Agenda item

The officer presented the report on an application to refurbish the existing building into eight one-bedroom apartments and build six mews terrace houses. Consultations, representations, policy and guidance and this site’s planning history are detailed in the officer’s report which forms part of the agenda pack for this meeting.

The planning officer confirmed that the school would not close and development would not start until the school had relocated.

Mr J Harding, a local resident, spoke objecting to the application. His concerns included the following:

·           residential amenity would be adversely affected by the three-storey town houses which would be overbearing and cramped on the site;

·           there was insufficient parking on site and no off-site parking on the already overcrowded surrounding streets.

Mr K Dijksman, the applicant’s agent, spoke in favour of the application. His speech included the following:

·           the plans had planning’s and conservation’s approval;

·           Oxfordshire County Council highways considered that office use would generate more traffic than housing;

·           the distances between buildings exceeded the minimum standards necessary to prevent overlooking.

Councillor Jim Halliday, one of the ward councillors, spoke              objecting to the application. The points he raised included the following:

·           the development was too large and was cramped;

·           the additional cars would add to the traffic problems in the area and there was already a shortage of parking spaces;

·           the conversion of the main building was acceptable, the additional housing was tolerable, but the lack of parking provision was not tolerable.

The committee considered this application, with advice from officers where appropriate; the discussion covered the following points:

·           there were no reasons on planning grounds to refuse this application;

·           the parking for this application met the required standards and Highways had not objected;

·           the local authorities needed to consider the cumulative impact of traffic growth in the area.

RESOLVED (unanimous by vote):

to authorise the head of planning in consultation with the committee chairman and vice-chairman to grant planning permission for application P13/V0679/FUL to the head of planning subject to:

i. A S106 agreement with both the County Council and District Council in order to secure contributions towards local infrastructure and to secure the affordable housing.

and

ii: Conditions as follows:

1.    Commencement three years.

2.    Approved plans.

3.    Sample materials to be agreed.

4.    Access, parking and turning in accordance with plan.

5.    Bicycle parking as per approved plans.

6.    No drainage to highway.

7.    Submission of landscaping scheme.

8.    Implementation of landscaping scheme.

9.    Drainage details (surface and foul) to be agreed.

10.Sustainable drainage scheme to be agreed.

11.Boundary details to be agreed.

12.Refuse storage to be agreed.

13.Construction traffic management plan to be agreed.

14.Slab levels to be agreed.

15.Code Level 4 to be achieved in the new units.

16.Tree protection to be agreed.

17.Archaeological investigation to be agreed.

18.Scheme of archaeological mitigation to be agreed

19.Restriction on use of roof as balcony.

20.Second floor rear facing mews house windows to be obscure glazed.

iii. If the required section 106 agreements are not completed, and planning permission cannot be granted by the determination deadline of 3 September 2013, authority to refuse planning permission is delegated to the head of planning in consultation with the chairman and vice-chairman.