Agenda item
Dave Adams House, 12-12B Norman Grove, London, E3 5EG (PA/19/00346)
Minutes:
The Area Planning Manager (East) introduced the report which concerned an application by the Council for a residential led mixed use development to provide a better quality children’s home at the site and housing.
The Planning Case Officer then presented the report informing Members that the proposal would provide 17 residential units comprising (1, 2, 3 and 4 bedroom homes) around the children’s home. The dwellings would be in the form of townhouses, duplex flats and lateral flats. She outlined the physical context of the proposed development and relevant material planning considerations which were; land use, design, amenity, transport and environment. A representative from BRE Consultants attended for this item to assist with technical questions related to daylight/sunlight assessments. Objections to the proposal had been received on the basis of these considerations and also on poor consultation. She also informed the Committee that, since the Council was the applicant, financial and non-financial obligations could not be mandated through S106 agreements. Therefore these obligations would be met in full through the imposition of conditions.
Responding to Members’ questions, the following information was also provided:
• Daylight/sunlight assessments were required for living rooms but not for bedrooms. Therefore had been no assessment of the bedrooms of the proposed children’s home. The Committee noted this and a Member commented that nowadays days many children spent leisure time in their rooms as well as time spent sleeping.
• The daylight/sunlight assessments carried out on Rosebank Gardens had returned a moderate/adverse impact. This meant that occupants would experience a noticeable impact from the proposed development.
• There would also be sunlight/daylight impacts to the proposed development at Regency Court but since this was not yet inhabited, residents would not experience changes of light levels. A Member noted that the design of Regency Court had been amended as a result of such concerns.
• To mitigate potential impacts on the nearby conservation area, use of sympathetic materials would be conditioned and samples provided for approval by the Planning Authority.
• A parking space dedicated for use by the Children’s Home would be allocated from existing spaces at Rosebank Gardens
The Committee then heard from the registered speakers. The Chair advised that, to facilitate democratic engagement, he had accepted a late request from Councillor Blake who wished to address the Committee, jointly with the Development Project Manager, on behalf of the applicant. The Clerk confirmed that Legal advice had been given that, under committee procedures, it was appropriate for Councillor Blake to make a submission in this role.
The Committee first heard from two objectors who made their submissions before Members outlining the following concerns:
• The design appeared bleak in the context of its surroundings.
• The location of the entrance of the proposed children’s home would create opportunities for loitering and lead to antisocial behaviours. Related to this, the comments of staff employed at the former children’s home had not been taken into account.
• The design of the balconies would lead to impacts on daylight/sunlight and Members were asked to consider reconfiguration of the balconies.
• The scale of the flats proposed was out of keeping with the surrounding buildings and would be intrusive to existing properties especially those at Rosebank Gardens.
• There would be a sense of enclosure at some of the properties at Rosebank Gardens. Indeed other previous 4 storey applications had been deemed too high and had been refused permission. Members were asked to consider reducing the height of the flats proposed to be built.
• The additional number or residential dwellings would create greater access issues in an area that already had congestion issues.
Responding to Members’ questions, the objectors also provided the following information:
• Concerning the scale of properties surrounding the application site, 2 storey dwellings were located at Norman Grove and 3 storey dwellings at Rosebank Gardens.
• There was insufficient space at Rosebank Gardens to provide the access that 14 flats would require. Additionally the distance from proposed flats and properties at Rosebank Gardens was less than that illustrated in the report.
• Objectors were concerned not so much around the redevelopment of the children’s home but around the scale of proposed residential development on the remainder of the site.
The Committee then received a joint submission from Councillor Blake, and the Project Development Manager and from the Architect. They addressed the Committee outlining the following matters:
• There had been substantial consultation with residents.
• Few of the surrounding properties would be impacted by the application.
• The location of the entrance of the new children’s home had been chosen following consultation.
• The design of the children’s home provided flexible future use should the needs of the service change. The internal design had been configured to meet the needs of the children that would be housed.
• There had been revisions to the initial balcony designs and subsequently these had been removed following resident feedback.
• Biodiversity impacts had been mitigated through sympathetic landscaping and provision of biodiverse roofs.
Responding to Members’ questions, the following additional information was provided:
• The proposed development was in keeping with the scale of surrounding streetscape.
• Play provision was under that specified by the policy pf the Local Plan but was mitigated by public parks which were situated close by.
• The design of the children’s home was intended to enable its residents to socialise.
Having heard from all parties, the Committee was satisfied that the matters at issue had been comprehensively discussed and Members were ready to take a vote on the application.
The Chair moved and on a vote of 3 in favour and 1 against, the Committee:
RESOLVED:
That, subject to any direction by the Mayor of London, planning permission be GRANTED for redevelopment of Dave Adams House, 12-12B Norman Grove, London, E3 5EG to provide a two storey building for children's services (C2 use), 4 town houses of 2-3 storeys, 13 flats in a 4 storey building, landscaping, servicing, cycle and car parking and associated works subject to conditions and informatives.
At 7:35pm the meeting was adjourned for 8 minutes.
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