Land to West of Royal Mail Sorting Office Bounded by Address: Phoenix Place, Mount Pleasant, Gough Street & Calthorpe St
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Land to west of Royal Mail Sorting office bounded by Address: Phoenix Place, Mount Pleasant, Gough Street & Calthorpe St. Camden WC1. Application 2013/3807/P Officer: Richard McEllistrum Number: 1 Holborn & Covent Ward: Garden Date Received: 07/06/2013 Proposal: Comprehensive redevelopment, following the demolition of existing buildings, to construct four new buildings ranging from 5 to 15 storeys (above basement level) in height, to provide 38,724 sqm (GIA) of residential floorspace (345 dwellings) (Class C3), 823 sqm (GIA) of flexible retail and community floorspace (Use Classes A1, A2, A3, D1 or D2), with associated energy centre, waste and storage areas, basement level residential car parking (54 spaces), the re-provision of Royal Mail staff car parking (approx 196 spaces) cycle parking, residential cycle parking (431 residential spaces) hard and soft landscaping to provide public and private areas of open space, alterations to the public highway and all other necessary excavation and enabling works. The application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement. The proposed redevelopment is to be considered is the context of the redevelopment of the adjacent site, north of the Sorting Office building (within the London Borough of Islington) which has been submitted simultaneously under the Islington planning & conservation area consent application reference numbers: P2013/1423 & P2013/1435. That development involves: The demolition of existing buildings to construct 3 to 12 storey buildings, providing 38,015sqm (336 dwellings) residential floorspace (Class C3), 4,260sqm (GIA) office floorspace (Class B1), 1.428sqm flexible retail and community floorspace, (Classes A1, A2, A3, D1 or D2) with associated energy centre, waste and storage areas, car (65 spaces) and cycle (523 spaces) parking, hard and soft landscaping to provide public and private areas of open space, alterations to the public highway and construction of a new vehicle ramp to basement level to service Royal Mail operations, an acoustic roof deck over the existing servicing yard and other necessary excavation and enabling works. This application is accompanied by an Environmental Statement. RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY: Object to proposed development in its current form and request that if matters raised by officers are unable to be satisfactorily addressed prior to determination by the Mayor of London, that planning permission be refused. Related Application Date of Application: 28/06/2103 2 Application Number: 2013/4128/P Proposal: Observations to the London Borough of Islington for the comprehensive redevelopment of the site following the demolition of existing buildings and structures to construct six new buildings ranging from 3 to 12 storeys in height to provide 38,015 sqm (GIA) of residential floorspace (336 dwellings) (Class C3), 4,260sqm (GIA) of office floorspace (Class B1), 1.428 sqm (GIA) of flexible retail and community floorspace, (Classes A1, A2, A3, D1 and D2) with associated energy centre, waste and storage areas, vehicle (65 spaces) and cycle parking (523 spaces), hard and soft landscaping to provide public (approx 5,124sqm) and private areas open space, alterations to the public highway and construction of a new dedicated vehicle ramp to basement level to service Royal Mail operations, construction of an acoustic roof deck over the existing service yard (encloses 14,150sqm at basement and ground floor levels) and all other necessary excavation and enabling works. The Camden and Islington applications are accompanied by an Environmental Statement. The proposed redevelopment will be considered in the context of the proposals on the adjacent site, located on the west side of Phoenix Place (within the London Borough of Camden). The Camden planning reference no. is: [2013/3807/P]. RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY: Object to proposed development in its current form and request that if matters raised by officers are unable to be satisfactorily addressed prior to determination by the Mayor of London, that planning permission be refused. Applicant: Agent: Royal Mail Group DP9 c/o agent 100 Pall Mall London SW1Y 5NQ OFFICERS’ REPORT Reason for Referral to Committee: Major development for more than 10 new dwellings [clause 3(i)]; involves the creation of Class A3 use [clause 3(iv); is subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement for matters which the Director of Culture and Environment does not have delegated authority [clause 3(vi)]. The application comprises over 150 units of new housing, exceeds 15,000sqm of new commercial floorspace and is over 30m in height and is therefore considered a ‘strategic’ application under the Mayor of London Order 2008. Executive Summary The target determination period for both the Camden & Islington applications expired on the 1st October 2013 and the applicant withdrew from signing up to a Planning Performance Agreement with the Councils to extend the determination period. The applicant was then able to request that the Mayor of London ‘call-in’ the applications prior to the reaching of a proposed decision by the Councils, and act as the Local Planning Authority. The applicant made a ‘call-in’ request on 10th January 2014. The Councils provided joint letters in response to this request on 17th January, requesting that they be allowed to reach a conclusion on their assessments before those conclusions (and proposed decisions) were then referred back to the Mayor of London. This request was not granted, and the Mayor of London called in both applications on 21st January and will act as the local planning authority, now being responsible for the handling, assessment and determination of the applications. The call-in decision letter, along with the Council’s response and the original request, are attached to this agenda at Appendix 2. The purpose of this report is for Members to consider and confirm the Council’s position on a range of issues as well as those matters it considers to remain outstanding and which the Mayor of London should take into account when he determines the application. This report sets out officers conclusions on a wide variety of matters where sufficient information has been made available to them, and has identified where such views will only be able to be formed when additional information is later provided. Members are recommended to resolve that the Mayor of London be advised that the Council: In regard to the Camden Application, whilst supporting the principle of mixed use development, considers that in its current form the application should not be approved and that amendments should be secured prior to determination in relation to the following matters: 1. That the application fails to demonstrate that the maximum reasonable amount of affordable housing, taking into consideration the individual circumstances including development viability, the availability of public subsidy and in particular the implications of phased development, including provisions for re-appraising the viability of schemes prior to implementation of later phases 2. That application should be brought forward only as part of the wider site proposals, including enabling works and residential led development within the Islington borough site, ensuring that adequate linkages and restrictions on commencement / occupation are secured between tenures and phases. 3. That the proposed quantum of private residential car parking is excessive and the development should be modified to substantially reduce this level. 4. That the development would exert a materially harmful impact on neighbouring amenity to those residential properties identified within this report and should therefore be modified to overcome this impact 5. That the proposed development does not, in the identified instances, demonstrate the necessary standard of living environment and should be modified in the manner described. 6. That full and proper regard should be had to all other identified deficiencies and other matters set out within this report, such as those relating to archaeological impact, highways related design modifications, planning conditions, s106 provisions and the securing of development in accordance with approved plans & information In regard to the Islington application, the following views are offered / recommendations made: 1. That the height, mass, position of blocks E & F would result in harm to listed terraces on Calthorpe Street & Wren Street, and to the Bloomsbury Conservation Area, and should be revised accordingly 2. That the Islington application also fails to demonstrate that the maximum reasonable amount of affordable housing, taking into consideration the individual circumstances including development viability, the availability of public subsidy and in particular the implications of phased development, including provisions for re-appraising the viability of schemes prior to implementation of later phases 3. That the Islington application should also be brought forward only as part of a the wider site proposals, including residential led development within the Camden borough site, ensuring that adequate linkages and restrictions on commencement / occupation are secured between tenures and phases. 4. That the proposed quantum of private residential car parking is excessive and the development should be modified to substantially reduce this level. 5. That all other matters set out within this report relating to the Islington scheme where impacting upon or relating to the Camden development and the surrounding locality within the