planning report PDU/1948b/01 23 July 2008 Kennington Oval Cricket Ground in the London Borough of Lambeth planning application no. 08/02197 Strategic planning application stage 1 referral (new powers) Town & Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended); Greater London Authority Acts 1999 and 2007; Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 The proposal Installation of four/five retractable floodlight poles around the cricket ground. The applicant The applicant is Surrey County Cricket Club. Strategic issues The application to install permanent floodlights at the ground contributes to strategic policy on sports facilities. The urban design and energy elements of the proposals are acceptable in strategic terms. Recommendation That Lambeth Council be advised that the application complies with the London Plan, for the reasons set out in paragraph 24 of this report, and does not need to be referred back to the Mayor. Context 1 On 19 June 2008 the Mayor of London received documents from Lambeth Council notifying him of a planning application of potential strategic importance to develop the above site for the above uses. Under the provisions of The Town & Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008 the Mayor has until 25 July 2008 to provide the Council with a statement setting out whether he considers that the application complies with the London Plan, and his reasons for taking that view. The Mayor may also provide other comments. This report sets out information for the Mayor’s use in deciding what decision to make. The application is referable under Category 1C of the Schedule to the Order: “Development which comprises or includes the erection of a building of one or more of the following descriptions - the building is more than 30 metres high and is outside the City of London”. 2 Once Lambeth Council has resolved to determine the application and that unless advised otherwise by the Mayor, it is required to refer it back to the Mayor for his decision as to whether to direct refusal; take it over for his own determination; or allow the Council to determine it itself. page 1 3 The Mayor of London’s statement on this case will be made available on the GLA website www.london.gov.uk. Site description 4 The Oval Cricket Ground is located in Kennington. The surrounding area is predominately residential in character. 5 The Ground consists of a number of stands situated around the cricket pitch. These include the recently completed OCS stand that extends around approximately half of the stadium; the Pavilion building and the Lock, Laker, Peter May and Bedser stands. Details of the proposal 6 The proposal is for a two-phased approach to the installation of a maximum of five retractable floodlights at the Oval Cricket Ground. These are to ensure that the standard of the facilities at the Ground meet those required by the International Cricket Council. 7 Phase one proposes the installation of four floodlights around the Ground in time for the 2009 cricket season. However, should the Secretary of State be minded to grant planning permission for the redevelopment of the Lock, Laker and Peter May Stands, it is proposed to implement Phase two which would see one of the ‘phase one’ floodlights removed and relocated, with a fifth mast installed adjacent to the Pavillion Stand. The application therefore seeks six locations, but no more than five masts will actually be installed. 8 The two phases are as follows: • Phase 1: would see four floodlights installed at the ground in four locations (floodlight one at the north-west side of the ground opposite the junction between Vauxhall Street and Kennington Oval Junction; floodlight two at the south-west side of the Ground opposite Shrewsbury House adjacent to the OCS stand; floodlight three at the south-east side of the Ground adjacent to the Bedser Stand opposite the Archbishop Tennison Secondary School; and floodlight four at the north-east side of the Ground located between Clayton Street and Bowling Green Street adjacent to Peter May Stand). • Phase 2: should planning permission be granted by the Secretary of State for the redevelopment of the Lock, Laker and Peter May Stands, it is proposed to relocate floodlight four slightly further to the north, closer to the junction with Clayton Street, and to install a fifth mast to the northern flank wall of the Pavilion Stand. Case history 9 An application was reported to the previous Mayor in February 2008 (reference PDU/1948a/01 & PDU/1948a/02) for the “Demolition of the Surrey Tavern and Lock, Laker and Peter May stands and redevelopment to provide a part-6 and part-5 storey building providing new spectator accommodation and a 168-bedroom hotel and restaurant; and the erection of a 2-storey building for use as a ticket and security office.” 10 The previous Mayor decided that he was content to allow Lambeth Council to determine the case itself, subject to any action that the Secretary of State may take, and did not direct refusal. page 2 11 The application was subsequently called in by the Secretary of State in May 2008 and is still to be determined. Strategic planning issues and relevant policies and guidance 12 The relevant issues and corresponding policies are as follows: • Sports facilities London Plan • Urban design London Plan; PPS1 • Climate change London Plan 13 For the purposes of Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, the development plan in force for the area is the 2007 Lambeth Unitary Development Plan and the London Plan 2008 (Consolidated with Alterations since 2004). Sports facilities 14 London Plan Policy 3D.6 ‘The Olympic and Paralympic Games and sports facilities’ sets out that “the Mayor will work with partners to develop and implement legacies from the new permanent facilities in the Olympic Park. These will include ensuring that the facilities meet London’s sport needs and that they are accessible and affordable for all Londoners”. 15 At present, the Ground relies on the use of temporary floodlighting which is transported to the site and powered by the use of mobile generators. While these temporary floodlights are adequate, the generators used result in noise, the lights themselves result in some spillage and the logistics of installing them causes disruption to the local area in terms of congestion and road closures. The provision of permanent floodlighting will address the issues associated with the use of the temporary floodlights and will also allow the Ground to compete and stage additional floodlight matches of potentially up to fifteen matches a year (taking into account the maximum permitted use of the ground and the proposed planning conditions to restrict hours of use of the floodlights). 16 The provision of a permanent floodlighting facility at the Oval would be in accordance with the above policy objective. In addition, it allows the Ground to meet the English Cricket Board’s requirement that all major cricket grounds should be floodlit and for the Ground to take advantage of grant made available to improve the facilities to this end. 17 The Oval is one of London’s best known sporting venues and its improvement will allow the ongoing competitiveness of the Ground to make an important contribution to London’s world city and sporting status. Urban design 15 Good design is central to all objectives of the London Plan and is specifically promoted by the policies contained within Chapter 4B which address both general design principles and specific design issues. London Plan Policy 4B.1 sets out a series of overarching design principles for development in London. Other design polices in this chapter and elsewhere in the London Plan include specific design requirements relating to maximising the potential of sites, the quality of new housing provision, tall and large-scale buildings, built heritage and views. 16 The planning statement submitted in support o the application notes that the floodlights have been designed to minimise visual intrusion and dominance, with their principle feature being their telescopic nature, which allows their extension and retraction as and when needed. When page 3 17 A louvered folding head frame will be included in phase two, to ensure that the impact of the floodlight located adjacent to the Pavilion Stand is minimised. The height of the masts has been carefully calculated to ensure that no floodlights are elevated any higher than 70 degrees as recommended in the Institution of Lighting Engineers’ Guidance Notes for the Reduction of Obtrusive Light – to ensure glare towards the pitch is avoided and overspill outside the ground is minimised. Climate change 18 The London Plan climate change policies as set out in chapter 4A collectively require developments to make the fullest contribution to tackling climate change by minimising carbon dioxide emissions, adopting sustainable design and construction measures, prioritising decentralised energy supply, and incorporating renewable energy technologies with a target of 20% carbon reductions from on-site renewable energy. The policies set out ways in which developers must address mitigation of and adaptation to the effects of climate change. Climate change mitigation 19 The applicant has provided confirmation that the running of the floodlights will be incorporated into the overall energy strategy for the wider development scheme, should the Secretary of State grant planning permission. Lambeth Council has confirmed that this will be secured through the use of a planning condition. London Development Agency’s view 20 The Agency supports this application given the potential benefits to this world-class sports facility. The enhancements to this international sporting venue in the construction of the proposed retractable floodlights will help to secure the longevity of international cricket at this ground and contribute to the objectives of London's Economic Development Strategy in maintaining and developing London as a top international destination and principal UK gateway for visitors and tourism.