Battersea Power Station
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planning report PDU/1732/02 22 December 2010 Battersea Power Station in the London Borough of Wandsworth planning application nos. 2009/3575, 2009/3576, 2009/3577 & 2009/3578 Strategic planning application stage II referral (new powers) Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 The proposal Outline planning permission is sought for: Repair, restoration, extension and conversion of the former Power Station to provide residential, retail, business, culture, event and conference, with associated plant, servicing and storage. Development of land surrounding the power station to provide retail, business, hotel, serviced apartments, residential, community and culture, assembly and leisure, construction of basement to provide servicing, parking, energy centre, plant and storage. Landscaping and open space, alterations to existing and creation of new pedestrian and vehicular access routes, parking and enabling works. Listed building consent is sought for: Repair, restoration, extension and conversion of the grade II* listed Battersea Power Station. Repair, restoration, extension and conversion of the grade II listed riverside structures. Demolition of the grade II listed Battersea water pumping station. The applicant The applicant is REO (Powerstation) Ltd, and the architect is Rafael Vinoly Architects. Strategic issues Outstanding issues relating to retail, housing, transport, urban design and inclusive design, children’s play space, climate change, the blue ribbon network, safeguarded wharves and hazardous installations have been satisfactorily addressed. The Council’s decision In this instance Wandsworth Council has resolved to grant permission subject to conditions and a section 106 agreement. Recommendation That Wandsworth Council be advised that the Mayor is content for it to determine the case itself, subject to any action that the Secretary of State may take, and does not therefore wish to direct refusal or direct that he is to be the local planning authority. Context page 1 1 On 22 December 2009 the Mayor of London received documents from Wandsworth Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. This was referred to the Mayor under Categories 1A, 1B, 1C, 1D, 2C, 3E, 3F and 3H of the Schedule to the Order 2008: 1A: Development which comprises or includes the provision of more than 150 houses, flats, or houses and flats. 1B: Development (other than development which only comprises the provision of houses, flats, or houses and flats), which comprises or includes the erection of a building or buildings – (b) in Central London (other than the City of London) and with a total floorspace of more than 20,000 square metres. 1C: Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building in respect of which one or more of the following conditions is met – (a) the building is more than 25 metres high and is adjacent to the River Thames. 1D: Development which comprises or includes the alteration of an existing building where - (b) the building would, on completion of the development, fall within a description set out in paragraph 1 of Category 1C. 2C: Development to provide – (i) a passenger pier on the River Thames. 3E: Development – (a) which does not accord with one or more provisions of the development plan in force in the area in which the application site is situated; and (b) comprises or includes the provision of more than 2,500 square metres of floorspace for a use falling within any of the following classes in the Use Classes Order – (i) to (v) classes A1-A5 (retail/financial and professional/food and drink/drinking establishments/hot food takeaways) (vi) class B1 (business) (ix) class C1 (hotels) (x) class C2 (residential institutions) (xi) class D1 (non-residential institutions) (xii)class D2 (assembly and leisure) 3F: Development for a use, other than residential use, which includes the provision of more than 200 car parking spaces in connection with that use. 3H: Development which – (a) comprises or includes the provision of houses, flats or houses and flats; (b) does not accord with one or more provisions of the development plan in force in the area in which the application site is situated; and (c) is on a site that is adjacent to land used for treating, keeping, processing, recovering or disposing of refuse or waste materials with a capacity for a throughput of more than - (ii) 20,000 tonnes per annum of waste. 2 On 27 January 2010 the Mayor considered planning report PDU/1732/01, and subsequently advised Wandsworth Council that the application did not comply with the London page 2 Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 260 of the above-mentioned report; but that the possible remedies set out in paragraph 262 of that report could address these deficiencies. 3 A copy of the above-mentioned report is attached. The essentials of the case with regard to the proposal, the site, case history, strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance are as set out therein, unless otherwise stated in this report. Since then, the application has been revised in response to the Mayor’s concerns (see below). On 11 November 2010 Wandsworth Council decided that it was minded to grant planning permission for the revised application, and on 10 December 2010 it advised the Mayor of this decision. Under the provisions of Article 5 of the Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor may allow the draft decision to proceed unchanged, direct Wandsworth Council under Article 6 to refuse the application or issue a direction to Wandsworth Council under Article 7 that he is to act as the Local Planning Authority for the purposes of determining the application and any connected application. The Mayor has until 23 December 2010 to notify the Council of his decision and to issue any direction. 4 The environmental information for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 has been taken into account in the consideration of this case. 5 The decision on this case, and the reasons will be made available on the GLA’s website www.london.gov.uk. Update 6 At the consultation stage Wandsworth Council was advised that the application did not comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 260 of the above-mentioned report; but that the possible remedies set out in paragraph 262 of that report could address these deficiencies: Retail: clarification of a number of technical assumptions in the retail assessment is required in order to properly assess the acceptability of the impact of the proposed quantum of retail floorspace on nearby town centres, in line with London Plan policies 3D.1 and 3D.2. Housing: the maximum reasonable amount of affordable housing, which should be determined in the context of overall scheme viability, is required in order to ensure compliance with London Plan policies 3A.9 and 3A.10. The mix of units should be determined with reference to local and strategic housing requirements to ensure compliance with policy 3A.5. Transport: further work as detailed in paragraphs 78 to 148 of this report is required in order to ensure compliance with London Plan policies 3C.1, 3C.2, 3C.17, 3C.20, 3C.22, 3C.23, 3C.25 and 6A.4. Urban design: further work in relation to the relationship with the safeguarded wharves, the function and design of public open spaces, delivery of the continuous riverside walkway, external appearance and residential quality is required in order to ensure compliance with London Plan design policies. Children’s play space: further information relating to the provision of play space for the under 5’s and over 12’s should be provided to ensure compliance with London Plan policy 3D.13. Climate change: further work as detailed in paragraphs 214 to 235 of this report is required in order to ensure compliance with London Plan policies 4A.1 to 4A.7. page 3 Blue ribbon network: the applicant should investigate opportunities for recreational use of the river in order to ensure compliance with London Plan policy 4C.10. Further information in relation to delivery of the continuous riverside walkway is required in line with London Plan policy 4C.11. Safeguarded wharves: the relationship between the proposed development and the adjacent safeguarded wharves should be revisited before the scheme can be considered compliant with London Plan policy 4C.9. Hazardous installations: regard will be had to the HSE’s advice in order to assess the acceptability of the scheme against London Plan policy 3A.34. Application update 7 In response to the issues raised in the stage one report, as well as issues raised by the Council and in consultation responses, the scheme has been revised in the following ways: A revised mix of uses comprising Development Zone RS-1. This includes the removal of assisted living accommodation and a reduction in the quantum of residential use and community/culture use. A hotel use has now been introduced together with the potential for a defined area which can come forward as either residential or student housing. Development Zone RS1 now comprises: residential (C3), retail (A3/A4/A5), community/culture/leisure (D1/D2), hotel (C1) and student housing/residential (Sui Generis/C3) A reduction in the quantum of residential use proposed in Development Zone RS-2 and introduction of an increased quantum of serviced apartments (C1/C3). The introduction of an increased quantum of community/culture/leisure (D1/D2) and a reduction in the quantum of residential use (C3) in Development Zone RS-6. A reduction in the quantum of residential use (C3) in Development Zone RS-WF and RS- 6.