Final Plans List - 26 February 2004

Borough of Poole

Planning Committee

List of Planning Applications

THURSDAY 26 FEBRUARY 2004

BOROUGH OF POOLE

Planning Committee

DATE: 26 February 2004 at 6.00pm

NOTES:

1. Items may be taken out of order and therefore no certain advice can be provided about the time at which any item may be considered.

2. Applications can be determined in any manner notwithstanding the recommendation being made.

3. Councillors who are not members of the Planning Committee but who wish to attend to make comments on any application on this list or accompanying agenda are required to give notice by informing the chairman or Head of Planning Design & Control Services before the meeting.

4. Councillors who are interested in the detail of any matter to be considered should consult the files with the relevant officers to avoid queries at the meeting.

5. Any members of the public wishing to make late additional representations should do so in writing or by contacting their Ward Councillors prior to the meeting.

6. Letters of representation referred to in these reports together with any other background papers may be inspected at any time prior to the Meeting and these papers will be available at the Meeting.

7. For the purposes of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, unless otherwise stated against a particular report, “background papers” in accordance with section 100D will always include the case officer’s written report and any letters or memoranda of representation received (including correspondence from all internal Borough Council Service Units).

TABLE OF CONTENTS

Planning Committee

26 February 2004 at 6.00pm

PROPOSED ORDER OF ITEMS

Page

Item No:C5

Case Officer:Mr D Howells

Site:Land adj. to Seldown Bridge to the east of the Holiday Inn Express, Poole

Application No:03/37491/000/F

Date Received:18th November 2003

Agent:Charter Consultant Architects 2 St Stephens Court 15/17 St Stephens Road Bournemouth Dorset

BH2 6LA

Applicant:Western Challenge Housing Association Ltd

Development:Erect 86 residential units comprising 22 houses, 20 masionettes and 44 flats with community centre, associated car parking and amenity land as amended by plans received 03.02.04.

Ward:C 030 Poole Town

The application is brought before the Planning Committee, on the grounds that the applicant is a Housing Association and the proposal will result in additional residential units that involves Council owned land.

Site Description

The 1.2-hectare site is located east of the Holiday Inn Express hotel, off Walking Field Lane. To the north of the site, there is the Dolphin swimming pool car park (ground levels being approximately 2-3 metres higher than the application site). To the east of the site, there are existing residential properties fronting Park Lake Road and an area of undeveloped land. To the south of the site is the railway line and beyond that, the Pitwines East proposed housing site.

The site is currently open land crossed by an informal footpath linking the town centre with Poole Park and onward towards Baiter, via a subway under the railway line.

There is a prominent line of mature poplar trees running north to south through the centre of the site and other semi-mature trees around its edge, most particularly adjacent to the railway line. None of these trees are the subject of a Tree Preservation Order since the Borough of Poole owns the land.

An area of land in the south-eastern corner of the site is within the designated boundaries of Poole Park which has been recently been added to English Heritage’s Register of Parks and Gardens of Special Historic Interest. The eastern boundary of the site abuts the Poole Park Conservation Area.

Relevant Planning History

There is no recent relevant planning history regarding this site.

Borough of Poole Seldown Design Competition Brief (2002)

The Borough of Poole produced a brief for the application site in 2002 with the intention of holding an architectural competition intended “to achieve a quality residential development encompassing affordable and sustainable housing”.

While the competition was never held, the brief was approved by the Central Area Working Group and has guided the preparation of the current proposals. The Brief’s proposes the creation of an ‘exemplar’ sustainable scheme which would provide an eco-friendly, ‘home-zone’ environment that is affordable to residents of Poole.

Current Proposal

• The application seeks full planning permission for the erection of 86 residential units comprising 22 houses, 20 maisonettes and 44 flats, together with a community centre and associated car parking and vehicular access.
• The scheme provides 100% affordable housing with a range of shared ownership options. 10 units have been identified for key worker housing in accordance with Government Policy.
• The density of the scheme is approximately 75 dwellings per hectare based on the nett developable area of the site, excluding an area retained as open space.
• The proposals provide a ‘home-zone’ type of living environment where people and vehicles share the whole of the road space safely and on equal terms and where quality of life takes precedence over ease of traffic movement. The principle of a ‘home-zone’ environment is not to prohibit vehicles entering into a pedestrianised area but to constrain vehicles to speeds of 10 mph or less, by means of surface treatment, street furniture and pedestrian movement. The spaces between buildings are no longer designated as roads or pavements, but become shared surfaces for motor vehicles and pedestrians but also provide open amenity areas, for residents, throughout the day.
• The proposed homes have been designed to be energy efficient and environmentally friendly by such means as their orientation to optimise natural heating and lighting and though sustainable construction methods and materials. The proposals have achieved ‘very good’ on the Building Research Establishment’s Eco Homes rating. This scheme is intended to encourage good design based on environmentally friendly principles in the areas of design, transportation, ecology and land use.
• The design and orientation of the residential units utilises solar gain whilst on the northerly aspects, low amounts of windows will minimise heat loss. The primary rooms within the dwellings have increased glazing areas to optimise solar heating.
• The design of the buildings demonstrates contemporary styling and use of materials.
• The scheme has been designed to encourage reduced reliance on private cars and a car-parking ratio of 0.7 car parking spaces per home has been adopted as part of the sustainable approach to the development. The applicant has submitted a ‘Travel Plan’ which sets out an approach to be implemented to encourage alternative methods of transport other than the private motor vehicle. These include the operation of a Car Club; secure and covered cycle provision; and access to public transport.
• The proposed development incorporates homes equipped to facilitate ‘home-working’. Doing so would alleviate the need to travel to a separate place of work and therefore accords with the sustainable approach of reducing travel and car usage. The accommodation is flexibly designed to give occupiers the opportunity to ‘home-work’ if desired, and should this not be the case, then the allocated room could be converted to additional living accommodation without extensive modification.
• The proposal incorporates a community centre close to the main entrance of the site.
• The row of mature Poplar trees on the site would be removed and replaced with structural replanting along the northern boundary, and in the southeastern corner of the site.

REPRESENTATIONS

The Head of Strategic Planning - has commented that the scheme is generally acceptable in policy terms.

The Head of Consumer Protection Services - has commented that the scheme may be on or adjacent to a suspected landfill site. A condition shall secure the submission of a report identifying any contamination on the site and setting out any necessary remediation.

The Head of Housing and Community Services - fully supports the application and encourages its approval.

The Head of Leisure Services (Open Spaces Manager) - generally supports the application, although acknowledges that the impact upon historic park is a material consideration and should be considered appropriately.

The Environment Agency - has commented that the site would appear to be adjacent to the former Poole Gasworks, and the Agency has suggested that the applicant be mindful of appropriate procedures to minimise contamination concerns.

A condition requiring the submission and implementation of an appropriate, sustainable surface water drainage scheme should be allocated to any consent given. There is capacity in the foul drainage system.

The recycling of rainwater through appropriate measures is encouraged.

The Garden History Society - has requested that a full impact assessment is carried out, to safeguard the quality of the Park. The Council is reminded that an effect upon a registered park or garden is a material consideration and its implications should be fully assessed.

Friends of Poole Park - have lodged an objection to the scheme on the grounds that part of the residential development falls within the designated Poole Park and Conservation Area, therefore the scheme is contrary to Policy.

Dorset Police Architectural Liaison Officer - has offered suggestions to minimising crime opportunities and comments are awaited upon the amended plans.

Network Rail - has no objections to the proposed development.

Wessex Water - has no objections to the proposed development.

Representations have been received from the occupiers of 5 adjacent homes in which the following concerns are expressed:

• Adversely affecting neighbouring amenities by reason of inadequate water drainage, loss of light, privacy, increased noise and pollution.
• The proposed development on land designated for Educational and Recreational purposes and within Poole Park boundaries.
• Overdevelopment and out of character of the site;
• The site is a Site of Special Scientific Interest and should be preserved (it doesn’t);
• Concerns over mixed tenure resulting in social disturbance;
• The proposals will give rise to off-site parking and increased traffic movement;
• Rights to the private enjoyment of resident’s properties will be adversely affected.
• The loss of a substantial group of trees from the site;

Relevant Planning Policy

Poole Local Plan (1998)

Policy L9 identifies the application site for indoor sports use.

Poole Local Plan First Alteration Revised Deposit Plan (November 2001)

Policy CA10c identifies the application site as land on which planning permission will be granted residential (a minimum of 75 dwellings) and for live/ work space provided that:

• The building height, scale and form responds to the edge of town centre location
• There is a minimum residential density of 75 dwellings per hectare
• There is an average maximum of 0.5 car parking space per dwelling
• The mix of dwellings include housing for rent, shared equity and sale; and
• Cycling and walking links are created to Poole Park, dolphin swimming pool and the town centre.

The plan also requires that the site should “ deliver an exemplar project in affordable urban living” and:

• Two-thirds of the dwellings should be affordable;
• Live/work provision should encourage workshop and home based enterprise business that contributes to reducing the need to travel.
• An innovative approach to the design and layout of the site was required while respecting the adjoining residential properties in Kingland Road.
• Building heights to the south and west of the site could be up to five storeys to integrate with the adjoining larger scale developments and 3 stories to the east and north of the site.
• Protected species have already been relocated from the application site.

Also policies:

BE1 - (Design Code)

BE2 - (Landscaping)

BE9 - (Public Art)

BE10a - (Energy Efficiency)

BE15 - (Conservation Areas)

NE21- (Coastal Zone and Shoreline Character)

NE26 - (Individual or Grouped Trees)

NE30a - (Flood Risk)

NE31 - (Water Services)

T1b - (Pedestrian and Cycle Facilities)

T11b - (Car Parking Maxima)

T14a - (Planning Obligations – Transport)

H1 - (Housing Development)

H2a - (Affordable Housing)

H3 - (Affordable Housing – Detail)

H7 - (High Density Housing)

H9a - (Housing Design)

H11 - (Purposes Built Flats)

L21 - (Provision for Recreation Facilities)

Planning Considerations

• The proposals are consistent with the aspirations of Policy CA10c for the residential redevelopment of the site.
• The proposed development will have a density approximately 75 dwellings per hectare which is both in accordance with the provisions of Policy CA10c and the guidance set out in PPG3 and PPG13 for town centre locations.
• The proposed development will provide 100% affordable housing, therefore fully complies with Policy H2a of the emerging development plan. Potential residents will be made fully aware of the sustainability aspirations of the site and of the implications of this through Western Challenge’s screening process.

Poole Park

• While the Borough of Poole is challenging the inclusion of the site within the boundaries of Poole Park as designated on English Heritage’s Register of Historic Parks (on the grounds that the linkage between the site and the historic park has been severed decades ago), the land’s current inclusion is a material consideration. PPG15 does not prohibit development within the park, but does require that the character of the park should be safeguarded.
• There will be 4 dwellings (block K), within the designated boundary of the park. These together with replacement tree planting will close the existing vista out of the historic park.
• The proposed development will preserve and enhance the visual backdrop from the park, by reason of architectural interest and replacement tree planting.

Trees

Subject to structural tree replacements, the Council’s Senior Arboricultural Officer considers the loss of the existing row of Poplar trees from the centre of the site to be acceptable. The replacement structural replanting will mainly be along the northern boundary and in the south-eastern corner of the site. Further additional landscaping will be carried out within the open spaces between the buildings.

Residential Amenities

• The terraced dwellings of blocks K & L, are in excess of 30 metres away from the rear elevations of the houses in Park Lake Road. Block W will be 30 metres from the adjacent Holiday Inn hotel. The proposals will not therefore give rise to any material loss of privacy to the occupiers of adjacent houses, nor will the residents of the proposed homes be overlooked by adjacent development.
• Residents occupying dwellings fronting Park Lake Road have commented that the proposed development will restrict the amount of natural sunlight to their property. The proposed dwellings in blocks K & L are 2 storey in height and will not give rise to excessive overshadowing of neighbouring gardens or homes.

Car Parking

• The proposed layout provides 61 car parking spaces on site, resulting in a car-parking ratio of 0.7 car parking spaces per dwelling while the emerging policy requires 0.5 car parking spaces per dwelling. Discussions with local Resident Associations gave rise to the increased provision of 0.7 to address the concerns of residents.

• The Travel Plan that accompanies the planning application assists the reduced car-parking layout. Within the Travel Plan, incentives including public transportation tickets, shared car club details and cycling clubs will be promoted to all new residents and through the community centre. The level of reduced car parking and the incentives included within the Travel Plan accord with the principles of the site’s brief and the emerging development plan policies.
• Because of the ambitious nature of the transportation proposals, the scheme has been designed to be able to accommodate up to 1:1 car parking, in the event that the Travel Plan’s targets are not achieved. This does not form part of current planning application, but the applicant has demonstrated that with the removal of street furniture and landscaping, that an increased level of car-parking provision could be achieved. Only if car-parking becomes a substantial problem would a revised planning application with increased car parking provision be submitted for consideration.
• In order to promote alterative transport modes the applicant has agreed to pay contributions towards a cycle link to Poole Park and junction improvements.

Education

Since March 2003 Strategic Planning Services, Schools Advice & Support Services and Pupil and Parent Support Services have been developing a demographic model to predict the likely impact of major housing land allocations in the Central Area on school admissions within the Hamworthy and Town Centre School Catchments. Based on average occupancy the proposals for Seldown could give rise to a demand for 44 additional school places up to the age of 16 years. Allowing for expected levels of DfES ‘Basic Needs’ funding the cost of providing this proportion of the overall projected increase in school roles is £51,616:00. A capital contribution of this amount will be secured by the ‘Section 106’ Agreement.

Public Art

In view of the scale of the proposed development and its prominent location, it would be appropriate for that development to incorporate public art in accordance with the provisions of Policy BE9 of the Poole Local Plan. This can be addressed by attaching a condition to any consent now given requiring the submission of proposals in this respect.

Summary

The proposed development accords the Council’s aspirations of providing an exemplar scheme that promotes eco-friendly, affordable housing based on sustainable principles. The proposal fully accords with Policy CA10c and the other relevant policies and is therefore considered favourably.

Human Rights Act

In coming to this recommendation/decision consideration has been given to the rights set out in Article 8 (Right to Privacy) and Article 1 of the First Protocol (Right to Peaceful Enjoyment of Possessions) of the European Convention on Human Rights.