Inspector's Report on Objections to the Southwark Plan (May 2006)
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The Planning Inspectorate Report to the Temple Quay House 2 The Square Temple Quay Secretary of State Bristol BS1 6PN for Communities and GTN 1371 8000 Local Government by John L Gray DipArch MSc Registered Architect Date 9 December 2008 an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government TOWN AND COUNTRY PLANNING ACT 1990 LONDON BOROUGH OF SOUTHWARK APPLICATIONS by BEETHAM LANDMARK LONDON LIMITED and BLACKFRIARS LIMITED Inquiry opened on 9 September 2008 and closed on 2 October 2008 1 & 20 Blackfriars Road, London SE1 File Refs. APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 & APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 Report APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 & APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 CONTENTS Section page Application details 2 1 Preliminary matters 3 2 The sites and their surroundings 4 3 Planning policy 8 4 Planning history 9 5 The proposals 9 6 The Case for Beetham Landmark London Limited 11 7 The Case for Blackfriars Limited 33 8 The Case for the London Borough of Southwark 51 9 The Case for Westminster City Council and The Royal Parks 63 10 The Case for the Waterloo Community Development Group 74 11 Written representations 82 12 Conditions and Obligations 84 13 Conclusions 86 14 Overall conclusion 105 15 Recommendations 108 Annex A: Appearances 109 Annex B: Documents 110 Annex C: Descriptions of development and suggested conditions 121 1 Report APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 & APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 File Ref. APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 1 Blackfriars Road – land bounded by Blackfriars Road, Stamford Street, Rennie Street and Upper Ground, London SE1 • The application was called in for decision by the Secretary of State by a direction, made under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, on 10 March 2008. • The application is made by Beetham Landmark London Limited to the Council of the London Borough of Southwark. • The application, ref. 06-AP-2117, is dated 30 October 2006. • The development proposed is the ‘erection of buildings of ground plus 5 storeys and ground plus 51 storeys comprising a hotel, residential, viewing deck and Class A uses with associated public open space, landscaping, car parking, servicing arrangements and associated works’.A Summary of Recommendation: that planning permission be granted subject to conditions. File Ref. APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 20 Blackfriars Road – land bounded by Stamford Street, Blackfriars Road, Paris Garden and Colombo Street, London SE1. • The application was called in for decision by the Secretary of State by a direction, made under section 77 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, on 1 May 2008. • The application is made by Blackfriars Limited to the Council of the London Borough of Southwark. • The application, ref. 07-AP-0301, is dated 7 February 2007. • The development proposed is ‘demolition of existing buildings and redevelopment for mixed use purposes comprising residential (Class C3), office (Class B1), retail (Class A) and Class D1 uses; creation of new open space; reconfigured vehicular and pedestrian access and works to the public highway; together with associated works including landscaping and the provision of parking, servicing and plant areas’.B Summary of Recommendation: that planning permission be granted subject to conditions. A This description is taken from the application form. A more comprehensive description, taken from the heading of the report to Planning Committee (CD11/4) and to be used if planning permission is granted, is given in Annex C, along with suggested conditions. B Similarly, this description is taken from the application form. A more comprehensive description, taken from LB Southwark’s draft decision notice, reproduced in the Statement of Common Ground (CD/23/5/A, para. 1.7) and to be used if planning permission is granted, is given in Annex C, along with suggested conditions. 2 Report APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 & APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 1 PRELIMINARY MATTERS Call-in 1.1 There are two separate proposals, by different applicants – known simply as, and identified on the documents as, 1 Blackfriars Road and 20 Blackfriars Road. Each was called in for decision by the Secretary of State because she considered that ‘the proposal may conflict with national and regional policies on important matters’. The matters on which the Secretary of State particularly wishes to be informed are the same for both: a) the appropriateness of a very tall building in this location and the extent to which the proposal is in accordance with the English Heritage/CABE Guidance on tall buildings which recommends that tall buildings are properly planned as part of an exercise in place-making informed by a clear long-term vision, rather than in an ad hoc, reactive, piecemeal manner; b) whether the proposal accords with her policies in Planning Policy Statement 1: Delivering Sustainable Development with regard to the promotion of high quality, inclusive design in terms of function and impact, and on whether the proposal takes the opportunities available for improving the character and quality of the area; c) whether the proposal accords with her policies in Planning Policy Statement 3: Housing, particularly those on affordable housing and whether the proposals meet the housing requirements of the whole community, create mixed communities and a more sustainable pattern of development and promote good design; d) whether the proposed development accords with the relevant provisions of Southwark Council’s Unitary Development Plan adopted in July 2007; e) whether the proposed development accords with the relevant provisions of the London Plan – Spatial Development Strategy for Greater London (consolidated with alterations since 2004); f) whether any permission should be subject to conditions and, if so, the form they should take; and g) any other relevant material considerations. Pre-inquiry meeting 1.2 I held a pre-inquiry meeting on 2 July 2008. My note following that pre- inquiry meetingA was circulated to all main and rule 6 parties. It was also placed on the website for the inquiry, prepared by Graham Groom, Director of Persona Associates, who was appointed by the applicants as an independent Programme Officer before the pre-inquiry meeting. 1.3 At the pre-inquiry meeting, I indicated my view that the call-in matters could, broadly, be addressed under three main headings – design (in its many manifestations), housing and policy. That is recorded in my note following the pre-inquiry meeting and my report is structured along those lines, though I summarize my conclusions in terms of the call-in matters. A Document ID/2. 3 Report APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 & APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 Inquiry 1.4 The inquiry opened on 9 September 2008. The evidence was concluded on the ninth day, 23 September (9-12, 16-19 and 23 September). I then adjourned until 2 October 2008, on which day conditions and obligations were considered and closing submissions made. 1.5 On opening, it appeared that, apart from site notices, there had been no public advertisement of the inquiry. Bearing in mind the representations to it when it was considering the applications, LB Southwark undertook non-statutory but comprehensive advertisingA which noted the likely last day of the inquiry and invited any representations by that date. 1.6 I am satisfied that publicity of the inquiry was satisfactory. In addition, the presence at the inquiry of the Waterloo Community Development Group, as a rule 6 party, suggests that no one who might have wished to make representations would have been unaware of the proceedings. Site visits 1.7 I made an accompanied visit to St James’s Park and Parliament Square on 17 September, immediately before hearing evidence from Westminster City Council and The Royal Parks. On 23 September, I walked both banks of the Thames between Southwark and Hungerford Bridges, including diversions into Middle Temple, Temple Gardens, Somerset House and on to Waterloo Bridge. I also visited the Roupell Street and Waterloo Conservation Areas, to the west of the application sites. On 24 September, I visited Stratford Station and two buildings in Kew Gardens by Wilkinson Eyre, architect for 20 Blackfriars Road. On 26 September, I visited Urbis, No. 1 Deansgate and the Beetham Tower, all in Manchester and all by Ian Simpson Architects, architect for 1 Blackfriars Road. In addition, I made unaccompanied inspections of the two application sites, their immediate surroundings and along the south bank of the Thames. 2 THE SITES AND THEIR SURROUNDINGS 2.1 The two application sites lie on the west side of Blackfriars Road, immediately north and south of Stamford Street and just to the south of Blackfriars Bridge.B The sites and the surrounding area are both described in some detail in the Statement of Common Ground.C 1 Blackfriars Road 2.2 The site area is given in the application as 0.77ha. It is bounded by roads on all four sides – Blackfriars Road to the east, Stamford Street to the south, Rennie Street to the west and Upper Ground to the north. The application boundary, taken to the centre-lines of the surrounding roads, is rectangular; the dimensions, taken from the backs of the footways, are about 90m from north to south and 55m from east to west.D At the light-controlled junction of A Documents LBS/6, 6/A, 6/B and 6/C. B CD23/5/B – Appendix 1 is a site location plan. C CD23/5/A, pp. 6-7 (the sites) and pp. 8-26 (the surrounding area). D CD29/A, dwg. no. 7086/001/P4. 4 Report APP/A5840/V/08/1202839 & APP/A5840/V/08/1203024 Stamford Street and Blackfriars Road, a left slip from the former to the latter eats into that rectangular shape.