Alperton House and Units 9 & 10 Abercorn
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
planning report GLA/4346/02 13 May 2019 Alperton House and Units 9 & 10 Abercorn Commercial Centre in the London Borough of Brent planning application no. 18/4199 Strategic planning application stage II referral Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008. The proposal Demolition of the existing buildings and erection of 4 buildings ranging in height from 14 to 23 storeys, comprising 474 residential units, a new public house, retail floorspace, workspace and office, together with associated public realm improvements and landscaping with delivery of canal side walkway, new access arrangements, car and cycle parking, servicing and refuse and recycling facilities. The applicant The applicant is Redrow Homes Ltd, Family Mosaic Home Ownership (Part of Peabody Trust) and Proudreed Real Estate Limited and the architect is Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects Ltd. Key dates • Pre-application meeting: 28 September 2017 and 27 June 2018. • Stage 1 report: 18 February 2019. • Committee meeting: 10 April 2019. Strategic issues Principle of development: The redevelopment of the site for mixed uses is set out in the Local Plan and locally adopted Alperton Masterplan SPD and is supported in general compliance with London Plan and draft London Plan policies (paragraph 8). Re-provision of industrial capacity: A total of 1,921 sq.m. and approximately 320 sq.m. of yard space is to be re-provided, which is less than the benchmarked industrial capacity; however, in view of the site’s allocation for mixed use redevelopment and the plan-led and master planned approach, on balance, the proposed quantum of industrial capacity is acceptable (paragraphs 9-10). Affordable housing: The scheme would deliver 35% affordable housing by habitable room (with grant), comprising London Affordable Rent and shared ownership, which GLA officers have robustly interrogated and determined to be the maximum level of affordable housing. Early and late stage review mechanisms are being secured in the Section 106 legal agreement (paragraphs 11-12). Urban design, climate change mitigation and transport: Outstanding matters have been appropriately resolved through additional information or are being secured by condition or the Section 106 agreement (paragraphs 13-25). The Council’s decision In this instance Brent Council has resolved to grant planning permission subject to conditions and the completion of a s106 legal agreement. Recommendation That Brent Council be advised that the Mayor is content for it to determine the case itself, subject to any action that the Secretary of State may take and does not therefore wish to direct refusal or that he is to be the local planning authority. page 1 Context 1 On 8 November 2018, the Mayor of London received documents from Brent Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. This was referred to the Mayor under Categories 1A, 1B and 1C of the Schedule to the Order 2008: • Category 1A: “Development which comprises or includes the provision of more than 150 houses, flats, or houses and flats”. • Category 1B: “Development (other than development which only comprises the provision of houses, flats, or houses and flats) which comprises or includes the erection of a building or buildings— outside Central London and with a total floorspace of more than 15,000 square metres.” • Category 1C: “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building of (c) more than 30 metres high and is outside the City of London.” 2 On 18 February 2019, the Mayor considered planning report GLA/4346/01, and subsequently advised Brent Council that the application did not yet comply with the London Plan and draft London Plan for the reasons set out in paragraph 58 of the above-mentioned report. 3 A copy of the above-mentioned report is attached. The essentials of the case regarding the proposal, the site, case history, strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance are as set out therein, unless otherwise stated in this report. On 10 April 2019, Brent Council resolved to grant planning permission subject to conditions and completion of a s106 legal agreement and on 30 April 2019 it advised the Mayor of this decision. Under the provisions of Article 5 of the Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor may allow the draft decision to proceed unchanged, direct Brent Council under Article 6 to refuse the application or issue a direction to Brent Council under Article 7 that he is to act as the Local Planning Authority for the purposes of determining the application. The Mayor has until 13 May 2019 to notify Brent Council of his decision and to issue any direction. 4 The decision on this case, and the reasons, will be made available on the GLA’s website www.london.gov.uk. Consultation stage issues summary 5 At the consultation stage Brent Council was advised that the application did not comply with the London Plan and draft London Plan for the following reasons: • Principle of development: Whilst the principle of the plan-led and master planned mixed use redevelopment of this largely LSIS site is supported, the applicant should seek to re-provide a total of at least 2,875 sq.m. of industrial capacity in line with draft London Plan E4. • Affordable housing: The development would deliver 35% affordable housing by habitable room, which is subject to robust interrogation by GLA officers to ensure that the maximum level of affordable housing is provided. Early and late stage reviews must be secured. • Urban design: The residential quality is generally high, and the layout and height and massing respond well to the existing and emerging context. The articulation, however, should be simplified and the Council’s planning officers should seek to secure key details page 2 including facing materials, window reveals, balconies and rooflines to ensure an exemplary quality of architecture is delivered. • Climate change mitigation: Carbon dioxide savings for both the domestic and non- domestic elements fall short of the policy targets and as such the applicant should consider the scope for additional measures aimed at achieving further carbon reductions, including the maximisation of on-site PV installation. Any remaining regulated CO2 emissions for the domestic element should be met through a contribution to the borough’s offset fund. Further details on how SuDS measures at the top of the drainage hierarchy would be included are also required. • Transport: The trip generation should be revised in line with London Plan Policy 6.3 and draft London Plan Policy T4. A further 67 long-stay cycle parking spaces should be provided and a parking design and management plan, full residential and commercial travel plan, final construction logistics plan and delivery and servicing plan secured. Strategic planning policy and guidance update • On 24 July 2018, the Government published the Revised National Planning Policy Framework. This was further revised in February 2019. Update 6 Since the consultation stage, GLA and TfL officers have engaged in discussions with the applicant and the Council with a view to addressing the above matters. Furthermore, as part of Brent Council’s draft decision on the case, various planning conditions and obligations have been proposed to address the above concerns and ensure that the development is acceptable in planning terms. 7 The scheme has been amended to address concerns raised within both the Stage I report and by Brent planning officers. The key amendment in response to the Stage I report is a reconfigured layout of the commercial workspace in Block B to facilitate the provision of additional industrial capacity. Principle of development 8 At the consultation stage, the principle of redeveloping the site for mixed uses was supported in general compliance with London Plan and draft London Plan policies and the local policy objectives for the Alperton Growth Area. Re-provision of industrial capacity 9 In response to representations at Stage I seeking additional industrial capacity, the applicant has converted 469 sq.m. of proposed B1a office floorspace to B1b/c industrial floorspace, increasing the total industrial floorspace proposed to 1,921 sq.m. and approximately 320 sq.m. of yard space. This amount is still short of the benchmark of 2,875 sq.m. industrial capacity set out in the Stage I report. 10 Nevertheless, it is acknowledged that most of the site has been allocated for mixed use development, comprising residential, food and drink, and workspace (including a proportion of managed affordable workspace) through the Council’s use of a plan-led and master planned approach. In this allocation there was no requirement for the provision of genuine industrial capacity; therefore, on balance, the proposed quantum of industrial capacity (with 76% provided as managed affordable workspace) is acceptable in this instance. To ensure affordability, long-term use and local access to the proposed affordable workspace, various commitments are being secured via conditions and legal obligation, including rent at no more than 50% of local market rates. page 3 Affordable housing 11 Further to Stage I, the affordable housing offer of 35% by habitable room (61%:39%) social/intermediate, with grant, has been verified as the maximum level and will be robustly secured by way of the Section 106 legal agreement. Early and late stage review mechanisms are secured similarly in line with London Plan Policy 3.12 and draft London Plan Policy H6. 12 The proposed rents (London Affordable Rent) and the household income cap eligibility criteria for shared ownership units set out in the London Plan, draft London Plan and the Mayor’s Affordable Homes Programme Funding Guidance, are also being secured in the Section 106 agreement.