1,2,3-6 Canonmills Bridge
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1 • EDINBVRGH. Itemno 10 THE CITY OF EDINBURGH COUNCIL Report no Planning Permission 09/00830/FUL at 1, 2, 3 - 6 Canonmills Bridge Edinburgh EH35LF Development Management Sub-Committee of the Planning Committee 27 October 2010 Previous Committee This application was previously considered by Committee on 27.10.2010 Outcome of previous Committee Site visit - This application was continued by the Committee for a site visit. This site visit has now taken place and the application is returning to Committee for a decision. 1 Purpose of report To consider application 09/00830/FUL, submitted by Glovart Holdings Ltd .. The application is for: Erect mixed use, development of 2 restaurants, 6 flats and 3 town houses It is recommended that this application be GRANTED subject to the conditions below. 2 2 The Site and the Proposal Site description The application site is a triangular piece of land currently occupied by a two storey building with a pitched roof. The units on the site include restaurants and retail units. The lower level is used as storage/ancillary space for these commercial units. There is a change in site levels of approximately two metres as the ground falls from Brandon Terrace along Warriston Road. This means that only one storey is visible from the front elevation. To the rear of the site is an area used for car parking and services. The application site is surrounding by preomindantly residential properties with a mix of heights including 3 and 4 storey traditional Victorian tenements with pitched, slate roofs. The Water of Leith is immediately adjacent to the site on the northern and western boundaries. This property is located within the Inverleith Conservation Area. Site History 15 October 2008 - Erect a four storey mixed use development with 2no, restaurants on the ground floor and 6no, flats above; 3no, five storey townhouses to the rear. (08/02603/FUL) - WITHDRAWN Pre-Application Process Detailed pre-application discussions were undertaken with the architects prior to the submission of the application. This resulted in a substantial reduction in the number of units and improvements to the design and materials. Description of the Proposal Scheme 2 The proposal is for an L shaped 4 storey building for a mixed use development with 1 restaurant unit and 1 commercial unit at ground floor level fronting Canonmills and 6 residential flats above. Three town houses are proposed to the rear. The flats have 2 bedrooms and have windows facing onto Canonmills, Warriston Road with car parking area to the rear in a shared courtyard. At basement level, storage space is provided for the commercial units with refuse and bin stores for both the flats and commercial units. Bike storage is also provided. 3 To the rear of the main block 3 townhouses are proposed facing the Water of Leith to complete the 'L shape' of the proposal. Due to the difference in ground level these are at a lower height as the flatled block. The units have 3 bedrooms with balconies facing on the river and windows facing east to Warriston Road. Parking is provided at ground floor level in the form of integral garages accessed from Warriston Road. Solar panels are included in the design of the building to provide renewable energy, 8 are located on the main flatled block and 4 on the townhouses. Car parking is provided for the site to the rear of the building accessed from Warriston Road. Five spaces are proposed with three of these being integral garages for the townhouses. Space is available for delivery vehicles. The proposed materials are sandstone walling, white render finish, glass aluminum and timber The application is accompanied by a planning statement. Scheme 1 There are changes to the design of the elevations. Cycle parking was not included. 3. Officer's Assessment and Recommendation Determining Issues Do the proposals harm the character or appearance of the conservation area? If they do, there is a strong presumption against granting of permission. Do the proposals comply with the development plan? If the proposals do comply with the development plan, are there any compelling reasons for not approving them? If the proposals do not comply with the development plan, are there any compelling reasons for approving them? 4 ASSESSMENT To address these determining issues, the Committee needs to consider whether: (a) The principle of development is acceptable; (b) The proposal provides a development of appropriate design quality, scale and height that will preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area; (c) The proposal is appropriate, in scale and form, to the setting of the adjacent listed building. (d) The proposal addresses issues of sustainability (e) The proposal impacts on neighbouring residential amenity (f) The traffic and parking implications can be addressed satisfactorily (g) The flooding implications and archaeological issues can be addressed satisfactorily (a) The site lies within the urban area of Edinburgh City Local Plan where the principle of residential development is acceptable. Planning policy identifies the site within the urban area, which is predominantly residential in nature. The immediate surrounding area has a predominantly residential character. Planning permission has been granted for similar residential developments on this rear lane. Therefore, provided that the proposal accords with other local plan policies, the principle of the proposed development is acceptable. b) The proposed development comprises offour levels of accommodation. Commercial units will be located at ground floor level and three storeys of residential will be located above. The town houses are a storey lower than the main block. The site is located on the south eastern corner of Inverleith Conservation Area. The Inverleith Conservation Area Character Appraisal identifies the predominant character as one of large Victorian houses throughout and Georgian villas and terraces to the east of the area the street layout follows a loose grid pattern with some wide streets. The use of stone, timber and slates roofs is emphasised. This particular site sits at a prominent visual point where Brandon Terrace, Inverleith Row and Rodney Street meet. 5 The building to the east of the site is a corner building positioned on both Canonmills and Warriston Road is a category C(s) listed building (HB 30288 listed 15th September 1992) adjacent to this sits a more modern development residential development Canon Court also 4 storeys in height. Traditional tenement properties lie to the west. This new development therefore has to sit comfortably with adjacent, traditional development and modern development whilst still recognising it has to make an input into the preservation and enhancement of the conservation area. The building continues the building line of the existing development to the east. The proposal will create a faQade to terminate the vista along Brandon Terrace and form a gateway on approach from Inverleith Row. The proposal has been designed so that it is no higher than the traditional tenements to the east and existing modern developments to the north and east. It fits into and compliments the massing characteristics of the surrounding buildings area and retains the characteristics of the conservation area. The proposed roof is flat while the townhouses roof is sloping. The new windows facing south east are of a vertical style. The windows to the north east are of a more modern design. The proposed elevations are broken up by different building materials of stone, render and glass giving in a vertical emphasis to the design. The use of stone will preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area. The materials proposed are a mix of traditional and contemporary materials include natural stone, glass, render, aluminium and timber. The use of natural stone is in keeping with the built environment of the surrounding conservation area. The majority of overshadowing will fall within the application site. The built form will lie to the north of existing properties on Warriston Road, therefore any overshadowing will be limited due to the size and configuration of the end elevation. The scale and design is appropriate to its surroundings and preserves and enhances the character and appearance of the conservation area. c) The scale, form and proposed materials of the development complements the historic character of the adjacent C(s) listed building at 32 Canonmills (LB 30288, Listed 15th September 1992). The proposal will have no adverse impact and preserves the setting of the listed building. d) The proposal incorporates solar panels to provide renewable energy. Eight will be located on the main flatted block and four on the town houses. The solar panels are angled at 20 degrees to ensure optimum efficiency. The townhouses also have 'winter gardens' on the top storey which will act as additional insulation. A single bin store will be located under the main block of flats for use by all residents. The store will contain bins for recycling and a separate bin store will be provided for trade waste. 6 The proposal is satisfactory in terms of sustainability. e) The flatted properties have been designed so that the windows face up Brandon Terrace, onto the Water of Leith or into courtyard area to the rear. The windows facing on to the properties on Warriston Road lie approx 16 metres window to window distance. This represents a minor infringement of the guidelines which would be considered acceptable where development is proposed in a historic built environment, effectively a gable as opposed to an entire elevation. The town houses face into the shared courtyard area and onto the Water of Leith. There are no privacy issues. The Council's guidelines on Oaylighting, Sunlight and Privacy recognises that in tenement areas where infill development is proposed, such as this the new building, it should be designed so that the eaves roof form is no greater in height then the adjacent residential buildings.