Agenda item

2021/0059 Land to the north of Old Woking Road and east of Station Approach, West Byfleet, Woking

Minutes:

[NOTE: The Planning Officer noted that a written update had been circulated to the Committee and uploaded to the website in advance of the meeting.]

 

The committee considered a Reserved Matters application pursuant to Outline planning permission ref: PLAN/2020/0801 dated 22/12/2020 to seek approval of details relating to the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale of the development comprising redevelopment of the site to provide extra care retirement units (Class C2) and communal amenity floor space, flexible retail, food and drink (Class E), drinking establishment (Sui Generis) and hot food takeaway (Sui Generis), community floor space (Class F.1/Class F.2) and car parking spaces, together with the provision of basement space, cycle parking, highway works, public realm improvements and other associated works. Application also seeks approval of details pursuant to conditions 04 (statement of compliance), 06 (surface water drainage), 11 (sustainability assessment), 12 (energy and water consumption), 14a (noise) and 35 (biodiversity enhancements) of PLAN/2020/0801 dated 22/12/2020.

 

Following a query from the Chairman regarding materials, the Planning Officer confirmed that details of these had not been provided (as it was not required at this stage of the application) and that condition 2 required, inter alia, a mock-up of the brick and metal work to be approved by the LPA.

 

Following an additional query from the Chairman, the Planning Officer confirmed that vehicular access and egress were both from Madeira Road and that this had been approved as part of the outline planning application.

 

It was noted that for all built elements, apart from the library, prior approval had been granted for demolition on the site.

 

Councillor A Boote, Ward Councillor, spoke in support and was very pleased with the detailed reserved matters application that had come forward. Councillor A Boote also thanked the developer for carrying out first class community engagement regarding the scheme. Councillor A Boote was supportive of the overall application but had some concerns regarding the balconies on Block A which looked awkward and out of place opposite the heritage site and conservation area, and also the protruding balconies on Block C which she thought were intrusive and caused a loss of privacy.

 

The Planning Officer commented that these concerns had been raised before and he was aware of them. Regarding Block C the Planning Officer commented that the separation distance between those balconies and Drayton Court was 18.5m which could not be considered to cause a significantly harmful overbearing relationship, which was also an across the street relationship. This was the District Centre of West Byfleet and this needed to be borne in mind when assessing distance relationships. The Planning Officer commented that Block A was not in a conservation area and the view of the balconies was a subjective judgement. It was noted that the Committee could not amend specifics of the application and it must be considered as it had been presented to them. The Planning Officer stated that he thought these balconies added character and interest to the building and did not think that they were harmful.

 

Members raised some confusion regarding the separation distances detailed in the Outlook, Amenity and Privacy SPD as it referred to a 30m and also a 15m separation distance relationship. It was noted that a 30m relationship would not be expected to be achieved here. The 15m distance applied to a front to front relationship and that was what this was. Planning Officers confirmed that the application complied with policy. Some Members queried whether this was a front to front relationship and if the room configuration in the dwellings across the road was known. Thomas James, Development Manager, clarified that the Outlook, Amenity and Privacy SPD allowed for flexibility in large village centres. The Committee were reminded that this was a reserved matters application and that the outline and parameter plans had already been approved by the Committee. If the Committee did consider this to be a minor breach of policy they also needed to consider whether this was outweighed by the benefits of the application. It was noted that the application had gone through several Design Review Panels and that Officers were satisfied that this development was of high quality.

 

Following a query the Planning Officer advised the Committee that Woking Borough Council was currently working with Surrey County Council regarding a new location for the library.

 

Members commented that the existing site was an eyesore and that it was the perfect sustainable location for retirement living with excellent transport links. It was considered to be a well-planned and thought out scheme.

 

In accordance with Standing Order 22.2, the Chairman deemed that a division should be taken on the motion above.  The votes for and against approval of the application were recorded as follows.

In favour:                           Cllrs T Aziz,  A Boote, G Chrystie (Chairman), G Cundy, S Hussain, L Lyons, N Martin, L Morales and M Whitehand.

                                 TOTAL:  9

Against:                              None.

                                 TOTAL:  0

Present but not voting:      None.

                                 TOTAL:  0

The application was therefore approved.

 

RESOLVED

 

That authority be delegated to the Development Manager (or their authorised deputy) to APPROVEreserved matters subject to:

 

i)              The matter of surface water drainage being addressed to the satisfaction of the Council’s Drainage and Flood Risk Engineer(and inclusion of appropriate condition(s)); and

 

ii)             Recommended conditions as set out in this report.

 

Supporting documents: