Lawson Court, Chester-Le-Street PDF 1 MB

Planning Services COMMITTEE REPORT APPLICATION DETAILS APPLICATION NO: 2/13/00231 Proposed demolition of sheltered housing and development of extra care residential units comprising 47 FULL APPLICATION DESCRIPTION : two bed apartments, 4 one bed apartments, 2 two bed detached bungalows and 4 two bed semi-detached bungalows with shared communal areas and faciliites NAME OF APPLICANT : Cestria Community Housing Association ADDRESS : Lawson Court, Chester-le-Street Durham ELECTORAL DIVISION : Chester le Street South Louisa Ollivere Planning Officer CASE OFFICER : Telephone: 03000 264 878 [email protected] DESCRIPTION OF THE SITE AND PROPOSALS The Site 1. This 0.78ha. site is currently occupied by two separate blocks of two and three storey sheltered housing apartments known as Lawson and Riddell Court constructed in the 1970’s and which now lie vacant. The site is presently fenced off with temporary metal fencing. The location is in close proximity and to the south west of Chester-le- Street Town Centre. The site lies to the south of Waldridge Road and other blocks of similar 2/3 storey flats providing sheltered housing. To the west of the site are three terraces of two storey red brick dwellings of 1960’s construction. To the east of the site is the East Coast Railway Line and a public footpath. South of the site are a footpath, areas of open space and a play area. Three footpaths cross the site from west to east. There are existing groupings of mature trees within the site and along the eastern boundary. This is a challenging site which slopes steeply from west to east by as much as 2 storeys in some locations. 2. The site is highly visible from immediate public vantage points such as Waldridge Road to the north, the East Coast Mainline railway to the east, play space to the south and Moorfoot Avenue to the west. The Proposal 3. The application proposes the demolition of the existing buildings on the site and the development of extra care residential units intended for the over 55’s. The units are deemed extra care units with Sheltered Plus status which means that there would be a warden during normal office hours, for whom there are facilities provided, but the warden would not be on site the full 24hrs.The units have been designed to be fully accessible and adaptable to changing needs whilst simultaneously enabling residents to live independantly for as long as possible. The scheme would comprise the following: • 47 two bed apartments • 4 one bed apartments • 2 Two bed detached bungalows • 4 two bed semi-detached bungalows • shared internal and external communal areas • an internet café • beauty salon • care base/G.P facility • exhibition space. • Community allotment 4. The main housing would be contained within a split level building varying in height from 2 storeys to 4 storeys. This building would have three sections with varying roof heights incorporating a series of hips, gables and dormers. Two sections would have an eastern orientation and one section would have a southern orientation. The buildings would be centred around a central landscaped garden area. Two 2 bed detached bungalows and 4 two bed semi-detached bungalows are proposed to the south of this larger building block. The materials proposed are red/orange brickwork and white coloured monocouche render with feature panels clad in high pressure laminate with red concrete tiles for the roofs. Windows and doors would generally be grey UPVC with larger glazed areas and the main external entrance to incorporate aluminium box frame sections coloured grey. 5. The apartment block and the 2 bed room detached bungalows would be accessed from a new road taken from Moorfoot Avenue and which would run along the eastern section of the site. Following negotiation with the Highways Officer twenty car parking bays would be prposed for the apartments, 10 at the front entrance of the building, 7 east of the central garden area and three to the west of the apartment building. All six bungalows would have one parking space . The semi-detached bungalows would be accessed from Moorfoot Avenue. 6. Forty three of the units are proposed as affordable homes with a mix of 37 for affordable rent and 6 for affordable home ownership, these units would comprise a mix of 1 and 2 bedroom apartments and 2 bedroom bungalows. The tenure of which is to be secured with a s.106 agreement. 7. This application is supoprted by a design statement, landscaping plan, a phase 1 Desk Top Study Report and Phase 2 Ground Investigation Report , a Bat Survey, Ecology Survey , an Arboricultural Implications Assessment , Method Statement and Tree Protection Plan, BREEAM 2011 New Construction Assessment Report, Environmental Noise Impact Assessment, Community Consultation Information and an affordable Housing, Open Space, Transport and Viability Statement. 8. The application is reported to Committee as a ‘major’ development. PLANNING HISTORY 9. There is no relevant planning history for this site. PLANNING POLICY NATIONAL POLICY NATIONAL PLANNING POLICY FRAMEWORK 10. In March 2012 the Government consolidated all planning policy statements, circulars and guidance into a single policy statement, termed the draft National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF). The overriding message from the Framework is that planning authorities should plan positively for new development, and approve all individual proposals wherever possible. It defines the role of planning in achieving sustainable development under three topic headings – economic, social and environmental, each mutually dependant. There is a presumption in favour of sustainable development. It requires local planning authorities to approach development management decisions positively, utilising twelve ‘core principles’ that should underpin both plan-making and decision taking, the most relevant of these in this instance being: 11. NPPF Part 1 – Building a Strong, Competitive Economy – reinforces the Government’s commitment to securing economic growth to create jobs and prosperity, ensuring the planning system supports this aim – ‘significant weight’ is to be placed on this aim. Planning policies should seek to address potential barriers to investment, setting out clear economic vision and strategy which proactively encourages sustainable economic growth, identifies sites and inward investment, and identifies priority areas for economic regeneration. There is no specific advice on decision making. 12. NPPF Part 4 – Promoting Sustainable Transport - notes the importance of transport policies in facilitating sustainable development and contributing to wider sustainability and health issues. Local parking standards should take account of the accessibility of the development, its type, mix and use, the availability of public transport, levels of local car ownership and the need to reduce the use of high-emission vehicles. 13. NPPF Part 6 – Delivering a wide choice of high quality homes. Housing applications should be considered in the context of a presumption in favour of sustainable development. Local Planning Authorities should seek to deliver a wide choice of high quality homes, widen opportunities for home ownership and create inclusive and mixed communities. Policies should be put in place to resist the inappropriate development of residential of residential gardens where development would cause harm to the local area. 14. NPPF Part 7 – Requiring Good Design - the Government attaches great importance to the design of the built environment, with good design a key aspect of sustainable development, indivisible from good planning. Planning policies and decisions must aim to ensure developments; function well and add to the overall quality of an area over the lifetime of the development, establish a strong sense of place, create and sustain an appropriate mix of uses, respond to local character and history, create safe and accessible environments and be visually attractive. 15 . NPPF Part 8 – Promoting Healthy Communities – the planning system is considered to have an important role in facilitating social interaction and creating healthy, inclusive communities, delivering social recreational and cultural facilities and services to meet community needs. Access to high quality open spaces and opportunities for sport and recreation can make an important contribution to the health and well-being of communities. 16. NPPF Part 12 – Conserving and Enhancing the Historic Environment -Working from Local Plans that set out a positive strategy for the conservation and enjoyment of the historic environment, Local Planning Authorities should require applicants to describe the significance of the heritage asset affected to allow an understanding of the impact of a proposal on it’s significance. In determining applications LPAs should take account of; the desirability of sustaining and enhancing the significance of the asset and putting them to viable uses consistent with their conservation, the positive contribution conservation of heritage assets can make to sustainable communities and economic viability, and the desirability of new development making a positive contribution to local character. 17. In accordance with paragraph 215 of the National Planning Policy Framework, the weight to be attached to relevant saved local plan policy will depend upon the degree of consistency with the NPPF. The greater the consistency, the greater the weight. The relevance of this issue is discussed, where appropriate, in the assessment section of the report below. LOCAL PLAN POLICY

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