Agenda item
Tower Bridge Wharf, 84 St Katharine's Way, London, E1W 1UR
Minutes:
The published update report was noted.
Gareth Gwynne, Area Planning Manager, introduced the application for Construction of an additional storey to create five new residential apartments. Associated cycle and refuse store.
Rikki Weir, Principal Planning Officer, provided a presentation on the application. The Committee were reminded of the key features of the application, including photographs of the site and surrounds. The Officer’s recommendation was to refuse planning permission.
At the invitation of the Chair, objections were raised to the committee, highlighting the impact on access to the Thames River path and anti-social behaviour.
At the invitation of the Chair, reasons to support the application were raised to the committee, highlighting the need to improve the overall look of the building and the need to increase security in the area.
Further to questions from the Committee, officers and residents provided more details on the following elements of the application:
- How long has anti-social behaviour been reported here? And what did officers investigate about the anti-social behaviour in the area? Residents have been reporting anti-social behaviour in the area since around 2016, including calling the police. Officers looked at police data, community reporting from Safer Neighbourhood Panels and the work of the council’s own noise team.
- What were the number of objections and how many were residents? Officers reported that most of the objections came from local residents in the Wapping area and there were over 60 objections.
- Is the anti-social behaviour from local residents? What is the nature of it? There has been a range of activity in the area, usually in large groups. The data collected does not go into that kind of breakdown, but residents have noticed a few instances of seeing the same individuals returning to the area.
- How can we find a balance between allowing access to the area but also tackling anti-social behaviour? Officers have recommended refusal based on the restriction of access for a number of reasons, but there are real concerns from residents about anti-social behaviour.
- Members expressed concern about the access issues that were presented and no real plans to address anti-social behaviour.
The Committee debated the application and moved to the vote.
On a vote of 5 in favour, 0 against and 0 abstentions the Committee
RESOLVED:
That planning permission is REFUSED for the following reasons:
- The proposed development would be unacceptable as it would adversely impact on active lifestyle choices, it would unduly restrict access to Publicly Accessible Open Space, water spaces, the Thames Path and National Trail, contrary to policies D.SG3, S.OWS1, S.OWS2, D.OWS4 of the Tower Hamlets Local Plan, GG3, SI 16, G4 of the London Plan.
- The proposed development would be unacceptable as it would adversely impact on designate heritage assets (the Tower of London Conservation Area) through loss and restriction of the enjoyment of important riverside views. The proposal would also result in loss of permeability, legibility, connectivity and accessibility resulting in a less socially inclusive, less equal and less cohesive neighbourhood, increasing the perception of a private, gated community, contrary to policies S.DH1, D.DH2, S.DH3, D.DH4 of the Tower Hamlets Local Plan, D3, D8, HC1, HC3, HC6 of the London Plan.
- The proposed development would be unacceptable as it would adversely impact on the transport network, contrary to policies S.TR1 of the Tow
Supporting documents:
- Tower Bridge Wharf, 84 St Katharine's Way, London, E1W 1UR, item 6. PDF 3 MB
- DC Update Report - 2.3.23, item 6. PDF 180 KB