Agenda item
Ground Floor, Discovery Dock Apartments East, 3 South Quay Square, London, E14, 9RU (PA/18/03571)
Minutes:
An update report was tabled.
The application was discussed in conjunction with agenda item 4.4 however the Committee separately deliberated and voted on each application. The Area Planning Manager (East) introduced the reports which proposed revisions to 2 areas of the ground floor of Discovery Dock Apartments East, 3 South Quay Square, E14.
The Planning Case Officer then presented the report and outlined the following matters. The proposals were:
· extension of an existing ground floor unit (item 4.3)
· change of use of the ground floor unit from a management office to flexible use including A1 (retail), A2 (professional services) or B1a (office) use or continuation of existing management office use. (item 4.3)
· infilling of the existing colonnade (item 4.3 and 4.4)
· an infill extension to an existing ground floor commercial unit (currently in use as estate agent) (item 4.4)
· change of use for flexible use including A1 (retail), A2 (financial and professional services), A3 (restaurant) and B1a (office) (item 4.4)
Both proposals sought to respect the characteristics of the existing building and allow flexible usage in the context of the South Quay redevelopment. For the application at item 4.3 this excluded A3 category. The application at item 4.4 included A3 category but mitigated this via a condition that there would be no external dining. The proposals sought to ensure that pedestrian access through the site remained unaffected and that potential negative impacts on residential units were mititgated.
The Committee heard representations from an objector who raised the following concerns:
· The application did not fall under the Canary Wharf Masterplan but was being administered as though it were in respect of the number of A3 sites.
· The application fell under the South Quay Masterplan which called for balanced use; approval of the application would create imbalance.
· The Masterplan was relevant to the application because it dealt with town centres and activity.
· The access area for delivery vehicles was unsuitable for A1 use and would create traffic issues.
· The proposal would create additional noise traffic and odours for the residents of the units above the application site.
The Committee heard also from the Agent on behalf of the applicant who submitted that in the past the application sites had operated unsuccessfully as retail units. The South Quay area was presently undergoing substantial change and, to access future potential, the applicant wished to introduce flexibility to the spaces with a view to enlivening them and create interest. Responding to consultation, the applicant had removed the A3 change of use request (item 4.3) as it was his wish that the application sites should be sympathetic to neighbours as well as provide sites of interest.
The Agent also provided the following additional information:
· Delivery facilities for other units currently operated from Discovery Dock; to mitigate activity of the units applied for, a service and delivery management plan would need to be submitted and approved.
· Request for A3 category had not been removed from the application at Unit 2 (item 4.4) because the applicant wished to attract a wide range of enterprises to occupy the premises.
Responding to Members’ questions, officers also provided the following additional information:
· The applicant met the requirements for the proposed use.
· The service management plan would be applicable prior to the first occupancy of the units.
· The South Quay Masterplan set out the vision for the area. However the relevant policies were contained in the Core Strategy and Managing Development Policy.
· The emerging local plan could be considered to have a moderate weighting on the application as concluded by an inspector on a recent appeal. As the new overarching development plan neared adoption Members would be required to give greater weight to its content.
The Legal Adviser to the Committee enquired whether the area that would be enclosed was subject to a walkway agreement and the Agent advised that in the current circumstances the premises were private land without public access across the site. Therefore it was unlikely that there was an agreement of this kind in force.
The Chair then moved and on a vote of 3 in favour and 1 against, the Committee
RESOLVED:
That permission be GRANTED at Ground Floor, Discovery Dock Apartments East, 3 South Quay Square, London, E14, 9RU for extension to existing ground floor unit (currently in use as a management office) and change of use to flexible use including A1 (retail), A2 (professional services) or B1a (office) use or continuation of existing management office use subject to conditions and informatives.
Supporting documents: