23rd December 2013 SPECIAL PLANNING COMMITTEE - 8TH JANUARY 2014 A special meeting of the Planning Committee will be held at 5.30 pm on Wednesday 8th January 2014 in the Council Chamber, Town Hall, Rugby. Andrew Gabbitas Executive Director Note: Members are reminded that, when declaring interests, they should declare the existence and nature of their interests at the commencement of the meeting (or as soon as the interest becomes apparent). If that interest is a pecuniary interest, the Member must withdraw from the room unless one of the exceptions applies. Membership of Warwickshire County Council or any Parish Council is classed as a non-pecuniary interest under the Code of Conduct. A Member does not need to declare this interest unless the Member chooses to speak on a matter relating to their membership. If the Member does not wish to speak on the matter, the Member may still vote on the matter without making a declaration. A G E N D A PART 1 – PUBLIC BUSINESS 1. Apologies. To receive apologies for absence from the meeting. 2. Declarations of Interest. To receive declarations of – (a) non-pecuniary interests as defined by the Council’s Code of Conduct for Councillors; (b) pecuniary interests as defined by the Council’s Code of Conduct for Councillors; and (c) notice under Section 106 Local Government Finance Act 1992 – non- payment of Community Charge or Council Tax. 3. Rugby Radio Station, A5 Watling Street, Clifton Upon Dunsmore, Rugby, CV23 0AQ Outline application for an urban extension to Rugby for up to 6,200 dwellings together with up to 12,000sq.m retail (A1), up to 3,500sq.m financial sevices (A2) and restaurants (A3 - A5), up to 3,500sq.m for a hotel (C1), up to 2,900sq.m of community uses (D1), up to 3,100sq.m assembly and leisure uses (D2), 31 hectares (up to 106,000sq.m) of commercial and employment space (B1, B2 and B8), and ancillary facilities; a mixed use district centre and 3 subsidiary local centres including retention and re-use of the existing buildings known as 'C' Station (Grade II listed), 'A' Station and some existing agricultural buildings; a secondary school and 3 primary schools; public art; green infrastructure including formal and informal open space and amenity space; retention of existing hedgerows, areas of ridge and furrow and grassland; new woodland areas, allotments and areas for food production, wildlife corridors; supporting infrastructure (comprising utilities including gas, electricity, water, sewerage, telecommunications, and diversions as necessary); sustainable drainage systems including ponds, lakes and water courses; a link road connecting the development to Butlers Leap, estate roads and connections to the surrounding highway, cycleway and pedestrian network; ground remodelling; any necessary demolition and any ground works associated with the removal of any residual copper matting, with all matters reserved for future determination except the three highway junctions on the A428, the two junctions on the A5 and the link road junctions at Butlers Leap and Hillmorton Lane. PART 2 – EXEMPT INFORMATION There is no business involving exempt information to be transacted. Any additional papers for this meeting can be accessed via the website. The Reports of Officers (Ref. PLN 2013/14 – 13) are attached. Membership of the Committee:- Councillors Ms Robbins (Chairman), Mrs Avis, Butlin, Cranham, G Francis, M Francis, Mrs New, Pacey-Day, Sandison, Srivastava, Helen Walton and M Walton. If you have any general queries with regard to this agenda please contact Claire Waleczek, Senior Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer (01788 533524 or e- mail [email protected]). Any specific queries concerning reports should be directed to the listed contact officer. If you wish to attend the meeting and have any special requirements for access please contact the Democratic and Scrutiny Services Officer named above. The Council now operates a public speaking procedure at Planning Committee. Details of the procedure, including how to register to speak, can be found on the Council’s website (www.rugby.gov.uk/speakingatplanning). LPA Ref No. R11/0699 RUGBY RADIO STATION A5 WATLING STREET, CLIFTON UPON DUNSMORE, RUGBY, CV23 0AQ Outline application for an urban extension to Rugby for up to 6,200 dwellings together with up to 12,000sq.m retail (A1), up to 3,500sq.m financial sevices (A2) and restaurants (A3 ‐ A5), up to 3,500sq.m for a hotel (C1), up to 2,900sq.m of community uses (D1), up to 3,100sq.m assembly and leisure uses (D2), 31 hectares (up to 106,000sq.m) of commercial and employment space (B1, B2 and B8), and ancillary facilities; a mixed use district centre and 3 subsidiary local centres including retention and re‐use of the existing buildings known as 'C' Station (Grade II listed), 'A' Station and some existing agricultural buildings; a secondary school and 3 primary schools; public art; green infrastructure including formal and informal open space and amenity space; retention of existing hedgerows, areas of ridge and furrow and grassland; new woodland areas, allotments and areas for food production, wildlife corridors; supporting infrastructure (comprising utilities including gas, electricity, water, sewerage, telecommunications, and diversions as necessary); sustainable drainage systems including ponds, lakes and water courses; a link road connecting the development to Butlers Leap, estate roads and connections to the surrounding highway, cycleway and pedestrian network; ground remodelling; any necessary demolition and any ground works associated with the removal of any residual copper matting, with all matters reserved for future determination except the three highway junctions on the A428, the two junctions on the A5 and the link road junctions at Butlers Leap and Hillmorton Lane. Case Officers: Greg Vigars & Steve Parkes Summary: i. Rugby Radio Station is the major development site in the Local Development Framework Core Strategy adopted by the Borough Council in June 2011. The outline planning application is compliant with the Core Strategy and seeks to deliver growth that is locally endorsed. The Radio Station proposal has been the subject of extensive consultation during the various stages in the evolution of the project. Due to the scale and complexity of this mixed use proposal it is intended that development on the site will be delivered over a 20 year period using a phased approach which provides both flexibility and certainty of control at regular stages of the project. Delivery of housing on the application site is an important component of the Borough Council’s housing trajectory and will significantly contribute to the maintenance of the required 5 year supply of housing land. ii. The outline planning application was submitted in 2011. It was subject to a formal consultation period following which requests for additional information were made including a formal Regulation 22 request in respect of the Environmental Statement. An Additional Information submission in August 2013 addressed the comments received and took account of the re‐assessment of amendments made to the proposals. This subsequent package of information, including an Environmental Statement addendum, was subject to a further round of formal consultation with statutory consultees, the public and other interested parties. The process undertaken and changes made are all explained in the Additional Information Guide submitted with the additional information package. 1. Site and Surroundings 1.1. The application site, amounting to approximately 473.2 hectares, is located immediately to the east of the urban area of Rugby some 3 miles from the town centre. It comprises the major part of the former Rugby Radio Station which lies either side of the A5 Watling Street covering an area of approximately 678 hectares in total. 1 1.2. The site is bounded to the south and west by the West Coast Mainline Railway, the Northampton Loop Line and the Oxford Canal. The eastern boundary is formed by the A5 trunk road whilst to the north the site follows field boundaries and the Clifton Brook, which also runs through the eastern part of the site. The A428 Crick Road runs east‐west through part of the southern area of the site and also defines part of the southern boundary. The site also extends to the North West in a corridor along the east side of the Oxford Canal before meeting Clifton Road/Butlers Leap/Vicarage Hill. 1.3. To the south‐west of the site is the Daventry International Rail Freight Terminal (DIRFT). Construction works have recently commenced on land directly adjacent to the site boundary in connection with additional rail served logistics development on DIRFT II, Zone 3. Along the north side of the Crick Road the site wraps around a small warehouse/distribution facility and a pair of semi‐detached dwellings. The site also adjoins a residential property located off the A5 to the north‐east and runs along the boundary with residential properties on Avon Street and Vicarage Hill. 1.4. To the north‐west the site abuts Hillmorton Locks and includes land comprised within the defined Hillmorton Locks Conservation Area. Hillmorton Locks is separated from the urban area of Rugby, including Hillmorton, by the railway embankment to the West Coast Mainline. The embankment itself forms both a distinct physical and visual barrier alongside this part of the site. The Conservation Area is based around three pairs of locks, the disused canal basin and a small number of dwellings and also includes the Church of St. John the Baptist. The Hillmorton Bottom Lock is grade II listed. 1.5. There are a number of existing villages in the surrounding area in relative proximity of the site including Clifton upon Dunsmore and Lilbourne to the north and north‐east respectively, Kilsby to the south, Barby to the west, Crick to the south‐east and Yelvertoft to the east.