Originator: C. Briggs Telephone: 0113 2224409 Report of the Chief Planning Officer City Plans Panel Date: 29 August 2019 Subject: Planning application reference 18/01276/FU for residential development of 217 apartments and ancillary facilities with undercroft parking at the junction of Regent Street and Skinner Lane, Sheepscar, Leeds LS2 7UZ Applicant Date Valid Target Date Leeds Developments One Limited 12.07.2018 16.09.2019 Electoral Wards Affected: Specific Implications For: Little London and Woodhouse Equality and Diversity Community Cohesion Yes Ward Members consulted Narrowing the Gap RECOMMENDATION: DEFER and DELEGATE to the Chief Planning Officer for approval subject to the specified conditions set out in Appendix 1 (and any others which he might consider appropriate) and the completion of a Section 106 agreement to include the following obligations: - Affordable Housing 7% on-site in a pro-rata mix of units split 60:40 lower decile:lower quartile - Residential Travel Plan Fund for residents at the site £35,945 - Leeds City Council car club free trial membership and usage package for residents at the site £19,000 - Travel plan monitoring fee £3,732 - Cooperation with local jobs and skills initiatives In the circumstances where the Section 106 Agreement has not been completed within 3 months of the resolution to grant planning permission, the final determination of the application shall be delegated to the Chief Planning Officer. Conditions Draft Conditions for 18/01276/FU See Appendix 1 1.0 Introduction: This report is brought to City Plans Panel because it relates to a major planning application in the City Centre. 2.0 Proposal 2.1 The application proposal is for a residential development with undercroft car parking, comprising 217 dwellings, with 160 one-bed flats, 49 two-bed flats and 8 three-bed flats. 2.2 The building would be part 9, part 11 storeys in height, including a set-back top two storeys. The building would be arranged in a C-shaped layout, creating a new built frontages to Leylands Road, Skinner Lane and Regent Street and a private communal courtyard for residents. The elevations would be in black tiled panels at ground floor with a full height glazed frontage to Regent Street, red-brick with aluminum and copper framing details at upper floors, and the set-back top two floors being clad in glazed curtain walling. 2.3 At ground floor, a residents lounge and gym would face Regent Street. A concierge office, entrance lobby at the corner of Regent Street and Skinner Lane, secure cycle parking, refuse storage and undercroft car parking would also be located at ground floor. Vehicular access and egress is proposed from Leylands Road. Servicing would take place from Leylands Road for refuse and a new layby off Skinner Lane for deliveries and pick up and drop off. A car club parking bay is also proposed off Skinner Lane. 50 resident car parking spaces are proposed, including 5 EV charging points and 4 disabled car parking spaces. Cycle parking would be provided at 1 space per flat in a secure enclosure in the undercroft. There would also be 8 motorcycle parking spaces in the undercroft. 2.4 The scheme would also deliver a reduction of at least 20% on the building regulations carbon emissions target Part L 2013. A minimum of 10% energy demand on-site would be provided by air source heat pumps however alternative sources of low carbon energy may be used, subject to further detailed design work, including future proofing to allow connection to the District Heating network, if and when the pipe infrastructure serves Regent Street or Skinner Lane. 2.5 The application is supported by the following documents: − Planning Statement − Statement of Community Involvement − Design and Access Statement − Sunpath Assessment − Flood Risk and Drainage Assessment − Flood Risk Sequential Test − Noise Statement − Transport Statement − Sustainability Statement − Phase I Geo-Environmental Assessment and Coal Mining Risk Assessment − Wind report 3.0 Site and Surroundings 3.1 The site is a cleared 0.21 hectare site at the corner of Regent Street, Skinner Lane and Leylands Road. It was formerly the site of The Regent (Maguire’s) public house, which was demolished in 2011 by Punch Taverns. The surrounding area includes a wide range of uses including residential, retail, warehouses, light industrial and an army barracks. To the south is a part- 2 part-3 storey warehouse, and beyond that the Citispace part-6 part-9 storey residential building, where construction has started on a 9 storey hotel at the northern end of the site. To the west is the part-8 part-9 storey residential building, Cypress Point, which forms one of a number of taller residential buildings stepping up the hill towards North Street from Leylands Road. To the west of Cypress Point is the 9 storey Victoria House flats. To the east on the opposite site of Regent Street is a 3 storey building at the corner of Skinner Lane, and the part-6 part-7 storey Twenty Twenty House flats beyond On the opposite side of Skinner Lane is the part-2 part 3 storey army barracks to the north, and the single storey Aldi supermarket to the north-east. The site falls within designated City Centre boundary, Mabgate Development Framework area and the City Centre Fringe Parking Area. A small part of the site lies within Flood Risk Zone 2. 4.0 History of Negotiations 4.1 One pre-application meeting took place with officers in late 2017 ref. PREAPP/17/00621. An 18 storey residential building was originally proposed for this site. Officers advised that the principle of the proposal was likely to be acceptable, but the scale and massing was considered out of character for this location. The applicant have revised their proposal to take account of this advice. 5.0 Relevant Planning History 5.1 None 6.0 Statutory Consultations: 6.1 Coal Authority The Coal Authority concurs with the recommendations of the submitted Coal Mining Risk Assessment Report that coal mining legacy potentially poses a risk to the proposed development and that intrusive site investigation works should be undertaken prior to development in order to establish the exact situation regarding coal mining legacy issues on the site. The Coal Authority recommends that the LPA impose a Planning Condition requiring these site investigation works prior to commencement of development. 6.2 Environment Agency No objection subject to the provisions of the Flood Risk Assessment and proposed surface water drainage scheme. 6.2 Non Statutory Consultations: 6.2.1 Leeds City Council (LCC) Transport Development Services Highways officers have advised that the proposal is acceptable in principle, subject to the considerations in section 10.4 of this report. 6.2.2 LCC Flood Risk Management Further details of surface water drainage are required. 6.2.3 LCC Environmental Protection No objection subject to conditions regarding the provision of a construction management plan including hours of work and deliveries. 6.2.4 LCC Environmental Studies - Road noise and air quality No objection subject to no flats at ground floor, the provision of electric vehicle charging points, and the implementation of a sound insulation and a mechanical ventilation scheme. 6.2.5 Yorkshire Water No observation comments to make. 6.2.6 West Yorkshire Police Having discussed the security measure to be included in this proposal with the developer WYP have no security concerns and no additional comments to add. 6.2.7 BMT Wind Consultants Discussions are in progress between the applicant’s and the Council’s wind consultants in relation to the conclusions of the wind assessment at the time of writing. An update will be provided at Plans Panel. 7.0 Public/Local Response: 7.1 Planning Application publicity: 7.1.1 Leeds City Council website Public Access posted 12.07.2018 7.1.2 Site Notices posted 18.07.2018 7.1.3 Press Notice published 03.08.2018 7.1.4 Little London and Woodhouse Ward Councillors consulted by email 26.07.2018. 7.2 Leeds Civic Trust have no objection to the use and scale of the development but wished to see additional planting including trees along both the Skinner lane and Regent Street frontages. This would soften the impact of the building at street level and contribute to the introduction of more trees in the centre of Leeds to meet wider pollution concerns. In conclusion, the committee supported the scheme with the condition that additional planning, notably trees, should be included in the revised landscape scheme. 7.3 Two objections have been received, one from a local resident in the block of flats to the west Cypress Point, and one from a resident of Wike, expressing the following concerns regarding the proposal as originally submitted: - A lack of mixed use in the proposal - A poor brutish design - Overlooking between the proposal and Cypress Point. - Impact of proposed height on overshadowing and loss of daylight, particularly to lower floors of the 37 flats at Cypress Point that face the application site, and the lack of a daylight and sunlight assessment by the applicant. 7.4 Since these comments were made the applicant has revised the plans to reduce the number of flats proposed, improve the elevational treatment and detailing, and set-back the upper two floors by just over 7 metres to increase the distance at upper floors with the Leylands Road elevation of Cypress Point, and submitted a sunpath analysis. The latest revised plans were published on Public Access on 15 July 2019. No further comments have been received. 8.0 Planning Policies: Statutory Context Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires the application to be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.