Agenda item

[NOTE 1: During the consideration of this item the following interests were declared;

In accordance with the Officer Procedure Rules, Peter Bryant, Head of Democratic and Legal Services declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 5a. 2016/1204 – Britannia Wharf, Monument Road, Woking – arising from his position as a Council appointed Director of the Thameswey Housing. The interest was such that it would not prevent the Officer from advising on the item.

In accordance with the Officer Procedure Rules, Douglas Spinks, Deputy Chief Executive declared a non-pecuniary interest in item 5a. 2016/1204 – Britannia Wharf, Monument Road, Woking – arising from his position as a Council appointed Director to some of the Thameswey Group of Companies, however not Thameswey Housing. The interest was such that it would not prevent the Officer from advising on the item.]

[NOTE 2: The Planning Officer advised the Committee of a proposed change to the recommendation as listed below;

It was recommended that the Planning Committee grants Delegated Authority to the Development Manager to grant planning permission for the application subject to:

i)              the receipt of a revised drainage scheme, the receipt of a further consultation response to the revised drainage scheme from the Council’s Drainage and Flood Risk Engineer raising no objections and consequent changes as necessary to the recommended drainage conditions (16,17 & 18);

ii)             the prior completion of a S106 Legal Agreement to secure the use of the informal car park for public use on the same terms as the existing (which shall cease if the application under PLAN/2017/1185 is granted planning permission), an affordable housing contribution and  overage clause and the required SAMM financial contribution; and

iii)            the following planning conditions:

(conditions as agenda subject to any changes to drainage conditions as maybe required)]

The Committee considered an application for full planning permission for the partial demolition, rebuild and extension of existing B1 office building to create a 4/5 storey building for Class C3 use including fifty-two (Forty-Seven two-bedroom and five one-bedroom) apartments and associated works. Existing access roads/car parking to be retained.

Following a query regarding the concerns raised by Historic England, the Planning Officer advised the Committee that although some of this site was in a conservation area the Council’s Conservation Consultant had been consulted and had raised no objections. It was also noted that Condition 4 required a detailed landscaping scheme to be submitted and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

On the matter of car parking on the site, the Planning Officer explained that the recommendation was to grant planning permission subject to a S106 agreement to secure the use of the informal car park for public use on the same terms as the existing. In the event that the subsequent application PLAN/2017/1185 was approved the obligation would be extinguished.

A number of Committee Members felt that the affordable housing contribution was too low and also queried why it was proposed that this contribution be taken as an off-site contribution rather than the on-site contribution of three units. The Planning Officer explained that the financial viability assessment had been carried out and that the proposed contribution was acceptable. The  Council’s Housing and Enabling Officer had also advised that a registered provider was unlikely to consider managing any less than ten units on a site. As such the Officer recommendation had been to seek the off-site contribution.

RESOLVED

That the Planning Committee granted Delegated Authority to the Development Manager to grant planning permission for the application subject to:

i)       the receipt of a revised drainage scheme, the receipt of a further consultation response to the revised drainage scheme from the Council’s Drainage and Flood Risk Engineer raising no objections and consequent changes as necessary to the recommended drainage conditions (16,17 &18);

ii)      the prior completion of a S106 Legal Agreement to secure the use of the informal car park for public use on the same terms as the existing (which shall cease if the application under PLAN/2017/1185 is granted planning permission), an affordable housing contribution and  overage clause and the required SAMM financial contribution; and

iii)     planning conditions.