Plans 2 Item 02 08 December 2005
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Item No 2. Application No: P/05/1099/2 Application Full Date 28th April 2005 Type: Valid: Applicant: Aldi Stores Ltd Proposal: Erection of a food retail store (Use Class A1 - 1364sqm) with associated car parking. Location: 1169 Melton Road, Syston, Leicester, Leicestershire, LE7 2JT Parish: Syston Ward: Syston East Ward Case Officer: Mr D Watson Tel No: 01509 634770 Description of the Application The retail food store would have a gross floorspace of about 1300m2, 850m2 of which will be trading floorspace with the rest comprising storage, loading and ancillary office/staff areas. The building would be located on the southern half of the site with its front elevation to Melton Road set slightly back behind a landscaped area. Vehicle access from Melton Road would run to the north of the building with parking off it and to the rear of the building with a total of 63 spaces, including disabled and parent/child spaces. Deliveries would be to the rear section of the north side of the building. Cycle parking stands are proposed to the front of the store. Landscaping, including tree planting around the edges of the car park, is proposed with a landscaped area on the site frontage retaining the existing established trees. Metal railings, that will incorporate public art to be agreed, would enclose the north boundary adjacent to the public footpath, with new close-board fencing along the south and east boundaries. The building would be of a modern design with a shallow pitched, ‘wave’ shaped roof sloping up from the south elevation. External walls will be clad in grey and silver coloured panels (samples of which have been provided), and the front elevation would incorporate windows about 4m high with punched and glazed roller shutters built in. The main entrance would be at the end of the north facing elevation with a canopy over. The proposed opening hours are Monday – Saturday 8.00am – 8.00pm and Sunday 10.00am – 4.00pm. It is suggested the store would employ about 10 people. The application is accompanied by: an architects report; a transport statement and a supporting statement on retail and employment policy. Since being submitted, it has also been supplemented by: an interim travel plan and a background noise survey. 28 The site is on the east side of Melton Road, Syston close to the centre of the town. Although not within, it is immediately adjacent to the Syston District Centre (DC) with the north boundary coterminous with that of the DC. Other than more recent buildings to the north of the site which are set back from the road, this part of Melton Road is generally characterised by two-storey buildings built up to the back edge of the footway. The site is more or less flat and currently contains a vacant industrial building last occupied by Stuart Mensley Knitwear and set back from Melton Road with a parking area in front of it, but close to the other boundaries particularly the south. The front boundary to Melton Road is open with a grass strip containing some trees and planters. The building is brick and its main section comprises a series of bays with gable ends with pitched roofs. The front section is a more recent 2-storey office extension. Syston British Legion and a Somerfield Supermarket are to the north, with a public footpath leading to Victoria Street/Cross Street running between them and the site. To the east are industrial premises and to the west on the opposite side of Melton Road there are two short terraces of Victorian properties in a mix of residential and professional office uses along with an opticians and dental surgery. There is a block of elderly person’s flats at 1182-1192 Melton Road that are set back from the road. The south boundary of the site adjoins the rear garden boundaries of No’s.1-11 and 19-23 Albert Street. The former are two-storey semi-detached houses of which No’s. 5, 7 and 11 have two-storey rear extensions. Their gardens are at a slightly higher level than the site with a timber fence about 1.8m high on the rear boundary, but that to the rear of No.11 is missing. Between No’s.11 and 19, there is a workshop building occupied by Syston Glass. The front part of the south boundary adjoins car parking to 1165 Melton Road, a large detached house in office use. There are parking restrictions on the east side of Melton Road, but it is permitted on the opposite side. Pedestrian crossing facilities are just to the south of the site and about 75m to the north. Development Plan Policies and other material considerations • Development Plan Policies The Leicestershire, Leicester and Rutland Structure Plan (adopted 7th March 2005) Strategy Policy 10: Good Design – seeks to promote good design Accessibility and Transport Policy 1: Development and the Transport System – requires developers to maximise the potential for access to and from new development by walking, cycling and public transport, and to take appropriate measures to minimise traffic generated by the development, including the formulation and implementation of travel plans. 29 Central Areas and Shopping Policy 3: Out of Centre Retailing – has a presumption against new retail development in an out of centre location unless, amongst other things, there is a clearly defined and agreed need for the proposed development, and no suitable sites are available in locations set out in Strategy Policy 2A or in district or local centres providing the development is consistent with the scale and function of that centre. Borough of Charnwood Local Plan (adopted 12th January 2004) EV/1: seeks to ensure a high standard of design in all new developments. EV/17: aims to ensure development is designed to minimise the opportunity for, and fear of, crime. EV/20: has a presumption in favour of development where a high standard of landscaping is to be provided. EV/43: indicates the Council will seek to negotiate the provision of public works of art in places which can readily be seen by the public as an integral part of the design of major developments. E/8: has a presumption against development for uses other than those falling within Class B, of land and buildings within Primarily Employment Areas unless 1 of 6 criteria can be met and provided the loss of the employment use would not result in a shortage in employment land and buildings in the short term or over the plan period. CA/1: has a presumption against proposals for shops (Class A1) in locations outside designated centres unless the development is small scale and primarily intended to service a highly localised or rural community need. In all other cases proposals for shops on out of centre or edge of centre sites will only be permitted if: the need for additional facilities can be demonstrated; the site’s selection meets with the sequential approach; the development would not, either individually or cumulatively with other development, impact upon any nearby town or district centre seriously detrimental to its long term vitality and viability; the development would not undermine the development plan strategy; the development can be accessed conveniently by a choice of means of transport including frequent and reliable public transport and safe and direct provisions for pedestrians, cyclists and people with disabilities; the development would ensure easier access to all customers, facilitate more linked trips and assist in reducing reliance on the car; the development would not cause serious injury to local visual or residential amenity by reason of its design, appearance or operational activities; and the scale of development is well related to the centre it seeks to serve. TR/6: has a presumption against development where the impact of traffic generated by the proposal or the cumulative impact together with other committed and allocated development in the locality would either result in unsafe or unsatisfactory operation of the highway system or have a significant adverse impact on the environment unless measures are proposed to overcome any harmful effects. 30 TR/18: indicates permission will not be granted for development unless off-street parking for vehicles, including cycles, and servicing arrangements are included to secure highway safety and minimise harm to visual and local amenities. CA/12: requires shop fronts in new buildings to be designed as an integral part of the overall frontage having regard to the style, materials and proportions of the building and to the overall character of the area. • Other Policies Planning Policy Statement 6: Planning for Town Centres: sets out the Government’s objectives for town centres and, amongst other things, advises that for proposals that relate to out-of or edge-of-centre sites, local planning authorities should require applicants to demonstrate: • The need for development; • That the development is of an appropriate scale; • That there are no more central sites for the development; • That there are no unacceptable impacts on existing centres; and • That locations are accessible. As a general rule, the development should satisfy all these considerations. Planning Policy Guidance Note 13: Transport • Other Material Considerations Central Leicestershire Retail Study (May 2003): provides an assessment of retail facilities within Central Leicestershire updating the previous study carried out in 1993. Amongst other things it provides an assessment of the need for additional comparison and convenience floorspace and, for the purposes of the CLRS, Syston falls within the Northeast Quadrant which includes parts of Leicester, Birstall, Thurmaston and Queniborough. Relevant Planning History None relevant to current proposal as previous applications relate to the employment use of the site.