Agenda item
113-115 Roman Road, London, E2 0QN (PA/14/00662)
Proposal:
Demolition of existing three storey 13 bedroom hotel and construction of a new four storey (including roof extension and basement) building dropping down to three and one storey at the rear to create a 31 bedroom hotel with no primary cooking on the premises.
Recommendation:
To GRANT planning permission subject to conditions and informatives.
Minutes:
Update Report tabled.
Paul Buckenham (Development Manager, Development and Renewal) introduced the application for the demolition of existing three storey 13 bedroom hotel and construction of a new four storey building to create a 31 bedroom hotel with no primary cooking on the premises.
The Chair invited registered speakers to address the Committee
Carla Mitchell spoke in opposition to the application representing the local Four Corners centre at 119-121 Roman Road, London E2 0QN. . Her comments were that there would be a significant loss of light to the property from the proposal. Their green roof would also be damaged by the proposal and it would adversely affect the setting (character and appearance) of the Conservation Area.
There was no mention in the report of the loss of light to 119 Roman Road even though the property was very close to the application site and that the occupants had made Planning Services aware of the concerns. The applicant had a track record of enforcement issues and retrospective planning applications with other properties.
Michael Hartnett spoke in opposition representing 111 Roman Road. He objected to the impact on sunlight and overshadowing to this property from the proposal. He considered that the four storey extension would extend outwards by over 3 meters. The extensions would be unduly prominent and obstruct windows. He requested that the four and three storey extensions should be set back to protect amenity and preserve the area.
Councillor Amy Whitelock Gibbs spoke in objection highlighting the level of objections to the scheme amongst the community. There had been a petition in opposition with 100 signatures. She considered that the impact on the surrounding properties from the proposal in terms of overlooking and loss of light had not been fully taken into account. These impacts would be significant. It would also harm the green roof of a nearby property and would result in overdevelopment . This was unacceptable in the Conservation Area. Given the extent of this harm, particularly from the rear building, the application was unacceptable.
In response to questions about the measures to address the issues, Councillor Whitelock Gibbs did not consider that the conditions would address the key issues about the height and the impact on amenity.
Teymour Ali spoke in support of the application as the agent. He explained the scope of the daylight and sunlight assessment in respect of the neighboring properties including 119-121 Roman Road. The assessments, including a site visit, showed that the impact would be minimal in relation to the BRE guidance. He therefore questioned the assumptions in the letters from the objectors about this issue.
He also referred to the assessment of the amenity impact on 111 and 117 Roman Road that showed that the rooms would continue to receive adequate levels of light. The nearest windows to the property passed the tests. The scheme had been amended at the rearward block to address the concerns about the height. Enforcements issues were not a relevant consideration. The height was in keeping with the surrounding buildings.
In response to Members, he explained that there had also been changes to the waste collection arrangements and the access plans amongst other matters.
Gerard McCormack (Planning Officer) presented the detailed report, highlighting the site location in the Conservation Area. He explained the outcome of the consultation, the proposed layout, the improvements to the scheme, the extensions in relation to the neighbours, the design and materials. It was considered that the scheme would have a minimal impact on daylight and sunlight levels and the green roof, which due to its orientation, already experienced some overshadowing. The site had a good public transport levels. It was recommended that a condition be added to prevent the use of the terraces by guests.
Overall, it was considered that the proposal would enhance the setting (character and appearance) of the Conservation Area with minimal amenity impact. Therefore, officers were recommending that the application was granted.
In response to Members about the sunlight and daylight concerns, it was confirmed the applicant carried out further testing of the impact on the neighboring properties following receipt of the representations. Officers were satisfied with the result of the testing as set out in the report. The proposal would be in close proximity to the boundary of 111 Roman Road.
It had been necessary to reconfigure the internal layout of the scheme following the amendments at the rear building. The advice of the LBTH Design and Conservation Officer had been sought. Based on this, it was considered that the existing unlisted building had a neutral impact on the setting of the Conservation Area given the loss of many original features and alterations. However, this well designed replacement would enhance the setting of the Conservation Area.
The new building would be significantly larger than the existing building in terms of floor area, but fell below the threshold of 1000 sqm for planning obligations as set out in the Council’s Planning Obligations SPD.
If approved, it was discussed whether a condition should be added to restrict the hours of construction on Saturday to minimize the impact on residential amenity.
On a vote of 0 in favour of the Officer recommendation to grant and 6 against, the Committee RESOLVED:
That the Officer recommendation to grant Planning Permission (PA/14/00662) at 113-115Roman Road, London, E2 0QN be NOT ACCEPTED for the demolition of existing three storey 13 bedroom hotel and construction of a new four storey (including roof extension and basement) building dropping down to three and one storey at the rear to create a 31 bedroom hotel with no primary cooking on the premises.
The Committee were minded to refuse the scheme due to concerns over:
· The proposal would not preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Globe Road Conservation Area.
· Bulk and mass of the proposal excessive in terms of the overall proposal and in particularly the southern and middle part of the proposal.
· Adverse impact on overlooking.
· Loss of daylight and sunlight from the proposal.
· Detrimental impact on the environment.
In accordance with Development Procedural Rules, the application was DEFERRED to enable Officers to prepare a supplementary report to a future meeting of the Committee setting out proposed detailed reasons for refusal and the implications of the decision.
(Members present: Councillors Marc Francis, Rajib Ahmed, Asma Begum, Suluk Ahmed, Shah Alam and Chris Chapman).
Supporting documents:
- PA-14-00662 - 113-115 Roman Road, item 6.1 PDF 349 KB
- 113-115 Roman Road Site Plan, item 6.1 PDF 450 KB