Agenda item

Erection of 12no. three bedroom houses with associated parking (including 7no. visitor spaces to the south of nos. 11 and 12 Typhoon Close and 1no to south of 10 Tempest Mews), provision of a vehicle turning head on Tempest Mews, landscaping and laying out of commemorative garden, following demolition of Ramslade House.

Erection of 12no. three bedroom houses with associated parking (including 7no. visitor spaces to the south of nos. 11 and 12 Typhoon Close and 1no to south of 10 Tempest Mews), provision of a vehicle turning head on Tempest Mews, landscaping and laying out of commemorative garden, following demolition of Ramslade House.

 

The Committee noted:

 

• The supplementary report of the Head of Planning tabled at the meeting.
• Warfield Parish Council did not support the loss of historic buildings which were being rapidly eroded from Bracknell’s history.  Bracknell Town Council had recommended refusal, pointing out that potential buyers of property on the Parks Estate had been told that Ramslade House would be preserved as a community facility.
• Objections from 25 individuals raising the following concerns:

   Loss of Ramslade House

- there are few old or historic buildings remaining in Bracknell

- Ramslade House is a beautiful old building, with original architecture and features and links to the RAF - the applicant has neglected it: money should have been spent on it instead of public art.

- it should be put to a community or education use

- Ramslade House is a focus for views on the site - only old building in a sea of new

Highways and parking

- the planned parking bays are on land already used by residents and visitors - their use will lead to increased parking on the narrow roads/on bends/on footways which is a safety concern and already an issue

- insufficient parking spaces for residents of new properties

- existing garages in Tempest Mews and Typhoon Close are too small

- loss of proposed disabled spaces

- there are better and fairer parking solutions

- the 7 parking spaces adjacent to no 11/12 Typhoon Close will be used by people visiting the park rather than residents and their visitors

- Tempest Mews is a private road which residents maintain - if residents withdraw consent for access to this road all traffic and parking will focus on Typhoon Close

- children play in Tempest Mews in summer months - their safety will be affected

- no need for the proposed bin store in Tempest Mews - it will increase traffic on a private road: who will pay for damage to the road?

- Tempest Mews cannot accommodate 2 passing vehicles without crossing the frontage owned by residents

- Increased traffic in the estate and local roads to detriment of road safety

Residential amenity/impact on character

-12 properties is excessive - they should have integral garages and driveways as per Tempest Mews

- concerns about health and safety due to proximity of properties, highway and pedestrians

-  loss of sunlight from tall houses

- density and overdevelopment - adverse effect on character of neighbourhood and residential amenity of neighbours

- total footprint substantially greater than current and out of character - will block off views of green space

- disturbance from more cars - more noise, dust and fumes

- proposal would represent overdevelopment

- loss of green space to area

Nearby play area and community centre

- increased traffic and parking will adversely affect safety of children using nearby playground

- the Community Centre is being built nearby, this will also increase the traffic loads and parking in the area

- The number of houses will now exceed the original promised number of 730 - extra housing already being built next to the railway.

- The new community centre has reduced the amount of green space from that originally agreed. Converting Ramslade House site to green space/wooded area/allotments would offset some of this

Other points

- The commemorative garden takes away even more open park space

- impact of the proposal on the biodiversity, including bats, on the site

- no real difference from scheme dismissed at appeal.

 

The criteria for public speaking had been met in respect of this application and the Committee was addressed by the registered speaker Paul Regan, Chair of the Parks Association, who represented the objectors to the proposed development, and Henny Handley of Boyer Planning, agents for the applicant.

 

RESOLVED that following the completion of planning obligation(s) under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 relating to:-

 

01.       - provision of an artwork in the commemorative garden         

            - a financial contribution to cover that long-term maintenance of the commemorative garden (to reflect the higher level of horticultural maintenance required compared with the informal open space it will replace) 

            - the applicant entering into an appropriate S38/S278 agreement to provide adopted routes to serve the development     

            - the main measures to avoid and mitigate the impact of residential development upon the Thames Basins Heath Special Protection Area (SPA)

            - The provision of affordable housing

 

That the Head of Planning be authorised to APPROVE the application subject to the following condition(s):-

 

01.     The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.   

         

02.     The development hereby permitted shall be carried out only in accordance with the following approved plans:-     

          AA3120/2.1/001H:  Site Layout  

          AA3120/2.1/002B: Roof Plan     

          AA3120/2.1/003:  Elevations & Views    

          AA3120/2.1/004:  Site Location Plan      

          AA3120/2.1/008A: House Type 3BA & 3BAv1

          AA3120/2.1/009A: House Type 3BB & 3BBv1

          AA3120/2.1/011: Street Elevations         

          AA3120/2.1/012: Street Elevations         

          CSA/2262/100E: External Works Plan   

          CSA/2262/101E: Planting Plan   

          CSA/2262/102A: Detailed Landscape Plan        

          Surface Water Drainage Strategy ref: ST290572/DB/DW/221 

         

03.     The development hereby permitted shall not be begun until details of the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.   

         

04.     None of the dwellings hereby permitted shall be occupied until the turning head on Tempest Mews has (a) been constructed in accordance with the approved plans and (b) is available for use.  It shall thereafter be retained and kept available for turning.     

         

05.     None of the dwellings hereby permitted shall be occupied until a means of access to it for pedestrians and/or cyclists has been constructed in accordance with the approved plans. 

         

06.     None of the dwellings hereby permitted shall be occupied until the associated vehicle parking spaces serving the development, including visitor parking, have been provided in accordance with the approved drawings. The spaces shall thereafter be kept available for parking at all times.          

         

07.     There shall be no restrictions on the use of the car parking spaces shown on the approved plan as visitor parking for visitors to the dwellings hereby permitted.   

         

08.     The dwellings hereby permitted shall not be occupied until cycle parking facilities have been provided in accordance with the approved plans. The cycle parking spaces and facilities shall thereafter be retained.    

         

09.     No development shall take place until a scheme has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority for external site lighting serving the parking areas, including lighting units and levels of illumination. The approved scheme shall be implemented before the first use of that area and the lighting retained in accordance therewith.    

         

10.     All planting comprised in the soft landscaping works shall be carried out and completed in full accordance with the approved scheme, in the nearest planting season (1st October to 31st March inclusive) to the completion of the development or prior to the occupation of any part of the approved development, whichever is sooner.  All hard landscaping works shall be carried and completed prior to the occupation of any part of the approved development. As a minimum, the quality of all hard and soft landscape works shall be carried out in accordance with British Standard 4428:1989 'Code Of practice For General Landscape Operations' or any subsequent revision. All trees and other plants included within the approved details shall be healthy, well formed specimens of a minimum quality that is compatible with British Standard 3936:1992 (Part 1) 'Specifications For Trees & Shrubs' and British Standard 4043 (where applicable) or any subsequent revision.  Any trees or other plants which within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development, die, are removed, uprooted, are significantly damaged, become diseased or deformed, shall be replaced during the nearest planting season (1st October to 31st March inclusive) with others of the same size, species and quality as approved, unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent to any variation.     

         

11.     No dwelling shall be occupied until all works that form part of the approved surface water drainage strategy have been carried out.  

         

12.     The development shall not be begun until a Sustainability Statement covering water efficiency aimed at achieving an average water use in new dwellings of 110 litres/person/day, has been submitted to, and agreed in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be implemented in accordance with the Sustainability Statement, as approved, and retained as such thereafter.            

         

13.     The development hereby permitted shall be implemented in accordance with the Energy Statement prepared by FES (dated September 2013) and thereafter the buildings constructed by the carrying out of the development shall be operated in accordance with the submitted Energy Statement.   

         

14.     The development hereby permitted (including any demolition) shall not be begun until details of a scheme (Working Method Statement) to control the environmental effects of the demolition and construction work has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include:     

          (i) control of noise           

          (ii) control of dust, smell and other effluvia        

          (iii) site security arrangements including hoardings        

          (iv) proposed method of piling for foundations

          (v)  construction and demolition working hours

          (vi) hours during the construction and demolition phase, when delivery vehicles or vehicles taking materials are allowed to enter or leave the site

          The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved scheme or as may otherwise be agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.         

         

15.     The development hereby permitted shall not be begun until a scheme has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority, to accommodate:

          (a) Parking of vehicles of site personnel, operatives and visitors          

          (b) Loading and unloading of plant and vehicles

          (c) Storage of plant and materials used in constructing the development         

          (d) Wheel cleaning facilities        

          (e) Temporary portacabins and welfare for site operatives       

          and each facility shall be retained throughout the course of construction of the development, free from any impediment to its designated use.  No other areas on the site, other than those in the approved scheme shall be used for the purposes listed (a) to (e) above without the prior written permission of the Local Planning Authority.

         

16.     The areas shown for soft landscaping purposes on the approved plans shall thereafter be retained as such and shall not be used for any other purpose without the prior written permission of the Local Planning Authority. 

 

17.     The development hereby permitted (including site clearance and demolition) shall not be begun until:-     

          (i) all the buildings/structures on the site and any trees to be felled have been further surveyed for the presence of bats, and     

          (ii) the further survey has been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority, and

          (iii) either the Local Planning Authority have agreed that no relocation of bats is necessary or the relocation of any bats has been achieved in accordance with mitigation and monitoring proposals previously submitted in writing to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.        

         

18.    The development hereby permitted shall not be begun until a scheme for on-site provisions to encourage wildlife has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include the provision of bird boxes and planting of value to wildlife and a timetable for implementation.  The approved scheme shall be observed, performed and complied with.

           

19.    The development (including site clearance and demolition) shall be undertaken in full accordance with the WSP Bat Mitigation report dated 13.07.2015 which includes:-

o  measures to avoid harm to bats

o  features provided to mitigate the loss of habitat (e.g. bat boxes)

o  habitat enhancements

o on-going management of new features/habitat

An ecological site inspection report shall be submitted to the Local Planning Authority for approval within three months of the first occupation of any dwelling hereby approved.

 

In the event of the S106 planning obligation(s) not being completed by 28 August 2015 the Head of Planning be authorised to REFUSE the application on the grounds of:-

 

01.    The occupants of the development would put extra pressure on the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area and the proposal would not satisfactorily mitigate its impacts in this respect.  In the absence of a planning obligation to secure suitable avoidance and mitigation measures and access management monitoring arrangements, in terms that are satisfactory to the Local Planning Authority, the proposal would be contrary to Policy NRM6 of the South East Plan, Policy EN3 of the Bracknell Forest Borough Local Plan, Policy CS14 of the Core Strategy Development Plan Document and the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area Avoidance and Mitigation Supplementary Planning Document (2012).

 

02.    The occupants of the proposed development would unacceptably increase pressure on the transportation network and upon local open spaces. In the absence of provision being made, in terms that are satisfactory to the Local Planning Authority to secure suitable adopted routes to serve the development and the long-term maintenance of the commemorative garden, the proposal is contrary to Policies R4 and M4 of the Bracknell Forest Borough Local Plan, Policies CS6, CS8 and CS24 of the Core Strategy Development Plan Document and to the Planning Obligations Supplementary Planning Document (2015).