Item No. 1 CITY OF WESTMINSTER PLANNING Date Classification APPLICATIONS SUB For General Release COMMITTEE 31 March 2020 Report of Ward(s) involved Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning Vincent Square Subject of Report Development Site At 268-282, Vauxhall Bridge Road, London, , Proposal Demolition of existing buildings and erection of a new building comprising basement, ground and 7 upper levels plus rooftop plant to provide a hotel with associated ancillary facilities including restaurant/bar and gym (Class C1), 1 x 2 and 1 x 3 bedroom apartments (Class C3), plant, cycle parking and other associated works. Agent ROK Planning On behalf of 4C Hotels Group Registered Number 19/05099/FULL Date amended/ completed 1 July 2019 Date Application 1 July 2019 Received Historic Building Grade Unlisted Conservation Area Site is not located within a conservation area. Westminster Cathedral Conservation Area is located to the rear. 1. RECOMMENDATION 1. Grant conditional permission, subject to the completion of a Section 106 agreement to secure: i. Financial contribution of £95,467 to support the Westminster Inclusive Economy and Employment Service (index linked and payable on commencement of development) ii. Carbon off-setting payment of £2,100 (index linked and payable on commencement of development) iii. Monitoring costs (£500 per head of term). 2. If the S106 legal agreement has not been completed within 6 weeks, then: a. The Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning shall consider whether it would be possible and appropriate to issue the permission with additional conditions attached to secure the benefits listed above. If so, the Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning is authorised to determine and issue the decision under Delegated Powers; however, if not; Item No. 1 b. The Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning shall consider whether the permission should be refused on the grounds that the proposals are unacceptable in the absence of the benefits which would have been secured: if so, the Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning is authorised to determine the application and agree appropriate reasons for refusal under Delegated Powers. 2. SUMMARY The application site is not located within a conservation area and contains six unlisted buildings of varying heights comprising office, hotel and residential units. A previous application to demolish the existing buildings on site and erect a new building comprising two basements, ground and 9 upper levels to provide a hotel with associated ancillary facilities including restaurant/bar and gym (Class C1) and 2 x 2 bedroom apartments (Class C3) was refused in September 2018 on the grounds that the increased height and bulk at the site would result in an unacceptable increase in the sense of enclosure and loss of light to neighbouring residents in Carlisle Mansions. This application seeks to address the reasons for refusal by reducing the size and massing of the building. Permission was originally sought for a new building comprising a basement, ground and 8 upper stories, with the same land use mix. Following consultation with residents, this has been further reduced to 7 upper stories. The key considerations are: • The impact of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area; • The land use implications of the proposal; • The impact of the proposal on the amenity of surrounding residents; and • The impact of the proposal on the surrounding highway network. On balance, the proposals are considered acceptable in design, land use, amenity and highway terms in accordance with the policies set out in the Unitary Development Plan (UDP) and Westminster’s City Plan (City Plan) and are therefore recommended for approval. Item No. 1 3. LOCATION PLAN .. This production includes mapping data licensed from Ordnance Survey with the permission if the controller of Her Majesty’s Stationary Office (C) Crown Copyright and /or database rights 2013. All rights reserved License Number LA 100019597 Item No. 1 4. PHOTOGRAPHS Facing North Vauxhall Bridge Road Facing South Vauxhall Bridge Road Item No. 1 King’s Scholars’ Passage facing north and south Item No. 1 5. CONSULTATIONS WARD COUNCILLORS FOR VINCENT SQUARE • Any response to be reported verbally. HISTORIC ENGLAND (ARCHAEOLOGY) • No objection, subject to pre-commencement condition. HISTORIC ENGLAND 01/10/2019 and 26/02/2020 • No objection, do not wish to offer any comments. ENVIRONMENT AGENCY 24/07/2019 • Objection, to the absence of a Flood Risk Assessment (FRA). 12/08/2019 and 03/03/2020 • No objection to the application on flood risk grounds. TRANSPORT FOR LONDON 02/08/2019 • The car-free nature of the proposed development for general car parking is welcomed and is in line with draft London Plan Policies. • The existing parking bays along the street frontage are available for general use and are restricted to a 3 hour maximum stay, which make these unsuitable for disabled patrons/ staff of the hotel, who are likely to require use of these spaces for longer than the restrictions allow. The applicant should demonstrate the availability of further disabled car parking in the local area and how the proposed hotel can be accessed step-free from these spaces. • The applicant proposes to provide cycle parking in conformity with draft London Plan standard, however the proposal should note the requirements for short-stay and long-stay cycling. • Strongly recommend that delivery and servicing arrangements are reviewed in order for this to take place off-street within the site boundary as Vauxhall Bridge Road. If this cannot be achieved a condition is requested to ensure servicing only takes place between 10:00 and 18:00 hours. • No coach parking or drop off/ pick up space is provided but the applicant has stated that coaches can make use of an existing bay located on Vauxhall Bridge Road. This will require management through a Taxi, Private Hire Vehicle and Coach Management Strategy. This arrangement should be reviewed so that coach parking/ drop off is provided on site. Alternatively, a condition is recommended to ensure that group bookings are not allowed. • A condition is requested requiring the approval of Construction Logistics Plan (CLP). 14/11/2019 • Conditions recommended to prevent operational/enforcement issues, including a Delivery and Servicing Plan; an overnight only servicing condition (between the hours of 10pm and 6 am); a full CLP prior to development commencement. Item No. 1 • The proposed on-street cycle parking extends existing facilities on VBR which will be subject to a s278 agreement with TfL as the highway authority. 04/03/2020 • Concern is raised about the cumulative impact of the delivery and servicing of the site and the neighbouring site, as both will be using the same loading bay. It is recommended that an updated servicing management plan is secured by condition, which include an updated daytime and evening survey of the use of the existing loading bay. The applicant is encouraged to agree a delivery schedule with the neighbouring hotel, which ensures all deliveries do not turn up at the same time. WESTMINSTER SOCIETY • No objection. • The reduction in height from the previously refused scheme is welcomed. It is assumed this has improved daylight and sunlight to Carlisle Mansions and improved the overbearing sense of enclosure. • The activation of part of the Kings’ Scholar Passage elevation is welcome for passive surveillance, and along with the Citizen M scheme will improve security, especially at night. • No objection to the façade designs which sit well in the emerging context. CATHEDRAL AREA RESIDENTS GROUP • Any response to be reported verbally. VICTORIA BID • Any response to be reported verbally. METROPOLITAN POLICE (DESIGNING OUT CRIME OFFICER) • Due to the fear of crime and Anti-Social Behaviour associated with Kings Scholars Passage, it is important to counteract this and promote pedestrian and vehicular use by altering the existing external facades along the length of the street with glazing and by flushing the boundary lines. • The singular residential communal entrance should be off the front elevation and not the rear. WESTMINSTER EMPLOYMENT SERVICE 22/08/2019 • Based on the total net uplift floorspace and on the Inclusive Local Economy Policy (2019), this scheme needs to provide a financial contribution of £114,776.77. 27/02/2020 • Based on the total net uplift floorspace and on the Inclusive Local Economy Policy (2019), this scheme needs to provide a financial contribution of £95,466.89. HIGHWAYS PLANNING MANAGER 12/08/2019 Item No. 1 • No objection. • Off-street servicing would be difficult to achieve given the constraints of the site. A servicing Management Plan should be secured by condition. • There is ample opportunity on Vauxhall Bridge Road for coaches and taxis to serve a hotel in this location with an extensive taxi rank, coach bay and large loading bay in the immediate vicinity. • Cycle parking should be secured by condition. 02/03/2020 • The proposals are similar in highways terms, other than that the hotel will be smaller and with fewer bedrooms, therefore the previous comments are still relevant. • The developer proposes some extra cycle parking on Vauxhall Bridge Road which, assuming TfL is agreeable to this, would need to secured in some way. BUILDING CONTROL • No objection, the structural method statement is considered to be acceptable. ENVIRONMENTAL HEALTH 03/09/2019 • Further information and clarifications requested. 06/09/2019, 02/03/2019 and 16/03/2020 • No objection,