Land South of Ellis Square Selsey Chichester West Sussex PO20 8AF
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
Parish: Ward: Selsey Selsey North SY/18/00595/FUL Proposal Construction of D2 building for private gym and heath club with associated access, car parking and landscaping (alternative use to that approved under LPA Ref: SY/17/02137/FUL. Site Land South Of Ellis Square Selsey Chichester West Sussex PO20 8AF Map Ref (E) 486072 (N) 93918 Applicant Byrne Commercial Property Ltd RECOMMENDATION TO REFUSE Note: Do not scale from map. For information only. Reproduced NOT TO from the Ordnance Survey Mapping with the permission of the SCALE controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office, Crown Copyright. License No. 100018803 1.0 Reason for Committee Referral 1.1 Red Card: Cllr Connor. Exceptional level of public interest 2.0 The Site and Surroundings 2.1 The application site is an area of land, located within the employment land allocation at Ellis Square, off Manor Road within the settlement boundary of Selsey. The site area extends to approximately 0.24ha and is predominantly flat. Development has commenced on site to provide a Class B1 commercial building that has previously been granted planning permission. 2.2 The surrounding area is characterised by a mixture of commercial and residential development. The Selsey Centre is located to the west, directly opposite the site and Pulsar Business Park is located to the east. Residential development is located to the north and south of the site. 3.0 The Proposal 3.1 The application seeks full planning permission for the erection of a two storey building, previously granted permission as a use within Class B1, for an alternative use as a private gym and health club. 3.2 The proposed building would be two storeys in height, positioned to the western side of the site, fronting Manor Road and Ellis Square. Vehicular access would be taken from the northern site boundary off Ellis Square and 32 parking spaces would be provided, including 2 disabled spaces and cycle parking/motorbike parking. A landscaping strip would extend along the length of the western site boundary and the site would be enclosed by a mixture of 1.8 metre high brick wall and security fencing. The siting and external layout is in general accordance with the previous approval, although there are also some minor changes to the external appearance of the building, as set out below. 3.3 The changes to the external appearance include the reconfiguration and removal of windows and doors on the east and west elevations, and the introduction of a single storey lean-to structure on the south elevation to form a plant room. Alterations to the cladding from cedar vertical cladding to a cream white timber effect cladding are also proposed. Internally, a variety of rooms would be provided, to include treatment rooms, showers and changing areas, a salon, gymnasium fitness room and a coffee/snack bar. 4.0 History 00/00837/OUT PER106 Mixed use development including business, housing and open space provision and the construction of a new distributor road. 00/00838/OUT REF Mixed use development including business, housing and open space provision and the construction of a new distributor road. 03/00947/REM PER B1 step up units providing cheap basic space for a variety of small businesses to start or relocate from the Selsey area at Selsey Gate Enterprise Park. 04/02066/FUL PER Industrial development (B1and B8 use) one block of 4 no. units with 25 on site car parking spaces and servicing. 07/05313/OUT PER B1/Office/Light Industrial. 14/00439/PD REC Creation of hard standing for car parking. 16/02537/PD REC Formation of access onto the highway. 17/02137/FUL PER Construction of B1 office building with associated access, car parking and landscaping. 17/03477/DOC DISCHA Discharge of Condition 3 of planning permission SY/17/02137/FUL - Construction and Environmental Management Plan. 18/00595/FUL PDE Construction of D2 building for private gym and heath club with associated access, car parking and landscaping (alternative use to that approved under LPA Ref: SY/17/02137/FUL. 18/00886/DOC DISCHA Discharge of condition 4 from planning permission 17/02137/FUL. 5.0 Constraints Listed Building NO Conservation Area NO Rural Area NO AONB NO Strategic Gap NO Tree Preservation Order NO EA Flood Zone - Flood Zone 2 NO - Flood Zone 3 NO Historic Parks and Gardens NO 6.0 Representations and Consultations 6.1 Parish Council Selsey Town Council objects to the application on the grounds that the proposed use is contrary to the designation of the land as Employment Allocation in the Chichester District Council Local Plan. The following comments are summarised: 6.2 Natural England No comments. 6.3 Southern Water No objection. 6.4 WSCC- Highways No objection, subject to conditions. Access to the site is taken from Ellis Square and no changes or amendments are proposed. A turning head is also provided and was approved at planning stage, for the B1 office planning permission. WSCC car parking standards for D2 use are 1 space for every 22sqm which equates to 30 spaces. The site has a car park which can hold 32 spaces, 2 of which are disabled spaces. This provides slightly more than the standard recommends however, given the local concern over parking these additional spaces are helpful. Pedestrian visibility is acceptable. There are no enforceable parking restrictions in place at the junction of Ellis Square and Manor Road. In responses to local issues surrounding on-street parking, the applicant should request a TRO for double yellow lines here and request a condition regarding the TRO is imposed. 6.5 CDC Economic Development Officer The Economic Development Service objects to this proposal. This site is allocated for employment space falling within the B1 - B8 uses classes and should be treated as such. An application for B1 office space was permitted in September 2017 under SY/17/02137/FUL. Appendix E of the Chichester Local Plan sets out the minimum marketing requirements for the change of use of sites falling within these classes and this should be carried out prior to any change of use. However, we do appreciate the requirement for leisure use in the area and the requirement for many business space occupiers to be able to offer their staff a range of facilities in the local area, predominantly shops and gyms. This encourages staff wellbeing, which in turn supports staff retention for businesses. We also acknowledge that a leisure facility at this site will create employment; however, it is likely to be lower than an office. According to the Homes and Communities Agency Employment Density Guide (Version 3) Fitness Centres, employ 1 person per 65sqm, which in this application equates to approximately 10 FTE (although gyms typically employ between 40-50 staff, many of these will be on part time contract). Whereas 680sqm of office space, which was applied for under SY/17/02137/FUL, would be expected to employ approximately 57 FTE. 6.6 CDC Drainage Engineer No objection to the proposed alternative use, but recommends a condition requiring full details of proposed drainage, given this is a further full application. 6.7 1no. Third party letters of objection, relating to: a) Parking in the area is already at a premium, with dangerous on road parking, and the number proposed is not enough for employees and members; b) There are already numerous gyms in Selsey, including one in Ellis Square. c) Selsey is overrun with cafes and does not need another 6.8 35no. Third party letters of support, relating to: a) An asset to the area and provide excellent facilities for those that live or work in Selsey; b) Just what Selsey needs and close to a large residential area on the east side of Selsey; c) Selsey now as the population to support this type of health/beauty centre; d) Has its own car park which is beneficial; e) Will provide more choice for health and well-being activities reducing impact on NHS; f) Will provide additional jobs; g) Gyms in holiday parks get too busy in the summer holiday season and the alternatives in Chichester result in additional trips along an already congested road; h) Classes being offered would be beneficial and no other gym in this area offer anything like this; i) Great use of a piece of land that has stood bare for a number of years and will not be another storage unit; j) Proposed operator of the beauty salon indicates that up to 4 nail and 4 massage/treatment customers can be accommodated at any time and the response to the proposed service has been positive; and k) The proposed operator of the gym provides additional services compared to other gyms, including nutrition and education on health and fitness. Applicant/Agent's Supporting Information In summary, the key points the applicant has raised in support of their application are: a) The original planning consent was applied on the basis that Checkatrade would locate part of its business in the new building. Since then, Checkatrade has been sold and the new owners do not have a need for the building as they are relocating part of the business to Portsmouth; b) Flude Commercial has advised that it is very unlikely that this size of building would be rented for office use due to the remote location (away from Chichester and the A27) and the current supply of vacant premises in Selsey and lack of demand (email provided); c) Oceanair: Selsey's second largest employer and probably the only company large enough to want an office of this size and location has been approached and has stated the building is not needed by them (email provided); d) There remains vacant and underused land within the