To 80No. Residential Apartments (Use Class C3)
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WARD: Ashton On Mersey 84623/PAJ/15 DEPARTURE: No Change of use from offices (Use Class B1) to 80no. residential apartments (Use Class C3). Application for prior approval under Part 3 Schedule 2 Class J of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended). Fairbairn House, 21 - 25 Ashton Lane, Sale, M33 6WP APPLICANT: Factory Estates AGENT: IDP North West RECOMMENDATION: To authorise under Part W of the General Permitted Development Order (2015) amendments to the parking layout as approved under application reference 84623/PAJ/15 SITE This site relates to the former Fairbairn House office building and its associated car park. The building is currently undergoing conversion to an 80 unit apartment scheme granted under application reference 84623/PAJ/15 (Change of use from offices (Use Class B1) to 80no. residential apartments (Use Class C3). A planning application for an additional 8 apartments to be provided to the roofspace of the building (reference number 86034/FUL/15) has been approved, subject to entering into a S106 Agreement. The S106 Agreement is due to be signed imminently and as such a total of 88 apartments would be provided on site. The site has a main vehicular access point from Ashton Lane, whilst a secondary access is provided from Cranleigh Drive. An Ambulance Station and Fire Station bound the site to the south; the Salvation Army Centre is located to the west; residential properties are located to the north; whilst to the eastern side of Cranleigh Drive there are residential units, further to which is the Sports Direct fitness centre. Sale Town centre is located within easy walking distance of the site to the east. PROPOSAL Following the approval and implementation of 84623/PAJ/15 under Part 3 Schedule 2 Class J of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended), an application has been received (reference number 85754/FUL/15) for the erection of 6 townhouses, which will be provided on part of site, approved under 84623/PAJ/15. The extent of the application site is currently approved for use as a car park to serve the apartment scheme. Application reference number 85754/FUL/15, relating to the erection of 6 townhouses, is considered elsewhere on this agenda with a recommendation to approve subject to entering into a S106 Agreement. Planning Committee - 11th February 2016 1 This report relates to a request from the developer of the apartment scheme toamend the list of plans approved under 84623/PAJ/15 to reduce the number of parking spaces. Schemes approved under Part 3, Schedule 2, Class J of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 require the applicant to implement the scheme, in accordance with the details approved by the local planning authority; however Part W of the General Permitted Development Order (2015) allows there to an agreement between the local planning authority and the developer to agree amendments to the approved scheme subject to their written agreement. The proposed amendment seeks to amend the plans which identify the number of parking spaces to be provided on site as part of the conversion scheme. The proposed amendment would reduce the total number of parking spaces approved under 84623/PAJ/15 from 141 to 88; which signifies a reduction of 53 parking spaces. The proposed parking layout would provide 88 parking spaces on site, which would equate to one space per apartment (including the 8 units proposed under application 86034/FUL/15 which is currently minded to grant). The purpose of this report is to gain approval of Members, to agree in writing to the proposed amendment to reduce the number parking spaces serving the apartment scheme from 141 to 88, in accordance with the provisions of Part W of the GPDO. DEVELOPMENT PLAN The Development Plan in Trafford Comprises: • The Trafford Core Strategy, adopted 25th January 2012; The Trafford Core Strategy is the first of Trafford’s Local Development Framework (LDF) development plan documents to be adopted by the Council; it partially supersedes the Revised Trafford Unitary Development Plan (UDP), see Appendix 5 of the Core Strategy. • The Revised Trafford Unitary Development Plan (UDP), adopted 19th June 2006; The majority of the policies contained in the Revised Trafford UDP were saved in either September 2007 or December 2008, in accordance with the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 until such time that they are superseded by policies within the (LDF). Appendix 5 of the Trafford Core Strategy provides details as to how the Revised UDP is being replaced by Trafford LDF. • The Greater Manchester Joint Waste Plan, adopted 1st April 2012 now forms part of the Development Plan in Trafford and will be used alongside district-specific planning documents for the purpose of determining planning applications. • The Greater Manchester Joint Minerals Plan, adopted 26th April 2013 now forms part of the Development Plan in Trafford and will be used alongside district-specific planning documents for the purpose of determining planning applications. PRINCIPAL RELEVANT CORE STRATEGY POLICIES L4 – Sustainable Transport and Accessibility Planning Committee - 11th February 2016 2 NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK (NPPF) The DCLG published the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) on 27 March 2012. The NPPF will be referred to as appropriate in the report. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY 85754/FUL/15 - Erection of 6 no. townhouses each 3 no. bedrooms to be provided on the existing vacant car parking lot. Application recommended for approval subject to entering into a S106 Agreement. The application can be found elsewhere on this agenda. 86034/FUL/15 - Erection of 8 no. residential penthouse apartments on the existing roof levels of Fairbairn House, consisting of 4no. 2 bedroom apartments at proposed fourth floor level and 4no.2 bedroom apartments at proposed eighth floor level with associated car parking. Minded to grant subject to entering into a S106 Agreement 84717/FUL/15 - External alterations to existing office block to include new cladding and alterations to windows. Erection of new bike stores. Application approved 24.03.2015 84623/PAJ/15 - Change of use from offices (Use Class B1) to 80no. residential apartments (Use Class C3). Application for prior approval under Part 3 Schedule 2 Class J of The Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended). Prior approval approved 05.03.2015 APPLICANT’S SUBMISSION The applicant has submitted a Transport Statement in support of its request to approve a variation to the parking layout approved under 84623/PAJ/15. The content of the Transport Assessment is considered within the ‘Observation’ section of this report. CONSULTATIONS Local Highway Authority – No objections. The arguments and conclusions of the Transport Statement are accepted by the LHA in that an acceptable amount of off street car parking provision will be available for the main apartments if managed as suggested in the Transport Statement and that the development would not unacceptably worsen the on street parking situation. OBSERVATIONS 1. The developments approved under 84623/PAJ/15 and 86034/FUL/15 (minded to grant) provided 141 car parking spaces. Application 85754/FUL/15 is located on part of the car park which was approved under 84623/PAJ/15. Application 85754/FUL/15 would result in the loss of 53 of these spaces for use by residents Planning Committee - 11th February 2016 3 of the apartments, reducing the availability to 88 spaces i.e. one car park space for each apartment. 2. The applicant has submitted a Transport Statement (TS) to demonstrate that no adverse impacts will arise from the reduction of parking spaces from 141 to 88; and that adequate parking provision would remain at Fairbairn House given the sustainable and accessible location of the development in relation to Sale Town Centre and the availability of alternative forms of transport; the parking restrictions surrounding the site which prevent on-street parking and the allocations and management policy for Fairbairn House which will provide one space per apartment alongside cycle parking provision for every apartment. 3. Policy L4.14 and Appendix 3 of the Core Strategy, supplemented by the Parking Standards and Design Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) identify the parking standards for a range of development types across the borough. The SPD identifies three accessibility areas which cover various parts of the Borough. The application site is located in Area C and therefore the maximum parking requirement for the combined apartment scheme (88 apartments) would be calculated as follows:- Dwelling size Parking spaces Maximum spaces 42 x 1 bedroom 1 space 42 spaces 38 x 2 bedrooms 2 spaces 76 spaces 8 x 2 bedrooms 2 spaces 16 spaces TOTAL 134 spaces 4. The Parking Standards and Design SPD states at paragraph 5.1.2 “Parking provision which meets the maximum standard will be appropriate in most circumstances.” However it goes on to say that “The provision of adequate parking facilities and their design should be appropriate to the scale, nature, location and users of the proposal. Where a developer seeks to provide a lower or higher level of parking than the standard set down in the Core Strategy this will need to be fully justified and will need to demonstrate what measures e.g. design, location or operation are to be taken to minimise the need for parking.” 5. The applicant indicates that there is a fundamental difference in the lifestyle for residents of apartment schemes compared with houses. Occupiers of apartment schemes do not expect or require the same level of parking provision as residents of 2 to 3 bedroom houses which would be more generally accepted as family accommodation compared to apartments. They state that the apartment scheme will most likely be attractive to single occupants or professional couples who accept that there are readily available alternatives to using the car which attracts them to this form of development in the first place.