North Planning Committee Meeting date: THURSDAY 4TH NOVEMBER 2004 Time: 6.30PM Venue: BISHOP RAMSEY UPPER SCHOOL, HUME WAY, RUISLIP To Members on the Planning Committee Councillors Conservation Area Advisory Panel Members Scott Seaman-Digby (Chairman) Michael Platts (Eastcote) Margaret Grant (Vice-Chairman) Clive Pigram (Ruislip) Bruce Baker David Horne John Ross (Harefield) John Hensley Peter Curling Michael Hurst (Canal Locks) Tony Burles Pamela Jeffreys (Ickenham) Substitute Councillors Anne Banks Geoff Courtenay Dave Allam Norman Nunn-Price David Bishop Mary O’Connor Janet Duncan Peter Ryerson George Cooper Roshan Ghei Paramjit Sethi Josephine Barrett Paul Harmsworth Further information For information about the planning applications please telephone 01895 250401. This agenda was published on 27th October 2004. If you would like further information about the meeting please call Gill Brice in Hillingdon’s Cabinet Office on 01895 250693, email [email protected] or visit the Council’s website www.hillingdon.gov.uk Involving the Public in the way we do business… The Public have a right to petition and speak at this committee, but must notify the Cabinet Office beforehand on 01895 250693. Members of the Public and Press are very welcome to attend this meeting. Please switch off your mobile phone when entering the room. This agenda is available in large print Agenda 1. Apologies for Absence 2. Declarations of Interest in matters coming before this meeting 3. Matters that have been notified in advance or urgent. 4. To confirm that the items of business marked Part I will be considered in Public and that the items marked Part 2 will be considered in private. 5. Consideration of the reports from the Head of Planning & Transportation Reports - Part 1 – Members, Public and the Press Items are normally marked in the order that they will be considered, though the Chairman may vary this. Reports are split into ‘major’ and ‘minor’ applications. The name of the local ward area is also given in addition to the address of the premises or land concerned. Major Application Address Ward Description & Recommendation Page 1 RAF Eastcote Eastcote & Redevelopment of the site for 1 Lime Grove East Ruislip residential purposes at a density of Ruislip up to 50 dwellings per hectare, including affordable housing, live- work units, a community facility and open space (Outline Application) Recommendation : Refusal A Item No. Report of the Head of Planning and Transportation Address: RAF EASTCOTE, LIME GROVE, RUISLIP Development: REDEVELOPMENT FOR RESIDENTIAL PURPOSES AT A DENSITY OF UP TO 50 DWELLINGS PER HECTARE, INCLUDING AFFORDABLE HOUSING, LIVE-WORK UNITS, A COMMUNITY FACILITY AND OPEN SPACE (OUTLINE APPLICATION) LBH Ref Nos: 10189/APP/2004/1781 Drawing Nos: Planning Application Boundary (Dwg 07312-L44, Aboricultural Survey (Dwg 07312-L30a), Lime Grove Traffic Management Measures (Dwg 5006067/012 RevA, Sheets 1 to 4), Eastcote Road signals (Dwg 5006067/005 Rev B), Illustrative Layout (Dwg 07312-L38 illustrative only) Date of receipt: 14/06/2004 Date(s) of Amendment(s): None 1.0 SUMMARY 1.1 This planning application is an outline application for the redevelopment of a 7.7 hectare site known as RAF Eastcote. The application seeks approval for the principle of residential development at a density of up to 50 dwellings per hectare including affordable housing and live-work units, a community facility, open space and means of access. All other matters, namely the siting, external appearance and design of buildings, landscaping and the internal road network are reserved for subsequent approval. 1.2 The site is owned by the Ministry of Defence, and has been used for a variety of military and government purposes since 1946 and comprises 28,000m2 of predominantly administration/office floor space. Some land around the site boundaries is leased by the MoD to neighbouring properties whom use this land for garden space. While the site presently has two driveways to Eastcote Road, this access was closed by the MoD some years ago for safety reasons. As a result, the site is currently serviced solely via a driveway to Lime Grove. The Crown does not currently require planning consent to use their property. 1.3 There has been significant public interest and objections raised to this planning application. These issues have included traffic impacts and concerns that the density proposed is too high resulting in unacceptable impacts on built form, traffic and community facilities and services. North Planning Committee – 4 November 2004 Page 1 PART 1 – MEMBERS, PUBLIC AND PRESS 1.4 The density of the development, being up to 50 dwellings per hectare, is consistent with the guidelines in the London Plan. The illustrative scheme has not been submitted for approval as design and siting is a reserved matter. The Council’s Urban Design and Conservation Officer supports the provision of a mix of 2 and 3 storey buildings on the site. Such a building height should be able to accommodate the maximum density envisaged. However, as detailed design has not been provided, if the Council were minded to grant planning approval, a condition would be placed on the outline consent that a density of up to 50 dwellings per hectare and up to 200 habitable rooms per hectare is approved. The impact of the development on local services and facilities such as doctors and schools is proposed to be addressed via a planning obligation, as is the case for all residential developments in the Borough. 1.5 In terms of traffic impacts, the Council’s Highways Engineer has advised that the applicant has failed to demonstrate that the right turn movement from Eastcote Road into Fore Street will not obstruct the free flow of traffic. This would result in inconvenience to road users and highway and pedestrian safety conflicts. Therefore the application is recommended for refusal. 2.0 RECOMMENDATION: REFUSAL, for the following reasons: 1. The applicant has failed to demonstrate that the right turn movement from Eastcote Road into Fore Street will not obstruct the free flow of traffic resulting in inconvenience to road users and highway and pedestrian safety conflicts. As such, the development is inconsistent with Policy AM7 of the Unitary Development Plan. 3.0 CONSIDERATIONS Site and Locality 3.1 The site is 7.7 hectares in area and is dissected into a ‘northern’ and ‘southern’ area by an existing public footpath. An internal private road links the northern and southern areas. The northern portion is 4.2 hectares and houses a US Navy facility, which is virtually vacated. The land in this area is undulating, and becomes lower towards the northwestern boundaries. The southern portion of the site is 3.5 hectares, is generally flat, and comprises a number of vacant buildings. Many mature trees adjoin the property boundary. The total existing floorspace for the entire site is approximately 28,000 m2 of which 22,500m2 is administration space and 5,500m2 are barracks (for 200 personnel). 3.2 The site has three driveway entrances, two to B466 Eastcote Road and one driveway to Lime Grove which is a single carriageway road with footpaths on both sides and on street parking. The MoD closed the two driveways to Eastcote Road some years ago due to safety concerns. The North Planning Committee – 4 November 2004 Page 2 PART 1 – MEMBERS, PUBLIC AND PRESS site currently has 246 marked parking spaces and 169 unmarked parking spaces. 3.3 The eastern pedestrian access from the site (near The Sigers) is located some 560 metres from the Primary Shopping Area within the Eastcote Town Centre. This eastern pedestrian entrance is located approximately 950m from the Eastcote Underground Station which is a suitable walking or cycling distance. The site is also served by the H13 bus service which runs along Eastcote Road and the 282 bus service which runs along Field End Road to the East. There are no designated cycle ways within the area, though a facility is proposed to run along Elm Avenue south of the site, which will link Eastcote to the National Cycle Network. 3.4 Council officers requested that Transport for London recalculate the Public Transport Accessibility Level (PTAL) of the site for this application. It has been advised that the site has an average PTAL score of 1b, which is a low score within a possible range of 1 to 6. Scheme 3.5 Outline planning permission is sought for approval of the principle of residential development at a density of up to 50 dwellings per hectare including affordable housing and live-work units, a community facility, open space and means of access. Each component of this outline scheme is discussed briefly below: 3.6 Residential Density – The application is for a density of ‘up to’ 50 dwellings per hectare. A habitable room density of 250 habitable room per has been indicated in the ‘development brief’ submitted with the planning application. However, the applicant is not specifically making application for 250 h.r.p.h as this is not part of the development’s description. The precise density that would occur on the site is unknown until a reserved matters application is submitted and approved for the siting and design of buildings. That being said, if the Council was minded to approve this outline application, the Council can include consent conditions stipulating a maximum acceptable density if this is necessary for planning purposes. 3.7 Affordable Housing – The applicant has advised that they are willing to enter into a Section 299 agreement to provide 35% of dwellings as affordable housing. 3.8 Live-work Units – Live-work units can be defined as follows:- "The genuine and permanent integration of living and working accommodation within a single self contained unit, with a greater proportion of the unit comprising working floor space and where the principal occupier both lives at and works from the property" In similar large scale schemes the Council has controlled such live-work units by including conditions on planning consents to control: the number, size and occupancy of such units.