Agenda item

To consider report PES/379aof the Head of Economy and Planning.

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT.

The Committee considered report PES/379a of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

Alterations to Units 1-3 and 5-16 comprising overcladding existing roof material with profiled metal sheeting and translucent sheet rooflights and retention of profiled metal roof to Unit 4.

Councillors Ali, Burrett and P Smith declared they had visited the site.

The Principal Planning Officer provided a verbal summation of the application which sought permission to over clad the existing roof of Units 1-3 and 5-16 in the Oakwood Industrial Park, within the Manor Royal Business District. The existing roof material was corrugated asbestos cement sheeting with a number of translucent roof lights positioned across the roof. It was proposed to clad over the top of the existing roof, encapsulating the existing roof with a new profiled metal sheeting roof, resulting in a slight increase in height. New translucent roof lights would be positioned over the existing roof lights. Unit 4 already had the new metal roof and this application also sought to regularise this change. 

The Committee was updated that, since the publication of the report, further information had led to amendments being made to conditions 3 and 5. This included confirmation of the roof material details together with receipt of the Construction Method Statement, which covered the issue of the impact on the protected trees to the eastern and southern boundaries. The Officer then gave detail of the various relevant planning considerations as detailed in the report and following this, the Committee then considered the application.

It was commented that it was unexpected to find a relatively new building containing asbestos. In response, it was noted the asbestos was not being removed and the construction of the new roof was specifically designed to address this situation and was subject to a condition. 

A query was raised regarding the suitability of using cladding given the material’s recent history and whether that being proposed within this application was fire resistant. It was clarified that the details of such building materials would come under the jurisdiction of Building Control regulations.

RESOLVED

Permit subject to the conditions and informative set out in report PES/379aincluding amended conditions 3 and 5 as follows:

3. The proposed new roof shall be constructed in Tata Steel HPS200 Ultra in Goosewing Grey (RAL 7038) unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Only the approved details shall be implemented.

REASON: To enable the Local Planning Authority to control the development in detail in the interests of amenity by endeavouring to achieve a building of visual quality in accordance with Policy CH3 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030.

5. The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the Method Statement by Advanced Roofing Services dated 28 January 2021 and the site set up image submitted with the application. Only the approved details shall be implemented and the approved measures shall be retained during the construction period.

REASON: To ensure the protection of the trees in accordance with Policy CH3 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 - 2030.