Committee Report
Total Page:16
File Type:pdf, Size:1020Kb
COMMITTEE REPORT BY THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR OF ECONOMIC GROWTH & NEIGHBOURHOOD SERVICES READING BOROUGH COUNCIL PLANNING APPLICATIONS COMMITTEE: 12th August 2020 Ward: Minster App No.: 200122 Address: Wensley Road, Reading Proposal: Demolition of 29 garages and development of 46 new dwelling units, including the provision of affordable homes, provided in a mixture of houses and apartments (1 bed / 2 bed / 3 bed / 4 bed) in blocks of between 2.5 to 4 storeys, and the provision of bicycle parking spaces, car parking spaces and public realm works. Applicant: Reading Borough Council Deadline: Originally 29/04/2020, but an extension of time has been agreed until 25/09/2020 0BRECOMMENDATION: Delegate to the Deputy Director of Planning, Transport and Regulatory Services to (i) GRANT full planning permission subject to completion of a unilateral undertaking legal agreement or (ii) to REFUSE permission should the unilateral undertaking legal agreement not be completed by the 25th September 2020 (unless officers on behalf of the Deputy Director of Planning, Transport and Regulatory Services agree to a later date for completion of the legal agreement). The unilateral undertaking legal agreement to secure the following: - 39 of the 46 residential units (more specifically 8x1, 10x2 & 21x3-bed units, comprising 7x3-bed houses at Block B, 8x1-bed & 10x2-bed flats at Block B and 14x3-bed houses at Block C) as social rent affordable housing units, with rents set at Target (social) Rent, in perpetuity. - An Employment Skills and Training Plan (construction phase only) financial contribution of £11,448 - An off-site financial contribution of £116,200 towards upgrading play facilities outside the site at Courage Park for older junior children and teenagers. - The applicant will look to offer each household affected by the loss of a garage within the red line boundary of the site an alternative 1 garage/storage per household within the Coley area. - A S278/38 Agreement will be required to facilitate the proposed Highway changes which includes, new roads and junctions, alterations and closures of existing junctions, pedestrian crossing facilities and alterations to existing footways and parking bays. The agreement should be signed within 6 months of commencement of the development with no residential unit occupied until practical completion of the highway works within that part of the site - No development should commence until the applicant has completed the stopping up of the existing Public Highway. And the following conditions to include: 1. Three years for implementation 2. Approved plans/documents 3. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) details of all external materials to be submitted to the LPA (and sample details to be provided on site) and approved in writing with the LPA. Approved details to be retained on site until the work has been completed. 4. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) finished floor levels 5. Pre-commencement (including demolition) demolition and construction method statement, including transport, environmental protection (dust, dirt and other airborne pollutants; noise; pest control) and ecology based matters 6. Vehicle parking spaces adjacent to the relevant new residential block ready for use prior to the first occupation of that block of residential accommodation (compliance condition) 7. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) details of the vehicle access serving the refuse collection area to the west of Riversley Court to be submitted/approved. Provided prior to the first occupation of any residential unit and maintained thereafter. 8. Pre-occupation provision of road(s) prior to first occupation of any unit within the relevant block served by the road(s) 9. Pre-occupation provision of EV charging points (details of the design and specification to be submitted to and approved by the LPA) prior to first occupation of any unit within the relevant block served by the EV charging points 10. Re-relocated bus stop shelter (from Wensley Road to north of Riversley Court) to be ready for use prior to the first occupation of any new residential unit (compliance condition) 11. Cycle parking to be provided in accordance with the approved details (as submitted) prior to the first occupation of the relevant block (compliance condition) 12. Replacement cycle parking facility (serving the relevant tower block) to be ready for use prior to the removal of the existing cycle parking facility of the relevant block 13. Pre-occupation (of the relevant proposed residential unit) completion of refuse and recycling storage facility (compliance) 14. Replacement refuse and recycling storage facility (serving the relevant tower block) to be ready for use prior to the removal of the existing refuse storage facility in the parking area of the relevant block 15. Pre-occupation details to be submitted / approved for the dropped kerb serving the access point to the west of the proposed bus stop (adjacent to Riversley Court). Constructed prior to first occupation and retained/maintained thereafter. 16. Pre-commencement (including demolition) contaminated land assessment 17. Pre-commencement (including demolition) contaminated land remediation scheme 18. Pre-construction contaminated land validation report (implementation and verification of remediation scheme) 19. Reporting of unexpected contamination at any time 20. Compliance condition relating to hours of demolition/construction works 21. Compliance condition relating to no burning of materials or green waste on site 22. Pre-occupation details of pest and vermin control measures to refuse and recycling bin stores; provision of approved measures prior to first occupation of any residential unit and maintenance thereafter 23. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) hard and soft landscaping scheme to be submitted and approved. Implementation prior to occupation (or alternative timetable later agreed). Replacement of any planting which dies within 5 years. 24. Pre-occupation approval of boundary treatment details (including mammal gaps) 25. Pre-occupation landscape management plan to be submitted and approved 26. Tree retention of all retained trees in accordance with the documents submitted (compliance condition) 27. Pre-commencement submission of an Arboricultural Method Statement and Tree Protection Plan 28. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) details of biodiversity enhancements to be submitted and approved. 29. Pre-occupation play facilities details to be submitted / approved / implemented / and thereafter retained and maintained. 30. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) design stage SAP Assessment 31. Pre-occupation as built stage SAP Assessment 32. No change to the unit mix (8 x 1-bed, 10 x 2-bed, 26 x 3-bed and 2 x 4-bed) (compliance condition) 33. 4 wheelchair user dwellings to be ready for occupation prior to the first occupation of any unit within the Block B flats. 4 units to remain wheelchair user dwellings thereafter (compliance condition) 34. Removal of permitted development rights in relation to Part 1 Classes A-D and Part 2 Classes A-C) for single dwellinghouses hereby approved 35. No fixing or installing of miscellaneous items to the external faces or roof of any building without the prior approval in writing of the local planning authority. 36. Obscure glazing on upper floor north elevation windows of the Block B flats (compliance condition) 37. Pre-occupation external lighting details (locations of the lights, design, specifications, height, luminance; lens shape/beam pattern and any hoods/shades) 38. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) details as how the development will achieve the Secured by Design Award. 39. Pre-commencement (including demolition) programme of archaeological field work 40. Pre-commencement (barring demolition) Sustainable Drainage Strategy and associated detailed design, management and maintenance plan of surface water drainage to be submitted and approved. Approved scheme to be completed prior to first occupation and managed / maintained thereafter. Informatives: 1. Positive and proactive working 2. Legal Agreement 3. Pre-commencement conditions 4. Highways works 5. Terms 6. Building Control 7. Complaints about construction 8. Encroachment 9. CIL 10. Sound insultation between dwellings should achieve Building Regulations Approved Document E. 11. Thames Water informatives 1. INTRODUCTION 1.1 The application site comprises land at the western end of Wensley Road in Coley. More specifically it includes the three existing residential tower blocks of Wensley Court (north part of the site), Riversley Court (south-east corner of the site) and Irving Court (south-west corner of the site). The towers date from the early 1960s and are each 15 storeys high. In total they comprise 267 flats and are arranged around open space and associated car parking and access. More specifically, each block contains courtyard car parking immediately adjacent, as accessed from Wensley Road, which runs in a loop at this point. To the west of Wensley Court are 13 existing garages. Further to the west, in the north-west corner of the site, are 16 further garages. 1.2 In the central space of the site is a play area, which includes a multi-use games area (MUGA), playground, pump track for bikes and seating spaces. There are also a variety of trees within the central green space, such as Category A Turkish Oak and London Plane. There are also significant open greenspaces adjacent to the three blocks, with tree coverage to the north and south boundaries of the site in particular