planning report PDU/2995/01 6 March 2013 Swakeleys House, Ickenham in the London Borough of Hillingdon planning application no. 23202/APP/2013/12 Strategic planning application stage 1 referral (new powers) Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 The proposal Change of use of Swakeleys House, (a Grade I listed building), from office (B1) use and sports (D2) use into a single dwelling, along with demolition and replacement of ancillary outbuildings buildings (Vyners House and the Ice House) into ancillary accommodation for Swakeleys House. The applicant The applicant is CES Properties (Ickenham) Ltd and the architect is Paul Davis & Partners. Strategic issues The key strategic issues for consideration are Green Belt and heritage, other minor issues relating to affordable housing, inclusive design and transport require resolution. Recommendation That Hillingdon Council be advised that while the application is generally acceptable in strategic planning terms the application does not comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 49 of this report; but that the possible remedies also set out in this paragraph of this report could address these deficiencies. Context 1 On 25 January 2013 the Mayor of London received documents from Hillingdon Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor has until 7 March 2013 to provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. 2 The application is referable under Category 3D of the Schedule to the Order 2008: “Development (a) on land allocated as Green Belt or Metropolitan Open Land in the development plan, in proposals for such a plan, or in proposals for the alteration or replacement of such a plan; and (b) which would involve the construction of a building with a floorspace of more than 1,000 square metres or a material change in the use of such a building.” page 1 3 Once Hillingdon Council has resolved to determine the application, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision as to whether to direct refusal; take it over for his own determination; or allow the Council to determine it itself. 4 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description Swakeleys House and adjacent buildings (aerial view) 5 Swakeleys House is situated in Ickenham in the northern part of Hillingdon Borough. The site is in the centre of a residential area that lies between Swakeleys Road to the north and the west, Long Lane to the south and Western Avenue (A40) to the south. The A40, which is part of Transport for London Road Network (TLRN) is over 1km from the site. The accesses to the site are off Milton Road to the north and Swakeleys Drive to the south. Both of these are part of the Borough’s highway network. 6 Both Ickenham and Hillingdon Underground stations are located approximately 1km east of the site, providing frequent services into central London and Uxbridge on the Metropolitan and Piccadilly Lines. This site is only served by one bus route (U10) providing a hourly service between Ruislip, Hillingdon Underground and Uxbridge stations, with bus stops located 300m away from the site on Swakeleys Drive. As such, the public transport accessibility level (PTAL) of the site is 1 (based on a scale of 1 to 6 where 1 is lowest and 6 is highest) which equates to a very poor level of accessibility to public transport. 7 Swakeleys House is a Grade I listed 17th century mansion house, which was built for Sir Edmund Wright in 1638, a wealthy London merchant, as a family home, entertaining space and retreat from the city. It is an important example of artisan mannerism and is ‘H’ shaped in red brick with stone and stucco dressings. It has five bays on main fronts and four on the side. There are two page 2 main floors with a third floor in the roof space. Although it has been vacant since 2003 it has been kept secure and is not on the Buildings at Risk Register. 8 There are two ‘L’ shaped stable buildings that are located immediately north of the main house, which create a stable courtyard. These are also Grade I listed (being listed in 1974). Linked to the stables is a 1980s office building known as Vyners House and another office building known as Harrington House, which stands to the east, however this does not form part of the application proposals. 9 The house and its grounds form part of Ickenham Village Conservation area and the majority of the site forms part of the Green Belt. The application site is approximately 8.61 hectares and is surrounded by suburban residential development. 10 The River Pinn also lies adjacent to the western part of the site within a flood risk area of zones 2 and 3. 11 The majority of the site is open land; a tree-edged lake borders this land to the east, beyond which is a public park. The house has its main historic approach along an avenue leading from the south (of which remnants remain) although access is presently gained from the north, via a private road terminating in the stables area, and leading past buildings presently used for employment purposes. A private lawn bowling club is sited on the open ground to the north-west of the house. The house was renovated in the 1980s for employment use and was occupied by a pharmaceutical company during the 1980s and 1990s, but has remained vacant since 2003, with the exception of the northern part of the western stable courtyard, which is occupied by a security company as offices. 12 A public footpath leads through the site from the southern approach, and borders the open land, running alongside the lake (shown in yellow on the plan below). This access and other uses of the land by the community, including the Ickenham festival held every two years, and house open days, were secured through legal agreements associated with previous planning consents. The green edged and hatched area shown in the plan below show site usage for the above mentioned purposes. Site plan indicating the conditional uses of the site’s grounds page 3 Details of the proposal 13 The proposed development is for the restoration of the Grade I listed Swakeleys House and Grade I listed stable courtyard to create a single family dwelling. The proposal also involves the demolition of Vyners House, the ‘Ice House’ (a small external plant room) and car park and construction of guest accommodation and banqueting facilities on their sites, together with the re- instatement of historic landscaped elements, involving the loss of a footpath and bowling club within the grounds of Swakeleys House. 14 There are seven guest suites proposed within the footprint of the existing Vyners House building and which provide a total of 11 bedrooms. 15 There would be associated alterations to access and routes, including deletion of the right- of-way through the site. Case history 16 On 19 July 2012 a pre-application meeting was held at City Hall. The principle of the proposal was supported subject to resolving Green Belt, sport and heritage impacts. Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 17 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: Green Belt London Plan Historic Environment London Plan; Employment London Plan; Housing London Plan; Housing SPG; Housing Strategy; draft Revised Housing Strategy Urban design London Plan; Access London Plan; Accessible London: achieving an inclusive environment SPG; Planning and Access for Disabled People: a good practice guide (ODPM) Sustainable development London Plan; Sustainable Design and Construction SPG; Mayor’s Climate Change Adaptation Strategy; Mayor’s Climate Change Mitigation and Energy Strategy; Mayor’s Water Strategy Transport London Plan; the Mayor’s Transport Strategy Parking London Plan; draft Early Minor Alteration to the London Plan; the Mayor’s Transport Strategy 18 For the purposes of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the development plan in force for the area is the Hillingdon Local Plan: Part 1- Strategic Policies, November 2012, the 1998 Unitary Development Plan and the 2011 London Plan. 19 The following are also relevant material considerations: The National Planning Policy Framework and Technical Guide to the National Planning Policy Framework The draft Revised Early Minor Alteration to the London Plan page 4 Principle of development – change of use, Green Belt and heritage Change of use 20 The Hillingdon UDP (Saved Policies) does not incorporate any specific policies that preclude the loss of offices. The applicant has however provided evidence as discussed at the pre- application stage, demonstrating that the property has been marketed since September 2003, however the applicant still has not secured a tenant or purchasers for the building. The applicant has attributed this to the difficulty and expense of adapting the building to be fit for modern businesses who now seek office space close to amenities and public transport, large open plan floor plates and lower running costs with stronger green/sustainability credentials. Given that Swakeleys is a Grade I listed building it does not meet these criteria.