Agenda item

To consider report PES/373eof the Head of Economy and Planning.

RECOMMENDATION to PERMIT.

The Committee considered report PES/373e of the Head of Economy and Planning which proposed as follows:

Erection of 3 warehouse units (use class B8), associated external plant, car/HGV parking, site access, internal roads, boundary security fencing and hard/soft landscaping.

Councillors A Belben, Burrett, and Jaggard declared they had visited the site.

The Group Manager (Development Management) provided a verbal summation of the application which proposed three buildings for storage and distribution use at a currently vacant site within the Manor Royal Employment Area.  The Committee heard that, since the publication of the report, further discussions between relevant parties had led to amendments being proposed to conditions 3, 4, 5, and 10.  The Committee was also requested to delegate authority to officers to insert in to condition 20 the correct plan number once the relevant drawing was received.

Sue Willcox, the agent (Quod) on behalf of the applicant, spoke in support of the application.  Matters raised included:

·       The estimated number of jobs created by the scheme and the inclusion of a Skills and Employment Plan in the Section 106 agreement.

·       The loss of 9 trees at the site, for which 47 replacement trees were proposed, alongside enhancements to biodiversity.

·       Details of financial contributions to the Manor Royal BID and to enhancements to the local cycle network.

The Committee then considered the application.  In response to a query regarding the parking provision for lorries at the site, the officer confirmed that lorry parking at units two and three was slightly lower than set out in the borough parking standards, however this was deemed to be a matter for the buildings’ future operator to consider.  WSCC’s Highways Department had no objection to the parking proposals.

RESOLVED

Permit subject to the conditions set out in report PES/373e, the amended conditions set out below, and the provision of delegated authority to officers to insert the agreed plan number in to condition 20.

3. No construction work above 5m from ground level shown on the approved plans CRAW1-RPS-B1-ZZ-DR-A-5399 Rev P02, CRAW1-RPS-B2-ZZ-DR-A-5399 Rev P02 and CRAW1-RPS-B3-ZZ-DR-A-5399 P02 shall take place on site until a Radar Mitigation Scheme, including a timetable for its implementation during construction, has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Radar Mitigation Scheme shall be implemented in strict accordance with the agreed details.

REASON: In the interests of the safe operation of Gatwick Airport and of NATS En-route PLC and in accordance with Policy IN1 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030.

4. The approved cladding on the northern elevations for the three units shall not exceed 81.200 AOD (13.6m AGL) for Unit 1, 76.000 AOD (8.4m AGL) for Unit 2, or 75750 AOD (6.9m AGL) for Unit 3, as shown on approved plans CRAW1-RPS-B1-ZZ-DR-A-5399 Rev P02, CRAW1-RPS-B2-ZZ-DR-A-5399 Rev P02 and CRAW1-RPS-B3-ZZ-DR-A-5399 P02 until the Radar Mitigation Scheme detailed in condition 3 has been implemented.  If Unit 1 is constructed before Unit 2, the cladding on the north elevation of Unit 1 shall not exceed 76,000 AOD(8.4m AGL) prior to the Radar Mitigation Scheme being implemented. The Radar Mitigation Scheme shall thereafter be implemented and operated in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: In the interests of the safe operation of Gatwick Airport and of NATS En-route PLC and in accordance with Policy IN1 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030.

5. No construction work above 5m from ground level shown on the approved plans CRAW1-RPS-B1-ZZ-DR-A-5399 Rev P02, CRAW1-RPS-B2-ZZ-DR-A-5399 Rev P02 and CRAW1-RPS-B3-ZZ-DR-A-5399 P02 shall commence on site until a Crane Operation Plan has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Construction at the site shall only thereafter take place in strict accordance with the approved Crane Operation Plan.

REASON: In the interests of the safe operation of Gatwick Airport and of NATS En-route PLC and in accordance with Policy IN1 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015-2030.

10. The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the Arboricultural Impact Assessment, Arboricultural Method Statement and its Tree Protection Plan provided by Deltasimons dated March 2021, Addendum Statement issued April 2021 and Addendum Statement issued 14^th July 2021 submitted with the application. The tree protection measures as set out within the report must be implemented prior to the commencement of any site works and thereafter maintained for the duration of the construction works.

REASON: To ensure that the protected trees are not compromised during the construction of the development in accordance with Policies CH2 and CH3 of the Crawley Borough Local Plan 2015 - 2030.