DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London LPA Ref: 16/P4324 PINS Ref: TBC DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London Contents 1. Introduction 1 2. Site Description 3 3. Planning History 6 4. Consultation 8 5. Appeal Proposals 9 6. Reason for Refusal 13 7. Planning Policy 17 8. The Agreed Principles 23 9. Planning Obligations 38 10. Planning Conditions 39 11. Declaration 41 Appendices 1. Officers Report to Planning Application Committee dated 9th February 2017 2. Planning Application Committee Supplementary Agenda 3. Decision Notice dated 13th February 2017 4. Site Location Plan Savills, on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd Savills on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd London Borough of Merton April 2017 1 DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London 5. List of Drawings for Approval 6. List of Core Documents Savills, on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd Savills on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd London Borough of Merton April 2017 2 DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London 1. Introduction 1.1. This Draft Statement of Common Ground is written in relation to an appeal that has been lodged in relation to redevelopment proposals for the site at 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road in Mitcham. It sets out matters which are agreed by the Appellant, Casa Bella Developments Ltd, and the London Borough of Merton (LBM). The appeal reference is: [TBC] 1.2. The application was submitted in November 2016. The description of development is as follows: “Demolition of all buildings and redevelopment of the site to provide 36 residential units (C3 Use Class) within a residential block of 2, 3, and 4 storeys with a 5th storey set back and 246sq.m of non-residential floor space on ground floor for use within classes A1 (retail) and/or B1 (business) and/or D2 (assembly & leisure) together with associated access, car and cycle parking, landscaping and associated works.” 1.3. The planning application was assigned Council Reference: 16/P4324. A Planning Performance Agreement (PPA) was agreed between the Appellant and the Council on 3rd November 2016 to provide a clear basis and programme for the determination, and the application was made valid on 9th November 2017. This followed pre-application discussions over a five month period which commenced in June 2016. 1.4. The Council Officers reported the application to Planning Applications Committee on 9th February 2017 with the following recommendation: “Grant planning permission subject to s106 agreement and the following conditions.” 1.5. A copy of the Officers Report is provided at Appendix 1. The s106 heads of terms and conditions listed in the report, and supplementary report Appendix 2 had been discussed and agreed between Council Officers and the Appellant prior to the Planning Applications Committee meeting. 1.6. At the Planning Applications Committee meeting, Members resolved to refuse planning permission for one reason, which is set out on the Decision Notice dated 13th February 2017. This is repeated below: Savills, on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd Savills on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd London Borough of Merton April 2017 1 DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London “The proposals, by reason of size, siting, massing and bulk would be overly dominant and visually intrusive to the detriment of the outlook of neighbouring occupiers and the visual amenities of the Caithness Road, Ridge Road and Streatham Road streetscenes and would be contrary to policy 7.6 of the London Plan (2015), policy CS14 of the Merton Local Development Framework (2011) and policy DM.D2 of the Merton Sites and Policies Plan (2014).” 1.7. A copy of the Decision Notice is provided at Appendix 3. Savills, on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd Savills on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd London Borough of Merton April 2017 2 DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London 2. Site Description THE SITE 2.1. The appeal site is located within the London Borough of Merton, at 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road. It is a corner plot with three street frontages. The site has a frontage onto Caithness Road to the south, Streatham Road to the west and Ridge Road to the north. The site has an area of 0.15ha. 2.2. The land comprises predominantly hardstanding, but there are also a series of one to two storey buildings (423 sqm) which are vacant. It was used as a coach depot by Mitcham Belle Coaches and associated MOT garage (Sui Generis Use Class), who have now moved to an industrial estate 400m from the site. The large areas of hardstanding were used for coach parking. The site is enclosed by a brick wall, albeit the Streatham Road frontage is relatively open. The site currently has two points of vehicle access, these being from Streatham Road and Ridge Road. 2.3. A site location plan is attached as Appendix 4, and an aerial photo is provided below. Savills, on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd Savills on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd London Borough of Merton April 2017 3 DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London 2.4. The site has frontage onto Ridge Road to the north, Streatham Road to the west, and Caithness Road to the south, although the majority of both the Ridge Road and Caithness Road frontages are bound by a red brick wall. To the rear (to the west), an accessway provides a separation between the subject site and 2 Caithness Road. Overall the site currently provides no activity along its street frontages. 2.5. The buildings on the site are unattractive, of a poor quality and they present a poor quality and inactive frontage onto the three streets. None of the buildings on the site are listed, and the site is not located in a conservation area, or near one. There are no statutory or locally listed building nearby. 2.6. According to the Council’s adopted Proposals Map (2014), the site is not subject to any policy designations. The Environment Agency’s Flood Map for Planning (Rivers and Sea) confirms that the site is located in Flood Zone 1, an area at the lowest risk of flooding. THE SURROUNDING AREA 2.7. The area is characterised by varied development in terms of use, architectural style and scale. The area is mixed, with uses comprising shops, takeaways, cafes, auto-repairs, offices and residential premises. Caithness Road and Ridge Road are primarily characterised by residential development. 2.8. Streatham Road, in the immediate vicinity of the application site, is primarily characterised by shops at ground floor with residential above; it is noted that the shops in this area form a designated neighbourhood parade. The road is c.17.5m wide (from the edge of the site boundary to the fencing on the other side of the road). 2.9. The northeast corner of the site, on Ridge Road, is adjoined by a two storey (plus additional pitched roof) semi-detached dwelling. Beyond Ridge Road to the north the character is more open as there is a railway track/bridge which is a designated green corridor and site of importance for nature conservation (SINC). The streetscape in this area along Streatham Road is of poor quality as there is an extensive length of blank / inactive frontage and the road also drops in level beneath the railway bridge. There are coach parking bays located here Savills, on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd Savills on behalf of Casa Bella Developments Ltd London Borough of Merton April 2017 4 DRAFT Statement of Common Ground 223 Streatham Road and 1 Ridge Road, London associated with the former coach depot use. The Council has resolved to grant planning permission (ref: 16/P3598) for the redevelopment of 225-231 Streatham Road on the other side of the bridge for a mixed use redevelopment providing retail use at ground floor, with 25 residential units above in a five storey building. 2.10. The southeast boundary of the site is bordered by a 3.5m wide vehicle access, beyond which is a two storey (plus additional pitched roof) end terrace dwelling fronting Caithness Road. Caithness Road comprises two storey terraced housing, many of which have been extended to include accommodation in the roof. 2.11. To the west (across Streatham Road), there is a 3 storey (plus additional pitched roofs) block of flats which turns its back on the streetscene. The streetscape in this area along Streatham Road is of poor quality as there is an extensive length of fencing which forms the boundary of the demise of the flatted blocks. 2.12. The site is located within close proximity to a number of retail and commercial units along Streatham Road including a number of high street food retailers as well as a post office, barbers, cafes and a range of convenience stores. Furthermore the transport links available in the area provide good access to other centres in the borough and beyond. 2.13. The site is located in close proximity to bus routes, with a bus stop located directly opposite the site. There are several bus routes available from bus stops (44, 57, 77, 333, 127, 201, 264, 270, 280, 333, 355, N44) within 800m of the site, providing direct services to Victoria, Raynes Park, Wimbledon, Waterloo, Vauxhall, Clapham, Brixton, Kennington, Elephant and Castle, Morden, Croydon. The site is also a 10 minute walk from Tooting railway station, and a 12 minute bus trip from Tooting Broadway (Northern line) underground station.