Agenda item
120 Vallance Road & 2-4 Hemming Street, London, E1(PA/15/01231)
Proposal:
Demolition of existing buildings at 120 Vallance Road and 2-4 Hemming Street and erection of two buildings to provide 1,311 sqm (GEA) of commercial space, 144 residential units and new public realm, landscaped amenity space, cycle parking and all associated works
Recommendation:
That the Committee resolve to GRANT planning permission subject to any direction by The London Mayor, the prior completion of a Section 106 legal agreement to secure planning obligations and conditions and informatives as set out in the Committee report.
Minutes:
Update report tabled.
Owen Whalley (Service Head, Planning and Building Control) introduced the application for the demolition of existing buildings at 120 Vallance Road and 2-4 Hemming Street and erection of two buildings to provide 1,311 sqm (GEA) of commercial space, 144 residential units and associated works
Jermaine Thomas (Planning Officer, Development and Renewal) presented the detailed report explaining the character of the site and the surrounding area and the site designation in policy. The Committee were advised of the key features of the amended scheme. To this end, the Committee noted images of the design, scale, massing, materials and the layout of the proposal. It was reported that one letter had been submitted in response to the consultation.
It was considered that the introduction of a retail and commercial development at the site was acceptable. Given the limitations on the A1/A3 uses and low vacancy rates in the Town Centre, it was not considered that it would harm the viability of the Town Centre. The scheme displayed no signs of overdevelopment and both the Council and the GLA considered that the density of the scheme was acceptable given the location.
The applicant had undertaken to provide 35% affordable properties with social rent units, (in excess of what the scheme could afford), benefiting from a high quality entrance on Hemming Street. Other benefits of the scheme included: the provision of high quality public realm, policy complaint levels of child play and community space and a good quality design that would enhance the local town scape with no harm to local views. In addition, due to the design and scale of the scheme, the impact on internal and neighbouring amenity (in terms of sunlight daylight and overlooking) would be acceptable.
Officers were recommending that the application was granted planning consent.
Members asked questions about the quality of the affordable housing. In particularly they asked about the design of the ground floor entrances and the quantum of play space available to these dwellings (given the high number of family units within this tenure).
Members also sought assurances that all children in the scheme would have access to the play space in the interests of social cohesion.
Members also asked about the overall quantum of child play space given the child yield and the impact of the scheme on social infrastructure and the measures to mitigate this
The Committee were informed that all of the dwellings were of a good quality design and would benefit from private amenity space and appropriate levels of communal space. A point to note was that the ground floor maisonette (that was within the affordable rented tenure) would have its own private garden. In terms of the ground floor entrances, it should be noted they would be of a similar quality.
Both the entrances for the private and affordable units would front onto the street, so there were no issues about ‘inferior doors’.
As explained above, the proposed child play space complied with policy. The plans included an area of ground floor play space, that all of the children from the development would have access to. In addition to this, the private and affordable units would have their own area of play space that complied with policy. The Committee were advised to put more weight on the Officers comments in the report in respect of the child play space rather than the GLA comments as these had been addressed.
The scheme would be CIL liable. The contributions would be allocated by the LBTH Mayor in accordance with Council priorities.
Members also asked questions about the daylight and sunlight assessment and the overlooking from the scheme, and the measures to prevent this. It was explained that the scheme had been carefully designed to minimise the impact on amenity and prevent overlooking. Whilst there would be a slight impact on daylight, the results compared favourable to developments in similar built up urban setting. On balance Officers did not consider that this warranted a refusal on these grounds
Officers also clarified the rent levels for the affordable housing, the location and number of wheel chair accessible units and the cycle and car parking spaces.
In summary, the Chair welcomed the changes to the scheme and the praised the efforts to secure the social housing in the scheme.
On a unanimous vote the Committee RESOLVED:
1. That planning permission be GRANTED at 120 Vallance Road & 2-4 Hemming Street, London, E1 for the demolition of existing buildings at 120 Vallance Road and 2-4 Hemming Street and erection of two buildings to provide 1,311 sqm (GEA) of commercial space, 144 residential units and new public realm, landscaped amenity space, cycle parking and all associated works (PA/15/01231) subject to:
2. Any direction by The London Mayor.
3. The prior completion of a Section 106 legal agreement to secure the planning obligations set out in the Committee report.
4. That the Corporate Director Development & Renewal is delegated power to negotiate the legal agreement indicated above acting within normal delegated authority.
5. That the Corporate Director Development & Renewal is delegated authority to recommend the conditions and informatives in relation to the matters set out in the Committee report.
Supporting documents: