Borough Council of Wellingborough Planning Committee Wednesday 25th May 2011 at 7.00 pm Council Chamber, Swanspool House INDEX Page No. DISTRICT WP/2011/0072/FCOU - 2 Stanton Close, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough. 1 WP/2011/0083/F - 33 Mackworth Drive, Finedon. 7 WP/2011/0113/F - The Grange, 108 Northampton Road, Earls Barton. 19 WP/2011/0125/AV - Opposite Shell Garage, Finedon Road, Wellingborough. 25 WP/2011/0126/AV - Grass verge adjacent Sainsburys Petrol Station, Northampton Road, Wellingborough. 27 WP/2011/0127/AV - Grass verge adjacent to Tesco Stores, London Road, Wellingborough. 30 WP/2011/0128/AV - Grass verge adjacent Vredestein (UK) Limited, Sywell Road, Wellingborough. 33 WP/2011/0129/AV - Grass verge adjacent sculptured gateway, Harrowden Road, Wellingborough. 36 WP/2011/0143/C - Unit 1 Midland Works Business Centre, Mill Road, Wellingborough. 39 WP/2011/0155/F - Land adjacent to 39 Brickhill Road, Wellingborough. 41 WP/2011/0156/C - Bozeat Primary School, Harrold Road, Bozeat. 45 OTHER BOROUGH WP/2011/0173/OB - 112 Irchester Road, Rushden. 47 - 1 - BOROUGH COUNCIL OF WELLINGBOROUGH AGENDA ITEM Planning Committee 25/05/2011 Report of the Head of Built Environment APPLICATION REF: WP/2011/0072/FCOU PROPOSAL: Change of use of part of unit 2 to a place of worship involving alterations to the building. Hours of use are 09:00 to 19:00 hours on Saturdays; 15:00 to 17:00 hours on Sundays; and 19:00 to 21:00 hours on Wednesdays for prayer meetings. LOCATION: 2 Stanton Close, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough. NN8 4HN APPLICANT: Mr Charles Bramble, Granovita UK Limited. This application is referred to the Planning Committee for determination because granting the proposal could be contrary to the provisions of the North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy. PROPOSAL AND DESCRIPTION OF SITE: As described. The application site is an industrial unit located in the Finedon Road industrial Estate. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY: No recorded planning history since construction. NATIONAL GUIDANCE, DEVELOPMENT PLAN POLICY AND SUPPLEMENTARY PLANNING DOCUMENTS/GUIDANCE: Regional Spatial Strategy 8 North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy 1 (Strengthening the network of Settlements) 8 (Delivering economic prosperity) 11 (Distribution of jobs) 13 (General sustainable development principles) and 14 (Energy efficiency and sustainable construction) Borough of Wellingborough Local Plan: E2 (Support services and retail facilities within industrial estates) Planning Policy Statement 1; Delivering Sustainable Development Planning Policy Statement 4; Planning for Sustainable Economic Growth Planning Policy Statement 9; Biodiversity and Geological Conservation WP/2011/0072/FCOU Legend ICT Services Based upon the Ordnance Survey mapping with the permission of the Controller of Her Majesty’s WP/2011/0072/FCOU - 2 Stanton Close, Finedon Road Industrial Estate, Wellingborough Scale: Stationery Office © Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes crown copyright and may lead Description This map is accurate 1:1,250 to prosecution or civil proceedings. to the scale specified Borough Council of Wellingborough. Applicants Property when reproduced at A4 Licence No 100018694. (2010) ± Application Site - 2 - Supplementary Planning Document; Northamptonshire Minerals and Waste Development Framework – Development and Implementation Principles, Sustainable Design Supplementary Planning Guidance: Planning Out Crime and Parking SUMMARY OF REPLIES TO CONSULTATIONS/REPRESENTATIONS RECEIVED: 1. Northamptonshire County Council Highway Authority – has returned the application with a pro forma sticker which counsels this Council to seeks its highways advice from the County Council’s’ published highway standards. 2. Borough Council of Wellingborough Planning Policy – ‘Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, Part 3 Section 38: If regard is to be had to the development plan for the purpose of any determination to be made under the Planning Acts the determination shall be made in accordance with the plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. Relevant Policy: North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy Policy 11: Distribution of Jobs Comments: A major component of the Strategy for North Northants for generating new and better jobs is the provision of the right kind of land in the right place in the right amounts. Para 3.92 of the CSS explains that existing employment sites and areas provide the main supply of employment land and that they will be safeguarded from change to other uses to maintain the supply of employment land. The CSS requires a significant step change in job creation for the area and requires this borough to provide for a net increase of 12,400 new jobs. The Site Specific Proposals Development Plan Document - Preferred Options sets out how this additional provision might be achieved. Significant amounts of the required employment land have been granted planning permission as part of the two Urban Extensions, the remainder of the requirement is proposed on new sites not yet allocated. For various reasons neither of the Urban Extensions have commenced construction. Therefore much of the potential new employment land is constrained and not yet available for development. This puts greater emphasis on the need to safeguard existing employment land at the current time. Policy 11 States: b) Existing employment areas and allocated employment sites will be safeguarded for employment use, unless it can be demonstrated that an alternative use would: • Not be detrimental to the overall supply and quality of employment land within the district, and/or…. It is noted that the application is not seeking a change of use for the entire building. The proposal is for approximately 73% of the building to remain in B8 - 3 - and office use. The proposal would result in the loss of 278 sq m of B8 and office space. It is stated that the warehouse area would continue to operate during normal business hours and the application form does not refer to any loss of employees. It is also noted that the Design and Access statement refers to the proposed space being designed in such a manner that it could function as open plan office space or indeed a meeting venue should Ganovita UK Limited ever sell the building. The Design and Access statement also explains the special relationship the company has with the Seventh-Day Adventist church. Bearing in mind the above factors and given in particular the small scale of the proposal, it is considered that the proposed development could be permissible under Policy 11 if it could be ensured that the site is ultimately returned to employment use. The temporary loss of this area from employment use would not be detrimental to the overall supply of employment land in the borough and would not set a precedent for incremental loss of further sites. It is therefore suggested that a personal consent would meet the requirements of Policy 11 of the CSS. 3. Borough Council of Wellingborough Health Protection Service – advises that there will be a need to install a lobby and mechanical ventilation to the proposed WC cubicle in the warehouse and on this basis there is no objection. 4. Councillor G Lawman – notes that the existing site plans shows provision for articulated lorries to turn/unload. Query posed regarding how the above will occur if additional car parking spaces are occupied. Personal condition is applicable and proposal is a reasonable exception to the core spatial strategy. However, would not want to see further encroachment on employment land provision. Suggestion there could be a limit on the number of worshippers. 5. Neighbours/third parties - no comment received. ASSESSMENT: The material planning considerations are: • Compliance with policy • Effect on visual amenity • Highway safety • Crime and disorder • Biodiversity Compliance with policy Policy 1 of North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy (NNCSS) requires greater self-sufficiency for North Northamptonshire as a whole and development will be principally directed towards the urban core, focused on the three growth Towns of Corby, Kettering and Wellingborough. Meanwhile, as mentioned above, policy of the North Northamptonshire Core Spatial Strategy policy 11 which relates to the distribution of jobs requires existing employment areas and allocated employment sites to be safeguarded for employment use subject to certain exceptions. - 4 - The proposal is, upon the face, could be contrary to the thrust of policy core spatial strategy. However, as identified by the planning policy consultation, there are material mitigating factors, namely: • The proposed a change of use is not for the whole building and approximately 73% of the building to remain in B8 and office use • The warehouse area would continue to operate during normal business hours and the application forms does not refer to any loss of employees • The Design and Access statement refers to the proposed space being designed in such a manner that it could function as an open plan office space or indeed a meeting venue should Granovite UK Limited ever sell the building. It can be seen from the above there are several material factors which weigh in favour of the application and it is considered these factors should be accorded sufficient weight to enable the proposal to be recommended for planning permission, subject to a personal condition which would ensure that the building would revert back to its commercial use should the applicant company dispose of its interest