Issue - meetings

Granted planning permission subject to:

(1)    the completion of a legal agreement to secure the obligations and the conditions (as amended below) and informatives set out in the Committee report; and

(2)    the amendment of Condition 18 (hard and soft landscaping) to maximise opportunities to increase UGF to 0.4 in line with policy BH4 and condition 19(cycle parking) to look at options for provision of e-cycle points.

PROPOSAL

Demolition of existing buildings and erection of a six and part seven-storey building with basement level comprising residential flats (Use Class C3), ground floor commercial unit (Use Class E), associated communal space, landscaping and cycle and refuse storage.

RECOMMENDATION:

That the Committee resolve to GRANT planning permission subject to:

i)            The prior completion of a legal agreement to secure the planning obligations detailed in the Committee report.

ii)           The Head of Planning being delegated authority to negotiate the legal agreement detailed in the Committee report.

iii)         The Head of Planning being delegated authority to issue the planning permission and impose the conditions and informatives detailed in the Committee report.

iv)         The Head of Planning being delegated authority to make changes to the wording of the Committee’s decision (such as to delete, vary or add conditions, informatives, planning obligations or reasons for the decision) prior to the decision being actioned, provided that the Head of Planning is satisfied that any such changes could not reasonably be regarded as deviating from the overall principle of the decision reached by the Committee nor that such change(s) could reasonably have led to a different decision being reached by the committee.

v)          The Head of Planning being delegated authority to refuse planning permission if by the “expiry date” of this application (subject to any amendments/extensions to the expiry date agreed by both parties) the legal agreement has not been completed.

Nicola Blake, Principal Planning Officer, introduced the report and set out the proposal. Members were advised that the site was located within the boundaries of Wembley Town Centre and had been classified as a Secondary Shopping Frontage within the Wembley Growth Area.

The Chair thanked Nicola Blake for introducing the report and subsequently invited Mr Paul Brailsford (who had registered to speak as the Applicants Agent) to address the Committee.

The following key points were highlighted:

·             Speaking on behalf of Daejan Investments Ltd (as part of the Freshwater Group of companies) he advised that the application represented the culmination of five years work between the applicant, officers and other consultees.

·             The site was located within the Wembley Growth Area and was currently occupied by a predominantly single storey flat roofed building containing 8 small commercial units of which five were currently vacant and the leases on the remaining three were due to expire in December.  As such the location was considered to be a significantly underused urban site in a highly sustainable location presenting a good opportunity for redevelopment.

·             The site was also located within the Tall Building Zone bordered by numerous multi storey developments with the proposals height at seven storeys therefore felt to be acceptable in respect of the character of the wider surrounding area.  In order to deal with level changes across the site the proposal involved two blocks, one at six storeys and the other at seven with recessed top floors and the building arranged in a “U” form around a communal courtyard garden with additional private amenity  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4