Agenda item

The Committee considered an application for the erection of a 12 storey building comprising 10 levels of car parking (totalling 1,332 spaces) and A1 (retail) and/or D2 (assembly and leisure) uses at ground and upper ground floor levels (totalling 8,208 sq.m GIA); the erection of a spiral entrance and egress ramps, provision of pedestrian and vehicular links to Victoria Square development, access, landscaping, and other associated works following demolition of the existing Red Car Park.

The Planning Officer advised that, since the publication of the report, the applicant had provided additional information.  As a result, conditions 21 to 24 had been replaced with new conditions 21 and 22 as set out below.  It was further noted that one plan number had been omitted in error and would be added to condition 2 to avoid any doubt.

“New Condition 21:  Prior to the commencement of the development hereby permitted, a scheme to deal with contamination of the site shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

(i)     The above scheme shall include:-

(a)    a remediation action plan based upon the submitted Preliminary Contamination Risk Assessment dated 30/01/2013 and the Generic Quantitative Contamination Risk Assessment dated 29/05/2013;

(b)    a "discovery strategy" dealing with unforeseen contamination discovered during construction;

Prior to the commencement of any above-ground works in connection with the development hereby permitted, the following shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority:

(c)    a "validation strategy" identifying measures to validate the works undertaken as a result of (a) and (b) and

(d)    a verification report appended with substantiating evidence demonstrating the agreed remediation has been carried out

Unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority, the development shall be carried out and completed wholly in accordance with such details as may be agreed. Point (d) shall be completed prior to first occupation of the development hereby permitted.

Reason: To ensure that a satisfactory strategy is put in place for addressing contaminated land, making the land suitable for the development hereby approved without resulting in risk to construction workers, future users of the land, occupiers of nearby land and the environment generally in accordance with Policies CS9 and CS21 of the Woking Core Strategy 2012

New Condition 22:  Contamination not previously identified by the site investigation, but subsequently found to be present at the site shall be reported to the Local Planning Authority as soon as is practicable. If deemed necessary development shall cease on site until an addendum to the remediation method statement, detailing how the unsuspected contamination is to be dealt with, has been submitted to and approved in writing to the Local Planning Authority (including any additional requirements that it may specify). The development shall then be undertaken in accordance with the approved details. Should no further contamination be identified then a brief comment to this effect shall be required to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to the first occupation of the development hereby approved.

Same reason for all conditions:

Reason: To ensure that a satisfactory strategy is put in place for addressing contaminated land, making the land suitable for the development hereby approved without resulting in risk to construction workers, future users of the land, occupiers of nearby land and the environment.”

The Committee considered the proposals and discussed the maintenance arrangements for the green ‘living’ wall and the circulation of vehicles within the car park.  The proposals overall were welcomed and approval of the application, subject to the changes to the conditions, was agreed nem con.

RESOLVED

That planning permission be grant subject to the amended conditions as set out above.