Agenda item
Walker House, 6-8 Boundary Street, London E2 (PA/17/03009)
Minutes:
The Area Planning Manager (East) introduced the report which concerned a proposal to change use of first floor office space (use class B1a) to 4no. residential flats (use class C3) and construction of a two-storey building to the rear to provide approx. 400sq.m of office space (use class B1a) at Walker House, 6-8 Boundary Street, London E2.
The Planning Case Officer then presented the report informing the Committee of the relevant planning considerations related to the application. These were; land use, design and materials, amenity and geographical context, transport and services.
Members raised the following concerns:
· an artist’s impression of the proposal had not been provided.
· although the proposed development was not in the conservation area, the proposed materials were not in keeping with those of the surrounding buildings.
· the correct level of information had not been provided.
Members were therefore minded to defer the application.
An objector who had registered to speak on this item requested that her submission should be heard prior to the deferral as she had relevant information which she wished to communicate and the Chair agreed that the speakers could be heard.
The objector spoke in objection to the application and answered Members’ questions informing the Committee that:
· the development would result in the removal of the windows on the first floor at the rear of Walker House. There would therefore be no ventilation as the windows at the front were kept locked by the landlord.
· the building as in a substantial state of decay as there had been no building management for many years.
· the building proposed would provide no public benefit.
· the windows that would be lost were linked to existing office space.
The Committee then heard from the architect on behalf of the applicant. He made his presentation and answered questions informing members of the following:
· a 3-D view had been submitted by the applicant, however the development would be mostly obscured from view at street level.
· the developer had chosen not to replicate the materials of the Boundary Estate. The proposed materials while not identical to the surroundings had been selected to reflect those of the boundary estate.
· the windows at issue were a later addition and were installed in 2002.
Members considered the information that had been provided and came to a majority view that insufficient information had been provided to enable the application to be determined. It was felt that a site visit would help Members understand the context of the application.
Councillor Pierce proposed, Councillor Bustin seconded and on a vote of 3 in favour and 2 against, the Committee RESOLVED that:
The application at Walker House, 6-8 Boundary Street, London E2, for change of use of first floor office space (use class B1a) to 4no. residential flats (use class C3). And construction of a two-storey building to the rear to provide approx. 400sq.m of office space (use class B1a), be DEFERRED.
Members were minded to defer the application for the following reasons:
· suitable graphics of the development and its likely appearance within its setting had not been provided
· the rationale on the choice of build material was insufficient
· sufficient assessment of the impacts of the development on the adjoining building had not been provided.
· Members agreed that a site visit would assist them to understand the physical context of the proposal.
Supporting documents: