be agreed, in writing, by the local planning authority.

           

9.         No development (excluding demolition works) shall take place until a detailed surface water drainage scheme for the site based on the approved drainage strategy and sustainable drainage principles, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall subsequently be implemented in accordance with the approved details before the development is completed. The scheme shall include: 

 

i)          Final detailed post development modelling in relation to surface water for all rainfall events up to and including the 1 in 100 year return period including a +40% allowance for climate change. This should include the final version of the proposed drainage strategy.

ii)         Detailed engineered drawings of the proposed SuDS features including cross section drawings, their size, volume, depth and any inlet and outlet features including any connecting pipe runs.

iii)        Final detailed management plan to include arrangements for adoption and any other arrangements to secure the operation of the scheme throughout its lifetime.

10.      No development (excluding demolition works) shall commence until a noise mitigation scheme for each of the residential dwellings requiring acoustic double glazing, based upon the recommendations of the Noise Exposure Assessment (Report 13537-NEA-01 RevB dated 29 November 2018) by Clement Acoustics, has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include the details and specifications of the sound reduction performance of all glazed and non-glazed elements of the building facades. No dwelling shall be occupied until the approved mitigation measures have been installed in full, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

           

11.      No development (excluding demolition works) shall commence until the specification of a mechanical air supply/extract system for each of the residential dwellings requiring acoustic double glazing, based upon the recommendations of the Noise Exposure Assessment (Report 13537-NEA-01 RevB dated 29 November 2018) by Clement Acoustics, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The system must be capable of providing background and rapid ventilation for cooling with the windows of the respective dwellings remaining closed. The system must not compromise the sound insulation of the façades. No dwelling shall be occupied until the approved ventilation system has been installed in full, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

           

12.      No development (excluding demolition works) shall commence until full details and samples of the materials to be used for the external surfaces of the building (including walls, roofs, windows, doors, balconies, privacy screens) have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. These should be based upon the details given in the Design and Access Statement (version P1 dated 20 December 2018) by Lynas Smith. The development shall only be constructed in the approved materials.

           

13.      No dwelling shall be occupied until a detailed soft landscaping scheme for all the land within the site, based upon the details given in the Design and Access Statement (version P1 dated 20 December 2018) by Lynas Smith, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. This shall include details of the biodiverse roof system. The approved landscaping scheme shall be carried out not later than the first available planting and seeding season after completion of 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.

           

14.      No dwelling shall be occupied until the bin and cycle stores to serve the dwellings, as shown on the approved drawings, have been constructed and made available for use. These facilities shall be retained as approved at all times and shall be used for no other purpose.

           

15.      No dwelling shall be occupied until the following works have been completed in full:

 

i)          the widening of the public footpath outside the site;

i)          the formation of a vehicular crossover on Vicarage Road in front of the bin store to facilitate collection;

ii)         the provision of 2 cycle stands (4 cycles) for short stay visitors.

 

16.      No dwelling shall be occupied in the respective blocks until details of a communal terrestrial television aerial(s) and satellite dish(es) for the block have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

 

17.      No dwelling shall be occupied until a detailed Travel Plan has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority, based upon the Residential Travel Plan dated December 2018 by Caneparo Associates. The approved plan shall be implemented in full.

 

18.      No dwelling shall be occupied until a detailed external lighting scheme for the development, based upon the details given in the Design and Access Statement (version P1 dated 20 December 2018) by Lynas Smith, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and the lighting scheme has been installed in accordance with the approved details.

 

19.      For the avoidance of doubt, no communications development permitted by Classes A, B or C of Part 16 of Schedule 2 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (as amended) shall be undertaken on any of the buildings hereby approved.

 

Informatives

 

1.         IN907 – Positive and proactive statement

2.         IN909 – Street naming and numbering

3.         IN910 – Building Regulations

4.         IN911 – Party Wall Act

5.         IN912 – Hours of Construction

6.         IN913 – Community Infrastructure Levy Liability

7.         IN914 – Section 106 Agreement/Undertaking

8.         IN915 – Highway Works – HCC agreement required