James Gilfillan
Site: / West Quay Marina, West Quay Road, Poole, Dorset, BH15 1HXApplication No: / APP/08/25523/P/002
Date Received: / 13 August, 2008
Agent: / CB Richard Ellis Ltd
Applicant: / MMC Nikal (Poole Marina) Ltd
Development: / Outline Application to demolish existing buildings and erect a mixed use scheme comprising 182 bed hotel, 96 flats, offices, commercial floorspace, basement car-park, accessed from West Quay Road. As amended by plans received 18/05/09.
Ward: / Poole Town
This Application is brought before Committee due to the nature of the proposals.
Relevant Planning Policy
The following Policies apply to this Application:-
Poole Core Strategy (Adopted February 2009)
PCS01 / Principal Location for Economic InvestmentPCS05 / Broad Locations for Residential Development
PCS06 / Affordable Housing
PCS10 / Revitalising The Town Centre - General
PCS11 / The Regeneration Area
PCS15 / Access and Movement
PCS23 / Local Distinctiveness
PCS27 / Safer Communities
PCS28 / Dorset Heaths International Designations
PCS29 / Poole Harbour Spa and Ramsar Site
PCS32 / Sustainable Homes
PCS34 / Flood Risk
Local Plan First Alteration Adopted 2004
CA01 / Holes Bay Basin - Urban DesignCA02 / Holes Bay Basin
CA05 / Land between Wilkins Way and RNLI
E19 / Contaminated Sites
H01 / Housing Allocations
L17 / Provision for Recreational Facilities
NE16 / Sites of Special Scientific Interest
NE21 / Legally Protected Species
NE23 / Coastal Zone and Shoreline Character
T13 / Traffic Generated by Development
T17 / West Quay Transport Network
T03 / Provision for Pedestrians in New Development
TO06 / Tourism Zones
T19 / New Harbour Crossing
TO09 / Hotels and Guest Houses
Site Description
The Application site is on the West side of West Quay Road in Poole, with frontage to Holes Bay.
The site is currently occupied by a 2 storey building occupied by a variety of marine related retail and commercial activities and a Chinese restaurant on the first floor. There is forecourt parking accessed from West Quay Road.
To the north is a boat yard, occupied by Sunseeker, with a 'wet dock' and boat lift. To the south is Wilkins Way, the proposed access to the Twin Sails bridge. The area consists of a mixture of commercial activities, car showrooms, boat storage, manufacturing and the RNLI campus. There are small pockets of residential properties near to the site.
The site forms part of the Holes Bay Basin regeneration area covered by the Poole Bridge Regeneration Initiative Masterplan.
Part of the site along its southern boundary is required to facilitate the approach and construction of the Twin Sails Bridge and approach road.
Holes Bay is designated as a SSSI, SPA and Ramsar site. There are existing pontoons adjacent to the site, used in connection with the adjacent Sunseeker boat works.
The site is flat and is currently approximately 1.7m A.O.D. It falls within the area around the edge of the harbour that is at risk of flooding in the event of a 1 in 200 year flood occurring.
Because of the historic use of the site it is expected that some contamination could exist.
Relevant Planning History
None relevant on the this site, although members will be aware of nearby completed schemes within the Central Area, such as the Asda food store and residential development, Aqua flats, the new RNLI buildings and current Applications on the former power station site.
Current Proposal
· Outline Application to demolish the existing buildings and erect a mixed use scheme comprising 182 bed hotel, 96 flats, offices, retail/restaurant floorspace, basement car-park, accessed from West Quay Road.
· Matters to be considered by this Application are access to the site, scale of development and layout of the development.
· The proposals are broken down in to 5 blocks, 2 along the southern boundary adjacent to the new bridge approach road, 1 fronting Holes Bay on the west side, 1 fronting West Quay Road and projecting into the middle of the site and 1 on the north side of the site.
· The basement garage provides 166 parking spaces, bin storage, bike storage and plant equipment. 90 spaces (42%) would be available to the hotel and commercial elements, with the remaining 76 available for the 96 flats.
· The plans demonstrate how the proposed scale of development could be accommodated.
· As an outline Application the scheme incorporates scale parameters for the upper and lower limits of proposed buildings and the spaces between them. As such the maximum height of buildings is set, with variable parameters on lower elements.
· Due to the scale of the development and its location the Application is supported by an Environment Statement.
Representations
The Head of Transportation supports the single point of access to the site and the provision of a lay by. Concerns have been expressed over the gradients of the access drive, level of on site parking and failure to make adequate provision to promote accessibility by alternative forms of transport to the private car such as walking, cycling or public transport by the preparation of a Travel Plan.
The Head of Environmental and Consumer Protection: Object to the waste collection and storage regime due to the predominant reliance on a management strategy. A contaminated land survey and assessment should be secured by condition.
The Head of Leisure Services: No objection.
Highways Agency: No objection.
Environment Agency: Object to the Application because it fails to comply with the Core Strategy Flood Risk Policy, by not providing all development above the 1 in 200 year flood levels, nor does it demonstrate how the development contributes to the wider defence of the town. They also challenge the consideration given by the applicant to the impact of the potential release of contamination from the site into the harbour during construction.
Natural England: Object to the proposal due to the impact of the proposals on the SSSI, SPA and Ramsar designated Holes Bay/Poole Harbour, from both construction and then occupation/operation of the development. Concerns relate particularly to Bats, flight paths of breeding and wintering birds, foul water or pollution discharge in to Poole Harbour.
RSPB: Object to the Application sharing the above views of Natural England, with particular concern over the interference of tall buildings and bird flight paths.
Purbeck District Council have expressed concerns over the impact of increased traffic flows through Upton via Blandford Road.
Dorset Police have expressed concerns over the security of spaces around the development, particularly the basement garage, indicate without knowledge of an end user, 24hr interaction and surveillance is not guaranteed and also suggested commercial occupiers should be compatible with other uses on the site.
Poole Harbour Commissioners: Object to the lack of information relating to the impact of wind created by large buildings adjacent to the water on vessels in the vicinity, lack of parking and the impact of additional vehicles on the existing road network.
Wessex Water need to agree a drainage strategy with the applicant.
Dorset County Council Archaeologist: No objection.
Poole Old Town Conservation Group: Object to the overdevelopment of the site, proportion of oversized storey heights, lack of parking, being out of character with the Old Town and Quay Conservation Areas.
One letter of representation has been received objecting to the size and scale of the development being overdevelopment of the site, out of character, overbearing and harmful to the Old Town, the lack of parking and the unsustainable proliferation of cafes and bars.
Planning Considerations
The site is currently occupied by a variety of small companies related to the marine industry and a restaurant. The scale and nature of the current site occupiers and their activities under uses the site and fails to make efficient use of land within the Central Area of Poole.
The Application proposes to demolish those existing buildings and erect a mixed use development, making more efficient use of the site and delivering development appropriate to the size, scale and mix of uses found in a town centre.
Principle of development.
This site falls within the Central Area of Poole identified for regeneration. In order to deliver a comprehensive, joined up approach, to this regeneration, the Poole Bridge Regeneration Initiative (PBRI) Masterplan was prepared and adopted as Supplementary Planning Guidance.
This guidance is in 2 parts, the first setting a vision for the Central Area and an audit and analysis of the character and appearance of the existing character areas. The second part sets the urban design principles to be applied across the Central Area, identifies the principal areas of change and the process for implementation.
The Application site comprises the southern third of Area 2 'Bay View' of the Masterplan. There is a range of general design guidance, but of particular relevance is that this area should;
· 'be designed with distinctive buildings, spaces and features at the land end of the new bridge - to reinforce the sense of arrival in the town and act as a gateway'.
· 'be developed as a series of plots within blocks on the waterfront - to promote architectural variety and interest and incremental change'.
· 'incorporate a variety of storey and building heights within each block, especially on the waterfront - to add interest to short and long range views of the skyline and roofscape'.
The scale, mix of uses and quantum of development have been identified by policies in the Poole Local Plan First Alteration and the Poole Core Strategy.
Policy CA5 'Land between Wilkins Way and RNLI' of the Local Plan provides the start point for the consideration of the proposals. The policy requires a mix of uses, including:
i) A minimum of 200 residential units
ii) B1 Offices
iii) Small scale A1 & A3 commercial units
iv) A replacement slipway
v) A sea scouts facility.
It then re-iterates some of the design guidance from the Masterplan and includes a requirement that schemes:
· Contribute towards the transportation network required for the PBRI and
· Contribute to comprehensive flood defence measures.
This specific policy has been supplemented by PCS11 - The Regeneration Area, of the Poole Core Strategy that, based on its recent examination and adoption, re-enforces the aspirations of the Masterplan and Local Plan Policies for the delivery of regeneration in the Central Area.
As an outline Application there are three matters to be considered, the access to the site, the proposed layout and the scale of the development. Matters of design/appearance and landscaping are not considered here and would be subject to a future Application.
Access
Access to the site for vehicles is proposed to be taken from a single point of access off West Quay Road, in a similar position to the existing access. Visibility is good from the junction, which can accommodate the expected levels of use. It would not conflict with the proposed 'Twin Sails' bridge approach road.
The access drive would enter the site between the hotel and the block to the north. In order to ensure fail safe flood protection to the basement it would rise from the West Quay Road levels, 1.5m A.O.D, to the height of the podium, approx 3.8m A.O.D, before descending to the basement. Whilst insufficient information has been provided to demonstrate in detail that the gradients required to form the access are achievable and the basement layout would not be compromised by a greater land take for a different ramp design these are nevertheless matters that could be secured by condition.
A lay-by on West Quay Road would accommodate large service vehicles, smaller service vehicles could be accommodated within the scheme, at managed times to avoid conflict with the public realm.
The 20, one bed flats would not be provided with access to parking spaces. A car club would be provided on site to provide them with access to a car.
The 2-bed flats would be provided with access to one space each, through a permit system granting each flat one parking permit allowing flexible, multi use of all the parking spaces.
Even with the opportunity for flexible use of the parking spaces, analysis of the parking demand data has identified a shortfall of 20 spaces. This shortfall could be met by securing a contribution towards off site town centre parking.
In addition to the Car Club, a travel plan would be required to encourage the use of alternative forms of transport, particularly for staff employed on the site.
The scheme proposes a large bin store in the basement but the process of getting the waste off the site is not clear. These matters could be resolved by imposing a condition requiring the submission of details to ensure a satisfactory process is secured.
Scale
The scale of development is set out in the "Current Proposal" chapter above. As indicated the accommodation would be distributed into five blocks across the site. Each block would provide active ground floors, through a variety of retail/restaurant units, office space and the hotel, with its reception, bar and restaurant.
Above, in four of the blocks, would be the residential elements, the private flats, the serviced flats and the hotel bedrooms. The building at the junction of the 'Twin Sails' bridge road and West Quay Road, would accommodate 2,200 Sq.m of office space on the upper floors.
The scheme proposes the majority of its buildings at the upper limits of the height indicated by the adopted design guidance, advocating heights between 3 - 6 stories, the proposed scheme is predominately 5 and 6 storeys high. The illustrative elevations seek to indicate a varied roof line, a detail that would be resolved as part of the detailed design of the elevations, subject to a further Application.
The higher elements of the scheme are predominately located on the west side of the site, adjacent to the water. The adjacent space and open vista across the Back Water Channel prevent the buildings being overbearing and dominant at the human scale along the new public quayside.