566 Cable Street, Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets Planning Application No
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planning report PDU/2422/01 29 April 2009 566 Cable Street, Limehouse in the London Borough of Tower Hamlets planning application no. PA/09/00338 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 Redevelopment of Cable Street Studios to provide 3,486 sq.m. of artists studios, 214 residential units, 475 sq.m. of commercial floorspace, 12 live/work units and retail/café uses. The proposal also includes 82 car parking spaces and 298 cycle spaces. The applicant The applicant is Sudbury Properties, and the architect is Studio One. Strategic issues The proposal is to refurbish an existing building for artist studios and live-work accommodation and a new residential building. Commercial uses are provided at ground floor. The scheme has a very high density, the design is not the highest quality and will impact on the setting of the conservation area and the retained historic buildings. The proposal represents overdevelopment of the site. Recommendation That Tower Hamlets Council be advised that the application does not comply with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 86 of this report; but that the possible remedies set out in paragraph 88 of this report could address these deficiencies. Context 1 On 19 March 2009 the Mayor of London received documents from Tower Hamlets 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 29 April 2009 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 the following categories 1B, 1C and 3E of the Schedule to the Order 2008: page 1 • 1B ”Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building or buildings – (b) in Central London (other than the City of London) and which a total floorspace of more than 20,000 sq.m.”. • 1C “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building…(c) ..more than 30 metres high and is outside the City of London.” • 3E “Development comprises or includes the provision of more than 2,500 sq.m. of floorspace for a use falling within any of the following use classes in the Use Classes Order (vi) class B1 (business).” 3 Once Tower Hamlets 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 environmental information for the purposes of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 has been taken into account in the consideration of this case. 5 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 6 The 0.37 hectare site is located on the corner of Cable Street and Butcher Row near The Highway in Limehouse. The main existing building is Thames House, a relatively attractive four- storey Victorian building. Within Thames House is the Cable Street Studios, a group of artist studios, which is a locally significant venue for artists. At present the facility is occupied by approximately 50 artists. 7 Thames House has an attractive corner entrance on the junction of Butcher Row and Cable Street, although there are several more modern buildings along the southern boundary of the site, which is shared by an operational cement works. It is understood that the cement works has recently been modernised. The modern buildings on the subject site have little architectural merit. 8 The site has an irregular pan handle shape. To the north along Cable Street is a mixture of modern and estate housing, while there are two rows of Victorian residential cottages on Bere and Cranford Street, which abut the site to the south and west. This housing is only two storeys high and is thought to be the original workers cottages for the retained former warehouse building. Further to the west is The Highway business park which contains a mixture of light industrial units. 9 The site is within the York Square Conservation Area. St James Garden, a small park containing gardens and some seating is located on the opposite side of Butcher Row, within these gardens is the Grade II listed building ‘The Royal Foundation of St Katherine’. 10 The site is in an accessible location with a public transport accessibility level of 5 where 1 represents the lowest accessibility level and 6 the highest. Limehouse DLR and overland rail station is within walking distance of the site. The nearest bus stops are situated on Butcher Row and Commercial Road. Four bus routes serve these stops; D3, 15, 115 and 135. The site is adjacent to Butcher Row which is part of the TLRN linking the A13 Commercial Road with A1203 The Highway to the south. An off carriageway cycle route extends along Cable Street. page 2 (Source: Design and Access statement, Studio One Architecture) Details of the proposal 11 The proposal is effectively split into two parts, the refurbishment and the new build. The refurbishment 12 The proposal involves the retention of the Victorian building (Thames House) and its refurbishment to provide 100 artist studios and twelve live/work units. The artist studios will be located in the four storeys along the Cable Street frontage, with retail uses on ground floor of the corner units. Above this retail accommodation, will be three levels of live-work units. In this part of the development there will be twelve live-work units, all of which are double aspect facing outward to the road and inward into an internal courtyard. New build 13 In the southern part of the site, the existing, more modern, buildings will be demolished to accommodate a mixture of cafe (44 sq.m) and restaurant (147 sq.m) uses and a series of four commercial (B1) units ranging in size from 67 sq.m. to 151 sq.m. 14 The internal courtyard has been called ‘Place des Artistes’ and will include public art, planting and an area of seating for the ground floor restaurant. This courtyard also provides access to some of the residential units and the artists studios within the retained Thames House. 15 Above these commercial uses at ground floor level, is the bulk of the residential accommodation. In total 214 units are proposed within two towers, Tower A with a height of 24- storeys (i.e. 24-storeys above ground, therefore 25-storeys in total), tower B at 14-storeys and a link block of six storeys high. 16 The towers are located at the western and eastern parts of the site, with the linking block between. The tallest element of 25 storeys is located on the Butcher Row frontage. 17 The proposal does not provide any affordable housing. 18 82 car parking spaces are provided within a two level basement. page 3 (Source: Design and Access statement, Studio One Architecture) Case history 19 There is no relevant history. Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 20 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: • Mix of uses London Plan • Employment London Plan; PPG4; draft PPS4; Industrial Capacity SPG • Housing London Plan; PPS3; Housing SPG; Providing for Children and Young People’s Play and Informal Recreation SPG • Affordable housing London Plan; PPS3; Housing SPG • Density London Plan; PPS3; Housing SPG • Urban design London Plan; PPS1 • Tall buildings/views London Plan; View Management Framework SPG • Regeneration London Plan; the Mayor’s Economic Development Strategy • Transport London Plan; the Mayor’s Transport Strategy; PPG13 • Parking London Plan; the Mayor’s Transport Strategy; PPG13 • Sustainable development London Plan; PPS1, PPS Planning and Climate Change Supplement to PPS1; PPS3; PPG13; PPS22; the Mayor’s Energy • Ambient noise London Plan; the Mayor’s Ambient Noise Strategy; PPG24 • Air quality London Plan; the Mayor’s Air Quality Strategy; The Control of dust and emissions from construction and demolition BPG; PPS23 • Access London Plan; PPS1; Accessible London: achieving an inclusive environment SPG; Wheelchair Accessible Housing BPG Planning and Access for Disabled People: a good practice guide (ODPM) page 4 21 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 1998 Tower Hamlets Unitary Development Plan and the London Plan (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004). 22 In October 2007, the Secretary of State directed Tower Hamlets to withdraw the submitted Tower Hamlets Core Strategy and Development Control development plan documents and the associated Area Action Plans. The Council has since adopted the withdrawn documents as ‘Interim planning guidance for the purposes of development control’. The Council has also recently produced a ‘Core Strategy – Options and Alternatives for Places’ document which is currently undergoing public consultation. These documents, though of limited weight, are relevant material considerations in the decision making process. Mix of uses 23 London Plan policy 3B.5 ‘Industrial locations’, seeks to manage Locally Significant and other, smaller industrial sites having regard to “integrated strategic and local assessments of industrial demand promote, manage and where necessary protect the varied industrial offer”.