Agenda item
St Georges Estate, Cable Street, London
Decision:
The Committee RESOLVE that the application for the refurbishment of existing buildings and erection of nine buildings ranging from 6 to 9 storeys in height to provide 193 dwellings (13 x studios; 67 x 1 bed; 79 x 2 bed; 22 x 3 bed; 7 x 4 bed and 5 x 5 bed); the erection of four townhouses and erection of a community centre of 510 sq m and landscaping at the St George’s Estate, Cable Street, London be DEFERRED to allow officers to amend the discrepancies in the report.
Minutes:
Mr Michael Kiely, Head of Development Committee, introduced the site and proposal for the refurbishment of existing buildings and erection of nine buildings ranging from 6 to 9 storeys in height to provide 193 dwellings (13 x studios; 67 x 1 bed; 79 x 2 bed; 22 x 3 bed; 7 x 4 bed and 5 x 5 bed); including the erection of four townhouses and erection of a community centre of 510 sq m and landscaping at the St George’s Estate, Cable Street, London.
Ms Lucy Shrapnell spoke in objection on the grounds of privacy, increased traffic movements and noise. She felt that there were errors in the report and raised concerns relating to the conservation area.
Mr Warwick Croucher spoke in objection on the grounds of height, scale, bulk, density and the effect on daylight/sunlight. He felt that the proposals would be contrary to planning policies, local guidance notes and national standards.
Mr Steve Inkpen spoke on behalf of the applicant. He advised that the application was needed to provide funds for regeneration. He felt that the proposal would transform the estate by increasing open space and improving security. Residents had been consulted on the proposals.
Mr John Bell spoke in support on behalf of the residents. He reiterated the points made by Mr Inkpen and informed the Committee that there had been extensive consultation over the past 8 years. He felt that the estate would be improved and was important to the area as a whole.
Cllr Dr Emma Jones spoke on behalf of the residents in objection to the scheme. She expressed concern over family housing levels and noise nuisance. She did not feel that the mitigation measures proposed were suitable and that by infilling the development a fortress appearance would be created.
Mr Terry Natt, Strategic Applications Manager, presented a detailed report on the application. He explained that the new homes proposed on the estate were vital to provide cross subsidy and for the implementation of the Decent Homes Plus Standard across the whole estate. He explained that 25% of the proposed new homes were affordable housing, which was below the Council’s minimum 35% target, but that the principle of allowing a reduced amount of affordable housing in regeneration schemes was contained in policy HSG9 of the Interim Planning Guidance. The benefits of the scheme included landscaping and open space. The Highways department considered the scheme to be acceptable and the loss of daylight/sunlight was not sufficient to sustain a refusal.
Members asked a number of questions relating to S106 contributions, the exact numbers of units proposed, the consultation which had taken place with residents, the proposed mitigation measures and the conservation area. The Committee expressed concerns over the number of corrections to the report which were contained in the update report, and that Members had not had sufficient time to consider them.
The Committee RESOLVE that the application for the refurbishment of existing buildings and erection of nine buildings ranging from 6 to 9 storeys in height to provide 193 dwellings (13 x studios; 67 x 1 bed; 79 x 2 bed; 22 x 3 bed; 7 x 4 bed and 5 x 5 bed); including the erection of four townhouses and erection of a community centre of 510 sq m and landscaping at the St George’s Estate, Cable Street, London be DEFERRED to allow officers to amend the discrepancies in the report.
Supporting documents: