Wolverhampton City Council OPEN DECISION ITEM
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Agenda Item No: 6 Wolverhampton City Council OPEN DECISION ITEM Committee / Panel PLANNING COMMITTEE Date 06-SEP-2005 Originating Service Group(s) REGENERATION AND TRANSPORTATION Contact Officer(s)/ ANDREW JOHNSON (Head of Development Control) Telephone Number(s) (01902) 555610 Title/Subject Matter PLANNING APPLICATIONS Recommendation That Members determine the submitted applications according to the recommendation made in respect of each one. PLANNING COMMITTEE (06-SEP-2005) INDEX REFERENCE SITE ADDRESS PAGE NO Blakenhall 05/0964/FP/M The Royal Wolverhampton School, 3 & Goldthorn Road, 05/0965/CA/C 05/1016/FP/M 242 - 244 Dudley Road 9 05/1114/FP/M Former Bowling Green Fowler Street, 21 Bushbury Sth/LowHill 05/1161/FP/R 7 Hallam Crescent 26 Ettingshall 05/1234/FP/C 'Southside Sports', Land adjacent to 30 Steelhouse Lane, Heath Town 05/0494/FP/M Low Level Station, Sun 34 & Street/Wednesfield Road, 05/0728/LB/C 05/0723/FP/M The Old Steam Mill and Former Mill 55 & Garage, Corn Hill, 05/0724/LB/R 05/1118/FP/R Land at rear of 36 Prestwood Road West, 71 Park 05/1029/FP/M Brincars Citroen Merridale Lane 76 Tettenhall Regis 05/0901/FP/M St. Joseph's School and Convent, Sandy 85 Lane 05/1256/GM/C Land at Hills Coaches Hordern Road, 101 Tettenhall Wightwick 05/1036/FP/C 1-21 Finchfield Road West, 106 Wednesfield South 05/0779/FP/R 36 Moat House Lane East, 114 2 PLANNING COMMITTEE - 06-SEP-2005 APP NO: 05/0964/FP/M WARD: Blakenhall; DATE 16-JUN-2005 TARGET DATE: 15-SEP-2005 RECEIVED: APP TYPE: Full Planning Permission SITE: The Royal Wolverhampton School, Goldthorn Road, Penn PROPOSAL: Re-construction and extension of pool hall to provide pool hall, changing area, sports hall, ancillary areas and flood lit grass pitch APPLICANT: AGENT: The Royal Wolverhampton School Thorne Architecture Ltd Penn Road The Creative Industries Centre Wolverhampton Glaisher Drive WV3 0EG Wolverhampton WV10 9TG REPORT: 1. Site Description 1.1 The site consists of an existing gym, a pitched roof red brick building. This is all that remains of several buildings, the principal one of which was the swimming pool which was burnt down earlier this year. There is therefore a vacant area where the other buildings stood. The buildings and site are set in a larger site, part of the Royal Wolverhampton Grammar School, surrounded mostly by playing fields and hard surface pitches. The site also contains one semi-derelict Victorian cottage located at the proposed entrance. 2. Planning History 2.1 Planning consent was granted some years ago now under reference 0481/97 by the Secretary of State following an Appeal for a new sports centre of a different design. This consent was partly implemented when they built the boundary wall along Goldthorn Road. The permission still therefore remains valid. At that time, consent was also granted for the demolition of the cottage, also the subject of these applications. 3. Constraints 3.1 The site is in the Conservation Area and close to Listed school buildings. There is also a row of cottages Nos 135 to 161 Goldthorn Road. These are three storeys high and the second and third storeys will look out over 3 the site although at some distance. 4. Application Details 4.1 The applications relate to the demolition of the derelict cottage (conservation area consent) and full planning permission for the reinstatement (rebuilding to a larger footprint), of the burnt out swimming pool, together with a new sports hall/gymnasium, linked to the existing gymnasium building which survived the fire. At ground floor is proposed to provide a forecourt and sports hall together with equipment store, a swimming pool together with pool store and office; male changing and female changing facilities. At the first floor it is proposed to provide a gym together with a seminar/classroom, stores and a café. Outside, a new entrance is to be formed at the point of the existing entrance but demolishing the Victorian cottage to make way for the new entrance. Also proposed is a new floodlit reinforced grass football pitch. This presently grassed area is now said to be used only lightly for sporting facilities due to its waterlogged nature. 4.2 The site of the cottage will form part of the access and partly be landscaped. The formation of the access together with the associated ramps into the new building would result in the loss of two trees. One is a Laburnum tree and the other looks to be a Lime tree. 4.3 Car parking is to be provided for both visitors and staff together with disabled spaces and coach parking. 34 parking spaces including 10 disabled spaces, two coach spaces and 3 staff parking spaces are presently shown 4.4 The floor area of the existing gym and former pool was approx. 964m2. That now proposed would be 2771m2. The new facilities would therefore be substantially bigger than the existing. This reflects the need for up- dated facilities and the intention of the school to open up the facilities for wider public use. 4.5 Much of the new building is to be in facing brick, with areas of flat metallic silver panels; large areas of anodised windows in aluminium frames and a zinc lacquered stucco embossed aluminium standing seam roof. The existing gym building is to be re-roofed in the same materials as the new building. 5. Relevant Policies 5.1 ENV2 ; Design standards ENV17 and ENV18; The setting of listed buildings and conservation areas. ENV22 Per-cent for art R1; Encouraging the provision of new sports facilities. R13; Planning standards 4 TP14; Parking standards 6. Publicity 6.1 The application has been advertised by means of letters to adjoining occupiers, site notice and press notice. 6.2 One letter has been received from an adjacent resident seeking clarification on various aspects of the scheme, to whom a reply has been sent. 7. External Consultees 7.1 Sport England; no objection in principal. A large number of concerns over various aspects to do principally with internal layout and design, which have been passed on to the applicant for incorporation and/or discussion with Sport England. 8. Internal Consultees 8.1 Highways; Serious concern that the level of car parking so far indicated may not be sufficient in view of the scale of the facilities proposed and indicated level of public use not being yet absolutely clear. Further information requested. 8.2 Conservation. No objection, given that the principle of the loss of the cottage has already been established at the time of the public inquiry into the last application involving its demolition. Design of the new- build has been the subject of prior discussion and is now considered satisfactory. 8.3 Building Consultancy; No objections . 8.4 Environmental Services ; Have requested a 2.5m high brick screen wall on the boundary between the proposed car/coach park and the row of terraced houses to the west and a closer look at the proposed light intensity levels for the flood-lighting to the new outdoor pitch proposed. A condition is recommended restricting the hours of use. The need for a chimney for the heating system is flagged up. 8.5 Leisure Services; Welcome the new facilities, but concerned over the level of car-parking shown and seeking more information as to the level and nature and means of management of public access to the facility. Further information awaited 5 9. Appraisal 9.1 Since the burning down of the swimming pool at this site discussions have taken place with the agents for this scheme to draw up this replacement scheme. Account needs to be taken of the fact that consent has already been granted and that the consent is still valid for a similar, though smaller, scheme some years ago, but now with the addition of an outdoor all-weather floodlit pitch. Only part of this has been implemented, namely the wall along Goldthorn Road. What is proposed will clearly be an advantage in terms of provision for the school and the local community, together with the restoration of this site which is now rather vacant looking. The facilities proposed are extensive and can be compared in scale to that at the Compton Park Activities Centre, to the rear of the Wulfrun College, with the addition of the proposed gym. 9.2 In the past this Council objected to the loss of the adjoining cottage at the entrance to this site but on appeal the Planning Inspector over ruled these objections and granted consent. Officers met with the agents for the scheme prior to its submission and made several suggestions with regard to external design and appearance, which have been incorporated into this scheme. 9.3 The scheme is relatively imaginative and innovative in its design, which should enhance the setting of the Conservation Area and Listed Building. Detailed consideration would need to be given to landscaping particularly hard landscaping and boundary treatments and facing materials, which can be covered by appropriate conditions. 9.4 What is new in this scheme is the provision of the all weather outdoor pitch and floodlighting associated with it. The existing pitch is said to get waterlogged and is therefore rarely used. This should allow it to be used to a greater extent. The floodlighting however, could have an adverse effect on the outlook from the adjacent terraced houses. In this respect further details have been requested as to the intended use of the pitch and so the appropriate lowest level of lighting which could be acceptable can be achieved.