Agenda item
Unit G1, Ground Floor, Block F, 15 Hanbury Street, London E1 6QR (PA/18/00459)
Minutes:
An update report was tabled.
The Development Manager introduced the report which concerned an application to use part of ground floor at Unit G1, 15 Hanbury Street E1 as a market on Saturday's trading between the hours of 10:30am and 6:00pm.
At the meeting, three interested parties made late requests to speak against the application. Responding to these requests, the applicant’s agent expressed concern that should Chair exercise discretion to grant the objectors permission to speak the applicant would be disadvantaged since there would not be opportunity to prepare responses. The Chair noting the unprecedented circumstance took officer advice and , taking into account Development procedures for speaking at Committee and having verified the procedures followed by officers in notifying relevant parties of the arrangements for the meeting, determined that speaking rights may not be offered. Then, on the basis of Development procedures around hearing applications that are recommended for approval and where there are no requests to speak in objection, the Committee did not receive any verbal representations but considered the matter on the basis of the written information provided in the report and verbal information provided by the Planning Case Officer.
The Committee heard from the Planning Case Officer who set out the relevant issues. These were; the proposed hours of trading, loss of use of a car park on Saturday's, noise amenity and impact on the night-time economy. He informed the Committee that:
· Consultation had been carried out by the Council and by the applicant. 42 letters had been received out of the Council consultation and objections related to ASB and lack of public toilets.
· The application proposed to install WC facilities at Unit G1
· There were existing WC facilities at Units G4 and G5 which could be accessed by the public.
· The applicant had submitted a transport assessment which mitigated a highway safety objection.
· The site was already used as a market on Sundays.
The Planning Case Officer responded to Members’ questions providing the following information:
The type of usage expected was estimated to be that 80% of trips will be shared with existing Saturday markets in the area and that the market extension would generate an additional 20%.
The assessment of the adequacy of the WC provision at Unit G1 had been scrutinised and considered in conjunction with the existing provision in the other Units on the site and also in conjunction with the transport consultation.
Impacts on residents of the merging of the end of market activity with the activity of the night-time economy in the area had been considered in the context of the proposed market activity to occur on Saturday and Sunday and it was acknowledged that activities would flow over from market activity into night-time activity in the area however the transport assessment did not capture this.
Comparing the proposal with a similar application in Commercial Street in 2017; the Committee heard that the former application had been dismissed on grounds of design and conservation and toilet provision but not because of ASB or highways issues.
In relation to a Member’s observation that data showed that levels of ASB in the Cumulative Impact Zone around Shoreditch exceeded levels in other parts of Central London, in contrast to the officer report which set out that the proposal would not cumulatively accentuate any existing ASB issues in the locality, the Planning Case Officer advised that there had been correspondence with the Police and a visit and had been undertaken but no Police objection lodged.
Responding to a Member’s observation that the market’s size had become much reduced over recent years, and question around what economic assessment had been carried out as part of the application process and whether this had informed officers’ recommendation. The Planning Case Officer advised that some local businesses supported the proposal because it increased the offer at weekends.
Concerning what constraints there were on the provision of WC facilities, the Committee was informed that a number already existed at Units G4 and G3; the new facilities would be installed within Unit G1 where the proposed market would be located. The proposed WC provision in Area G1 was to balance the ratio of male/female provision and ensure equal facilities across the site. Additionally the facilities would be open to the public.
The proposed market would be comprised of food stalls and craft business. There would be no sale of alcohol as the site did not have an premises alcohol licence.
Concerning the location of the residential areas in relation to the application site, a member of the public informed the Committee that these were: opposite the Truman Brewery, adjacent to old Spitalfields market at Lamb Street and Folgate Street.
Concerning arrangements for the removal of market waste, the Committee was informed that there was single refuse point for all located outside of the market and managed by the applicant. Wheelie Bins would be used to move waste to this area. Additionally there were pre-commencement conditions on deliveries.
The Chair proposed and, on a vote of 3 in favour and 3 against, there was no majority in favour of the recommendation.
The Chair then used his casting vote and voted for the proposal. Councillor Golds voted against the application and this is recorded at his request.
It was therefore
RESOLVED
That the application for use of part of ground floor as a market on Saturdays, trading between the hours of 10.30am - 6pm (extension to existing Sunday market) at Unit G1, Ground Floor, Block F, 15 Hanbury Street, London E1, BE GRANTED subject to conditions
Conditions
1. Three year time limit.
2. Compliance with approved plans and documents
3. Limit on hours of operation
4. Limits on music and amplified noise
5. Visitor management strategy
6. Provision of accessible customer toilets
7. Secure by design
8. Cycle parking
9. Delivery and service management plan
10. Waste management plan
Financial obligations
1. A contribution of £15,000 towards a study to be carried out of the current operation of Hanbury Street between Commercial Street and Brick Lane. This would feed into wider Borough commissioned Brick Lane pedestrianisation study currently undertaken by the local -highway authority.
The meeting then adjourned between 8:05pm and 8:08pm
Supporting documents: