Committee Report Item No. 2/02 Planning Committee on 16 July, 2008 Case No. 08/1174 ______

RECEIVED: 28 April, 2008

WARD: Willesden Green

PLANNING AREA: Willesden Consultative Forum

LOCATION: BT Telephone Exchange, St Andrews Road, , NW10 2QS

PROPOSAL: Installation of 3 panel antennas, 4 cabinets, 1 pole and the relocation of existing 3 antennas at roof level as accompanied by a declaration of conformity, statement in support of planning application incorporating the design and access statement and technical justification and plots

APPLICANT: O2 (UK) Ltd

CONTACT: National Grid

PLAN NO'S: 19483_00_003_M20_20; 19483_00_001_M20_20; 19483_03_100_M24_24; 19483_03_150_M24_24. ______

RECOMMENDATION

Approval.

EXISTING

The subject site is a part 2 and 3 building located on the junction of St Andrews Road and Harlesden Road, the corner building 'Exchange House' was converted to residential use in 2004, whilst the rear of the site is the Telephone Exchange.

PROPOSAL

The applicant has proposed the installation of 3 panel antennas, 4 cabinets, 1 antenna pole and the relocation of existing 3 antennas at roof level as accompanied by a declaration of conformity, statement in support of planning application incorporating the design and access statement and technical justification and plots.

HISTORY

Relevant planning history for BT Telephone Exchange:

 06/3670: Full - Granted, Proposed erection of a 2.4m high x 3.0m wide x 3.0m long, GRP enclosure, serving as a housing for a new transformer, including excavation for cabling which will run from the enclosure to a new single-storey brick enclosure adjoining the west elevation of the telephone exchange.  05/2803: Details Pursuant- Granted, Details pursuant to condition 4 (scheme of management of of works) of full planning permission reference 04/1750 dated 1 December 2004 for erection of roof extension and conversion of building into 23 flats including 10 x 1-bed, 10 x 2-bed and 3 x 3-bed units for affordable housing and provision of 12 car-parking spaces and basement storage.  05/1396: Full Planning Permission- Granted, Installation of 2 external louvres to the front of building.  05/1207: Details Pursuant- Granted, Details pursuant to condition No 3(c) (New window details) of full Planning Permission reference 04/1750 dated 1 December, 2004, for erection of roof extension and conversion of building into 23 flats including 10 x 1-bed, 10 x 2-bed and 3 x 3-bed units for affordable housing and provision of 12 car-parking spaces and basement storage.  05/0296: Full Planning Permission- Granted, Installation of 3 external louvres to property on Harlesden Road frontage.  04/3983: Details Pursuant- Granted, Details pursuant to conditions 3 materials (external surfaces and hard landscape work) 7 (details of louvered plant boxes on north elevation)and 8 (landscape and planting details) of full planning permission reference 04/1750 dated 1 December 2004 for erection of roof extension and conversion of building into 23 flats including 10 x 1-bed, 10 x 2-bed and 3 x 3-bed units for affordable housing and provision of 12 car-parking spaces and basement storage, as revised by letter received on 11/02/2005.  04/1750: Full Planning Permission- Granted, Erection of roof extension and conversion of building into 23 flats including 10 x 1-bed, 10 x 2-bed and 3 x 3-bed units for affordable housing and provision of 12 car-parking spaces and basement storage.  02/2873: Full Planning Permission- Refused, Erection of six antennas, three 0.6-metre transmission dishes and two equipment cabins on the roof of the building, plus ancillary related works.  02/2673: Full Planning Permission- Granted, Extension to existing fire staircase to serve 1st and 2nd floor levels.  02/0617: Details Pursuant- Granted, Details pursuant to condition 3 (screening to staircase) of full planning permission 01/1582 dated 04/09/2001 for erection of new fire-escape staircase.  01/1582: Full Planning Permission- Granted, Erection of new fire-escape staircase.

POLICY CONSIDERATIONS

Brent Unitary Development Plan 2004

 BE2 on townscape: local context & character states that proposals should be designed with regard to their local context, making a positive contribution to and should not harm the character and appearance of the area.

 BE7 seeks a high quality of design and materials for the street environment and to resist development detracting from the character of area involving the excessive infilling of space between buildings.

 BE9 seeks to ensure new buildings, alterations and extensions should embody a creative and appropriate design solution and should be designed to ensure that buildings are of an appropriate scale and design and respects the sunlighting, daylighting, privacy and outlook for existing and proposed residents.

 BE19 seeks to ensure a proliferation of apparatus does not occur throughout the borough or on particular sites and that measures are taken to ensure the impact on visual amenity in the area is minimal, while ensuring public exposure and electromagnetic interference is kept to adequate levels.

National Guidance

Planning Policy Guidance [PPG] 8: Telecommunications PPG 8 sets out the Government's policies on different aspects of planning. They should be taken into account by local planning authorities as they prepare their development plans, and may be material to decisions in individual applications for planning permission and prior approval and appeals. This PPG gives guidance on planning for telecommunications development - including masts and , antennas of all kinds, radio equipment housing, public call boxes, cabinets, poles and overhead wires.

SUSTAINABILITY ASSESSMENT

Not applicable.

CONSULTATION

Consultation period: 14th May - 4th June.

Public Consultation 69 neighbours were consulted.

Two letters of objection were received, the following comments were made:  Concern that existing antennas cause electricity problems such as cables burning out, lights dimming and brightening suddenly, total loss of power in all over head lights, sudden heating up of sockets and static interference. If more are proposed, what will be the effect on the property?  Press coverage about health issues arising from such equipment, resident has already experienced headaches and irregular sleep patterns. In addition, the neighbourhood has several young children which raises concerns about the effect of electricrical output on soft brain tissue.

REMARKS

In considering this application there are two main issues to be considered. Firstly, the visual impact of the proposal and secondly, the health issues raised by local residents. Other issues to consider are those raised in Brent UDP 2004, relevant National Policy PPG8 'Telecommunications' and the guidance contained within the Code of Best Practice on Mobile Phone Network Development.

The area to which the application relates is the rooftop west of the existing firescape of Exchange House. The applicant has proposed to relocate 3 existing antennas and install 3 panel antennas, 1 antenna pole and 4 cabinets. It has become necessary for the operator to relocate the antennas as the new fire escape for the flats affects the performance of the T-mobile antenna.

Design and siting:

Antennas: The proposed and existing telecommunications antennas will be located at roof level at the highest point of the site, therefore the existing antenna which is located closest to the firescape and flat units will be moved approximately 18m.

In addition to considering the planning merits of the proposal, the location of the equipment has also had to have regard to specific technical requirements to:  meet operational line of sight and coverage  ensure compliance with the International Commission on Non-Ionising Radiation Protection (ICNIRP) guidelines  avoid radio interference, and  meet health and safety requirements including CDM regulations

The location of the proposed antennas will follow the same line and height (3.0m) as the existing antennas facing Harlesden Road. Therefore the proposed antennas should not be too detrimental upon visual amenity in relation to policies BE2 and BE9 of the UDP 2004.

Different options for screening have been explored by the applicant however they concluded that as the Telephone Exchange is a dominant building screening such as, GRP, false chimneys, face and central mounting was not deemed appropriate. The proposed antennas will be pole mounted which is similar in nature to the existing installations and should not therefore be detrimental to the existing character of the building.

Cabinets: The proposed 4 cabinets are located approximately 6.4m and 9.4m away from the proposed antennas, centred on the lower section of the roof. They have to be located in close proximity to avoid large feeder cables and loss of signal. The height of the building (10m) in addition to the central location of the proposed cabinets, which are 2m in height, should not be too visible from the streetscene. Thus, the visual impact of the cabinets is deemed acceptable.

Health Issues:

The residents' objections mainly related to health concerns especially the impact upon the child population in the area. However, it is the Government's view that the planning system, while taking health objections into account, is not the place for determining health safeguards and it remains Central Government's responsibility to decide what measures are necessary to protect public health. In the Government's view, if the proposed meets the ICNIRP guidelines for public exposure it should not be necessary for a local planning authority, in processing applications for planning permission to consider further the health aspects and concerns about them.

The Government accepts the findings of the Stewart Report (May, 2000) which recommends a cautionary approach on the basis of gaps in current scientific knowledge that all new facilities meet ICNIRP guidelines. The applicant has submitted a certificate of conformity with ICNIRP for this proposal and therefore it is not considered appropriate to consider health matters further.

Conclusion: In the view that the proposed antennas are located in the same location of existing antennas and one antenna is being moved further away from the flat units, it is considered that they will not significantly detract from the existing character of the building or surrounding area. In relation to the proposed cabinets, required as a result of the antennas, their size and location on the rooftop should not be too visible from the street-scene and thus should not be too detrimental to the character and appearance of the building or locality.

RECOMMENDATION: Grant Consent

REASON FOR GRANTING

(1) The proposed development is in general accordance with policies contained in the:-

Brent Unitary Development Plan 2004 PPG8 Central Government Guidance

Relevant policies in the Adopted Unitary Development Plan are those in the following chapters:-

Built Environment: in terms of the protection and enhancement of the environment

CONDITIONS/REASONS:

(1) The development to which this permission relates must be begun not later than the expiration of three years, beginning with the date of this permission.

Reason: To conform with the requirements of Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

(2) The development hereby approved shall be carried out and completed in all respects in accordance with the proposals contained in the application, and any plans or other particulars submitted therewith.

Reason: To ensure that the proposed development will be carried out as approved so as to avoid any detriment to the amenities by any work remaining incomplete.

INFORMATIVES:

None Specified REFERENCE DOCUMENTS:

 Stewart Report, 2000  Statement in support of application for planning permission  Technical justification and plots Declaration of conformity with ICNIRP public exposure guidelines

Any person wishing to inspect the above papers should contact Nicola Butterfield, The Planning Service, Brent House, 349 High Road, Wembley, Middlesex, HA9 6BZ, Tel. No. 020 8937 5232

Planning Committee Map

Site address: BT Telephone Exchange, St Andrews Road, London, NW10 2QS

Reproduced from Ordnance Survey mapping data with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationary Officer © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings. London Borough of Brent, DBRE201 2005

This map is indicative only.