Agenda item

To consider report PES/240(c)of the Head of Economic and Environmental Services.

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT

The Committee considered report PES/240 (c) of the Head of Economic and Environmental Services which proposed as follows:

Redevelopment of Kilnmead Car Park for residential comprising 37 affordable housing units (3 x two storey two-bed houses, 2 x two storey three-bed houses and a part 2-storey, part 3-storey and part 4-storey block of flats containing 13 x one-bed flats and 19 x two-bed flats) with associated parking & landscaping (amended plans received).

Councillors Boxall, Jaggard, Joyce, Portal Castro, Stone, Tarrant and Thomas declared they had visited the site.

The Group Manager (Development Management) provided a verbal summation of the application and provided the following update:-

·         Since the publication of the report, a further letter of representation had been received raising an objection to the application.  The issues raised had already been covered in the report.

·         The Committee was advised of the need for an amendment to Paragraph 5.35 of the report, whereby the comment regarding the removal of 38 trees, should read 36 trees.

·         The following amendments to conditions were required as below:-

Amended wording is underlined

Condition 15 – Amendment – Replace 1^st sentence with the following wording:

No development, including site works of any description, shall take place on the site unless and until all the existing trees/bushes/hedges to be retained on the site have been protected in accordance with the Tree Retention and Protection Plan within the Tree Development Report provided by Connick Tree Consultants dated 20^th September 2017.   Within the.….

Condition 19 – Insert ‘has’ into condition to read: will be implemented, has been submitted to,…….

Condition 21 – Change first part of the first sentence to read:

The residential units shall not be occupied until full….

Condition 25 – Change first part of first sentence to read:

The dwellings hereby approved shall not be occupied until a scheme…….

Condition 26 – Change first part of sentence to read:

Before the occupation of the development hereby permitted, details of…

Dr Sayinthen Vivekananthamaddressed the Committee in objection to the application, whilst Ms Kay Brown, the Agent, addressed the Committee in support of the application.  Many of the concerns raised by Dr Vivekanantham reflected those detailed in the report, including those made on the grounds of: loss of parking provision and limited on-street parking capacity in the area, and impact on the character of the area, with reference also made to the consultation process and a request for more time to consider the plans.

The Committee then considered the application.  The Committee discussed the issues arising, including the comments made by the Agent and the concerns raised by the objector, with some Members expressing their own concerns on the level of parking provision for the development, loss of town centre parking for shoppers and residents and loss of other town centre car parks more generally. 

In response to issues and concerns raised, the Principal Planning Officer:

·         Confirmed that the car parking arrangement would provide a total of 31 car parking spaces within the site: 28 resident car spaces and 3 visitor spaces. Four motorcycle spaces were also proposed.

·         Advised that the Transport document stated that the proposed houses would each have an allocated space, and the flats would have an internal permit

system where residents would be able to purchase permits. This would be managed by Crawley Homes.

·         Acknowledged that the proposal would not meet the minimum car parking standards, but referred to the fact that the application site was located within a very sustainable location being close to the town centre and regular public transport services.

·         Indicated that given the sustainable location of the application site, the proposed parking provision was considered acceptable, and that WSCC Highways had raised no objection regarding the number of parking spaces.

·         Indicated that there was capacity in other car parks within the town centre which could accommodate public car parking displaced from the loss of this site.

·         Confirmed that the allocation of parking permits in respect of the proposed site would be a system for the landlord to arrange.

·         Advised that there had been no indication that the road within the proposed development would form part of the neighbouring Controlled Parking Zone, with the Applicant indicating that parking would be managed on site.

·         Confirmed that the application site had been identified as a key deliverable housing site in the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030, and would provide a significant number of new affordable residential units in a sustainable location on the northern edge of the town centre.

In generally welcoming the proposed additional provision of much needed affordable housing to the town, the Committee further considered the application information and the issues and concerns raised.

RESOLVED

Permit - Subject to:

(i)         The conclusion of a Section 106 agreement to secure the financial contributions of £61,600 for replacement and additional tree planting, £5,474 for open space and the provision of 40% affordable housing on the site.

(ii)        The conditions set out in report PES/240 (c) and the updated conditions above.