Railway Bridge
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ADDRESS: Railway Bridge Upper Marsh London Application Number: 19/00071/FUL Case Officer: Emily Leighton Ward: Bishops Date Received: 10.01.2019 Proposal: Refurbishment and change of use of 9 arches at Upper Marsh and Westminster Bridge Road to provide 3,542sqm of office space (Use Class B1) arranged over ground and new mezzanine floor level; installation of glazed facade to the arches; public realm and landscaping improvements; ancillary waste storage and cycle parking facilities; and other associated works. Applicant: Agent: Urbanest UK Lambeth North Limited Henry Farrar Partnership Gerald Eve 72 Welbeck Street London W1G 0AY RECOMMENDATION 1. Resolve to grant planning permission subject to the conditions as set out in the report and subject to the completion of an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to secure the planning obligations listed in this report. 2. Agree to delegate authority to the Director of Planning, Transport and Sustainability to: a. Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report; and b. Negotiate, agree and finalise the planning obligations as set out in this report pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act. 3. In the event that the committee resolves to refuse planning permission and there is a subsequent appeal, delegated authority is given to the Director of Planning, Transport and Sustainability having regard to the proposed planning obligations set out in the report, addendums and/or PAC minutes, to negotiate and complete a document containing obligations pursuant to Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) in order to meet the requirement of the Planning Inspector. 4. In the event that the Section 106 Agreement is not completed within six months of committee, delegated authority is given to the Director of Planning, Transport and Sustainability to refuse planning permission for failure to enter into a section 106 agreement for the mitigating contributions identified in this report, addendums and/or the PAC minutes. SITE DESIGNATIONS Relevant site designations: Flood Risk Area Flood Zone 3 Archaeological Priority Area North Lambeth Archaeological Priority Area Local View NNE from Norwood Park to the City, and from Battersea Park to The Gherkin and Canary Wharf Other Central Activities Zone (CAZ) Waterloo Opportunity Area Thames Policy Area Area of Open Space Deficiency Tunnel Safeguarding Lines Adjacent Site Designations: Conservation Areas South Bank Conservation Area Lower Marsh Conservation Area Albert Embankment Conservation Area LAND USE DETAILS Site area (ha): 4257.07sqm (0.4257Ha) NON-RESIDENTIAL DETAILS Use Class Use Description Floorspace (m2) (Gross Internal Area) Existing Sui Railway arches 2,180sqm Generis/Ancillary Disabled car parking, D1 cycle parking and refuse storage for Urbanest Proposed B1(a) Office space 3,699sqm (including the mezzanine) PARKING DETAILS Car Parking Spaces Car Parking Spaces % of Bike Spaces Motor- (General) (Disabled) EVCP cycle Spaces Commercial Commercial Existing 0 0 0 0 0 (3 existing disabled spaces (250 associated associated with Urbanest) with Urbanest) Proposed 0 2 0 58 long-stay 0 10 short-stay (648 associated with Urbanest) LEGAL SERVICES CLEARANCE AUDIT TRAIL Consultation Name/Position Lambeth Date Sent Date Report Comments in department Received Cleared para: Susan Boucher Legal Services 05.06.2020 05.06.2020 09/06/2020 Throughout Lawyer EXECUTIVE SUMMARY The application site comprises 9 railway arches beneath Waterloo Station located adjacent to the Urbanest site, a mixed use development serving student accommodation, a college and business uses. Access to the application site is from both Westminster Bridge Road and Upper Marsh. The application proposes the change of use of the 9 arches from Sui Generis use (vacant arches) and associated with D1 Use of Urbanest for the cycle parking (two arches closest to Westminster Bridge Road), disabled car parking and waste/refuse storage to create 3,699sqm (GIA) of B1 floor space. The proposal would present an opportunity for the redevelopment of under-utilised arches into a productive, employment- generating office use consistent with development plan policies, which support such uses located within the Central Activities Zone (CAZ), the London Plan Waterloo Opportunity Area and the Southbank and Waterloo Neighbourhood area. The application proposes that the B1 floorspace would be leased to Sustainable Workspaces (an affordable workspace operator) at a significant reduction to market rent levels. The application further proposes that should the preferred lessee not take up the B1 space, a planning obligation would be entered into to secure affordable workspace in line with emerging policy ED2 of the Draft Revised Lambeth Local Plan (2018). The design of the proposal includes a new glazed curtain wall façade on the western elevation of the arches which would read as a cohesive design and would respect the railway arches. It would also animate an inactive edge and increase passive surveillance. The proposed development allows an opportunity to open up a service road that was secured under an earlier Section 106 agreement completed in respect of the adjacent Urbanest development. The earlier agreement identifies the service road as being for private vehicular access. It is currently gated at either end. The proposal is for the gates to be removed in their entirety should development on the Royal Street site come forward in the future and develop the lowline (the area of land that runs adjacent to the railway viaduct) to Archbishops Park, with the gates opened between 7am and 10pm from the implementation of the first phase of any of the Royal Street planning permissions. In the event that the Royal Street site does not come forward for development, a ‘backstop’ date has been agreed to open the service road in mid-2023.The opening of the gates would allow permeability to the arches and the low-line and achieves greater pedestrian access within this part of the Borough. It is proposed to impose a ‘Grampian’ condition that would prevent the development being able to be occupied until a satisfactory planning obligation is entered into in relation to the operation of and future arrangements for the gates, and the facilitating of pedestrian use of the service road. Officers have given due consideration to any potential amenity impacts that may arise from the change of use of the arches, in particular to the adjacent use of Urbanest serving student accommodation. Subject to conditions, the proposed development would not result in any unacceptable amenity impacts, namely noise and disturbance. The Council’s transport officer has confirmed that the proposal would not result in any unacceptable transport impacts and advised that the cycle parking, disabled bay parking and servicing proposed for the office use and adjacent Urbanest site is acceptable. A non-material amendment has been granted (application reference: 20/00906/NMC) in respect of the existing planning permission for the adjacent Urbanest development in respect of reconfigured cycle parking, disabled parking and refuse storage for the existing development. The resulting amendments would enable the proposed development to be accommodated without adversely affecting cycle parking, disabled parking and refuse storage for the adjacent Urbanest development. The proposal would be car free, to be secured by a planning obligation. Benefits would arise from the proposal in terms of employment and skills contributions which would allow for the further training of local residents and an Employment and Skills Plan relating to the end-use occupation of the building, which includes advertising any job vacancies with Lambeth Council. This is proposed to be secured by way of planning obligation. In relation to planning obligations other than that proposed in relation to the opening up of the service road, it is proposed that planning permission be granted subject to completion of a S106 agreement. Although the applicant itself has only a leasehold interest in the application site land, the applicant has indicated that agreement in principle of other relevant parties to the completion of a S106 agreement, including Network Rail, Secretary of State for Transport and Guys’ and St. Thomas’ Charitable Foundation. The development would be acceptable, subject to conditions in terms of environmental matters such as sustainability, flood risk, air quality and land decontamination. Officers consider that the development would comply with the development plan for the Borough and there are no material considerations of sufficient weight that would dictate that the application should otherwise be refused. Officers are therefore recommending approval of the scheme, subject to conditions and planning obligations in accordance with the presumption in favour of sustainable development conferred upon local planning authorities by the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). OFFICER REPORT Reason for referral to PAC: The application is reported to the Planning Applications Committee in accordance with (1)(ii) of the Committee’s terms of reference as it relates to a major application for the change of use of floor space exceeding 1,000sqm. 1 THE APPLICATION SITE 1.1 The application site comprises nine railway arches located between Westminster Bridge Road and Upper Marsh with an adjoining ‘service road’. The arches are currently used for cycle parking, disabled car parking, and refuse and recycling