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planning report D&P/3606/01 23 September 2015 201-207 Shoreditch High Street in the London Borough of Hackney planning application no. 2015/2403 Strategic planning application stage 1 referral Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 The proposal Demolition of existing buildings and structures and erection of a part 7, part 10 and part 30 storey building (plus 2 levels of basement) comprising office (Class B1) and hotel (Class C1) accommodation with ancillary retail, restaurant, event space, lounge and amenity areas; roof terraces; refuse and recycling facilities; cycle parking; servicing and plant; and landscaping The applicant The applicant is HG (Europe) Shoreditch Limited and Folgate Estates Limited the architect is Gensler Strategic issues The application is in the City Fringe Opportunity Area and the proposals have the potential to contribute strongly towards the objectives of the Draft City Fringe OAPF. In order for the scheme to be considered acceptable in London Plan terms further work is required in relation to Equalities, employment, urban design, climate change and transport. Recommendation That Hackney Council be advised that the application does not fully comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 90 of this report; but that the possible remedies set out in paragraph 91of this report could address these deficiencies. Context 1 On 21 August 2015 the Mayor of London received documents from Hackney Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor has until 1 October 2015 to provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. page 1 2 The application is referable under the following categories of the Schedule to the Order 2008: Category 1B “Development which comprises the erection of a building or buildings with a total floorspace of more than 15,000 square metres; Category 1C “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building that is more than 30 metres in height”. 3 Once Hackney Council has resolved to determine the application, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision as to whether to direct refusal; take it over for his own determination; or allow the Council to determine it itself. 4 The environmental information for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) Regulations 2011 has been taken into account in the consideration of this case. 5 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 6 The site lies within South Shoreditch, at the southern end of the borough of Hackney and is within the City Fringe Opportunity Area and the Central Activities Zone (CAZ) as identified in the London Plan. It is also within protected vista 8A.1: St. Pauls’s from Westminster Pier as set out in the London View Management Framework (LVMF). The site is within a locally designated Priority Employment Area (PEA) and the South Shoreditch Conservation Area. There are a number of listed and locally listed heritage assets in the vicinity of the site. 7 The site is approximately 0.19 hectares and is bounded by Shoreditch High Street to the east, the Village Underground cultural space to the west and Fairchild Street to the south. The north of the site is partially bounded by Hollywell Lane and partially by a car park which sits under the London Overground Kingsland Viaduct between the rear of the existing buildings and Hollywell Lane. The site is currently occupied by a wine merchant, a health spa and ancillary parking. 8 Shoreditch High Street, Great Eastern Street and Holywell Lane all form part of the Transport for London Road Network (TLRN). The site is highly accessible by public transport, with Shoreditch High Street London Overground station being 300 metres to the east and London Underground and National Rail services also within walking distance at Old Street station 900 metres to the west, and Liverpool Street station 800 metres to the south. There are also 14 bus services within walking distance of the site on Shoreditch High Street, Great Eastern Street, Bethnal Green Road and Worship Street. As such, the site records the highest possible public transport accessibility level (PTAL) of 6b. The nearest cycle hire docking station is available on New Inn Yard approximately 200 metres to the north of the site. Details of the proposal 9 The proposed development would result in a mixed‐use building with floor space comprising 11,866 sq.m (GIA) of office (B1)accommodation and 14,244 sq.m (GIA) of hotel (C1) accommodation, as well as plant and servicing space. 10 The office element includes office accommodation and facilities for coworking, breakout areas, meeting areas, and event / lecture space for conferences, talks and exhibitions. The hotel page 2 element includes 200 guest rooms and ancillary retail, restaurant, event space, fitness rooms, lounge and amenity areas. The proposed scheme would have two levels of basement, a ground floor and 29 upper levels. The building would comprise three different elements of 7, 10 and 30 storeys. The tallest part of the building would rise to a total height of 106.81 metres above street level (121.31 metres AOD). Proposed land use Floorsapce (sq.m.) Hotel – guest rooms 8,661 Hotel – shared facilities (ancillary retail, 5,583 restaurant, event space, fitness rooms, lounge and amenity areas) Total Hotel Floorspace (Class C1) 14,244 Office – core office accommodation 8,276 Office – shared facilities (co‐working, breakout 3,590 areas, meeting areas, event / lecture space) Total Office Floorspace (Class B1) 11,866 Plant and servicing (including refuse and cycle 3,530 facilities) Total Floorspace 29,640 Table 1: Floorspace breakdown Case history 11 On 16 April 2014 a pre-application meeting was held at the offices of Gensler in Aldgate House between the applicant and GLA officers to discuss proposals for a mixed-use application comprising approximately 12,000 sq.m of office floorspace, 10,000 sq.m of hotel floorspace and 6,000 sq.m of shared facilities (touch‐down space; break‐out areas; small scale retail; and hospitality). The proposals included a tall building of up to 30 storeys. 12 Whilst the proposed mix of uses and a tall building within this location were potentially supported on this site, the applicant was advised that the equalities issue related to the sauna facility currently on the site needed to be addressed before any development proposals could be considered acceptable in principle. 13 The design approach was broadly supported, although the applicant was encouraged to pay particular attention to how the scheme interfaces with proposals to the north, as well as the potential impact on local and strategic views, the South Shoreditch conservation area, and local heritage assets. Inclusive design and climate change matters were not discussed in detail at the meeting. page 3 Figure 1: Indicative vertical breakdown of uses (Source: Design and Access Statement, Gensler 2015) Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 14 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: Equal opportunities London Plan; Mix of uses London Plan; Draft City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework Employment London Plan; Draft City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework Hotels London Plan; Urban design London Plan; Shaping Neighbourhoods: Character and Context SPG; Housing SPG; Shaping Neighbourhoods: Play and Informal Recreation SPG Tall buildings/views London Plan, London View Management Framework SPG page 4 Inclusive design London Plan; Accessible London: achieving an inclusive environment SPG; Sustainable development London Plan; Sustainable Design and Construction SPG; Mayor’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy; Mayor’s Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy; Mayor’s Water Strategy Transport London Plan; the Mayor’s Transport Strategy; Crossrail London Plan; Mayoral Community Infrastructure Levy 15 For the purposes of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the development plan in force for the area is the 2010 Hackney Core Strategy and the 2015 Hackney Development Management Local Plan and the London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2011). 16 The following are also relevant material considerations: The National Planning Policy Framework, Technical Guide to the National Planning Policy Framework and National Planning Practice Guidance. The Minor Alterations to the London Plan (public consultation ended 22 June 2015). The Draft City Fringe Opportunity Area Planning Framework (public consultation ended 13 February 2015). The Central Activities Zone Draft Supplementary Planning Guidance (public consultation started 15 September 2015) Principle of development Equality of opportunity 17 The Mayor and the GLA have a statutory duty to promote equality, and equality of opportunity arising from the GLA Act 1999 and the Equality Act 2010. London Plan policy 3.1 sets out the Mayor’s commitment to meeting the needs and expanding opportunities for all Londoners – and where appropriate, addressing the barriers to meeting the needs of particular groups and communities. This is considered key to tackling the huge issue of inequality across London. Development proposals are expected to protect and enhance facilities and services that meet the needs of particular groups and communities. 18 One of the businesses currently occupying the site is the Chariots sauna facility, operating for and used by the LGBT community. Chariots runs three other such facilities in London and the Shoreditch site is reported to be the busiest such facility in London as well as the largest in Europe.