Planning Committee Agenda Item: 8 20th May 2020 19/01488/F TO: PLANNING COMMITTEE th DATE: 20 May 2020 REPORT OF: HEAD OF PLANNING AUTHOR: Hollie Marshall TELEPHONE: 01737 276010 EMAIL: [email protected] AGENDA ITEM: 8 WARD: Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton APPLICATION NUMBER: 19/01488/F VALID: 14.08.2019 APPLICANT: Vanderbilt Homes AGENT: Solve Planning Ltd LOCATION: LAND BOUNDED BY CHEQUERS LANE AND HURST DRIVE WALTON ON THE HILL SURREY DESCRIPTION: Creation of vehicular access from Chequers Lane, erection of a two storey mansion block of 10 apartments and erection of four houses and associated landscaping and car parking. As amended on 19/12/2019, 22/01/2020 and on 03/02/2020 All plans in this report have been reproduced, are not to scale, and are for illustrative purposes only. The original plans should be viewed/referenced for detail. This application was deferred from the Planning Committee Meeting on 29th April 2020, to clarify the impact upon the existing trees within the site. The site is covered by a number of mature trees, many protected by way of tree preservation orders and these make a highly valued, positive contribution to the visual amenities of the area. The aerial photograph below shows the trees covered by Tree Preservation Order BAN94 and site approximately outlined in red: M:\BDS\DM\CTreports 2019-20\Meeting 13 - 20 May\Agreed Reports\8 - 19.01488.F - Chequers Lane - updated.doc Planning Committee Agenda Item: 8 20th May 2020 19/01488/F The Arboricultural Implications Assessment dated Decembet 2019 includes the following summary of the tree survey results: A total of 54 trees are proposed to be removed to accommodate the proposed development as they are either situated within the footprints of the proposed buildings or hard surfacing or they are too close to enable them to be retained. Of the trees to be removed, 1 is catergory ‘B’, 46 are catergory ‘C’ and 7 are Category ‘U’. No category ‘A’ trees are to be removed.92 of the 138 category ‘C’ trees to site are to be retained. Of the trees to be removed, 11 are protected by way of an Tree Preservation Order, mostly as forming part of an area order. The table below provides details of the category ‘B’ tree and trees covered by the TPO to be removed. 4 additional trees subject to the TPO to be removed are category ‘U’ trees: M:\BDS\DM\CTreports 2019-20\Meeting 13 - 20 May\Agreed Reports\8 - 19.01488.F - Chequers Lane - updated.doc Planning Committee Agenda Item: 8 20th May 2020 19/01488/F During the course of the application, amendments were sought to the car park layout to retain the copper beech (photo below) and 5 additional trees previously shown to be removed are now also proposed to be retained. The retention of the copper beech tree is considered to significantly improve the layout of the site and positively contributes to the visual amenity that the existing trees provide. The protected trees identified to be removed are part of group orders that protects groups of trees because collectively they form a cohesive feature in the local landscape. When considering whether to support this application the Tree Officer took the view their removal will not have a significant impact on the remaining trees collective value and they would continue to be an important feature within the street scene and contribute to the character of the area. The comments from the tree survey schedule demonstrate T65 and T789 formed G9 have little visual amenity because of their form and have existing structural defects which means they have a reduced, safe life expectancy and therefore their removal is not unreasonable. Subject to a condition recommended to secure a finalised tree protection plan to be submitted and approved prior to commencement of development the proposal is considered acceptable in regard to impact upon trees and the visual amenities of the area. RECOMMENDATION(S) Subject to the completion of all documentation required to create a planning obligation under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) to secure: (i) The provision of a contribution of £340,000 towards offsite provision of affordable housing; (ii) The Council’s legal costs in preparing the agreement Planning permission is GRANTED subject to conditions. M:\BDS\DM\CTreports 2019-20\Meeting 13 - 20 May\Agreed Reports\8 - 19.01488.F - Chequers Lane - updated.doc Planning Committee Agenda Item: 8 20th May 2020 19/01488/F In the event that a satisfactorily completed obligation is not received by 29th September 2020 or such longer period as may be agreed, the Head of Planning be authorised to refuse permission for the following reason: The proposal fails to provide an agreed affordable housing provision within the Borough of Reigate & Banstead, and is therefore contrary to policy CS15 of the Reigate and Banstead Core Strategy 2014 and policy DES6 of the Development Management Plan 2019. M:\BDS\DM\CTreports 2019-20\Meeting 13 - 20 May\Agreed Reports\8 - 19.01488.F - Chequers Lane - updated.doc Planning Committee Agenda Item: 8 20th May 2020 19/01488/F TO: PLANNING COMMITTEE th DATE: 29 April 2020 REPORT OF: HEAD OF PLANNING AUTHOR: Hollie Marshall TELEPHONE: 01737 276010 EMAIL: [email protected] AGENDA ITEM: 6 WARD: Lower Kingswood, Tadworth and Walton APPLICATION NUMBER: 19/01488/F VALID: 14.08.2019 APPLICANT: Vanderbilt Homes AGENT: Solve Planning Ltd LOCATION: LAND BOUNDED BY CHEQUERS LANE AND HURST DRIVE WALTON ON THE HILL SURREY DESCRIPTION: Creation of vehicular access from Chequers Lane, erection of a two storey mansion block of 10 apartments and erection of four houses and associated landscaping and car parking. As amended on 19/12/2019, 22/01/2020 and on 03/02/2020 All plans in this report have been reproduced, are not to scale, and are for illustrative purposes only. The original plans should be viewed/referenced for detail. SUMMARY This is a full application for the creation of vehicular access from Chequers Lane, the erection of a two-storey mansion block of 10 apartments and erection of four houses and associated landscaping and car parking. A new entrance into the site is proposed from Chequers Lane and the entrance road would head eastwards into the site and branch north and southwards. To the north three detached dwellings would be sited. To the eastern side of the site is where the mansion block would be sited and to the south would be the parking area to serve the mansion block and one further detached dwelling. The 4 dwellings would be provided with areas of private garden spaces to the rear of these properties. The mansion block would have garden areas to the north and east and landscaped areas would be provided around the parking area in the south eastern corner of the site. A total of 38 parking spaces are proposed. The most northern part of the site is within the Walton on the Hill Conservation Area and the site is covered by numerous group and individual Tree Preservation Orders M:\BDS\DM\CTreports 2019-20\Meeting 13 - 20 May\Agreed Reports\8 - 19.01488.F - Chequers Lane - updated.doc Planning Committee Agenda Item: 8 20th May 2020 19/01488/F BAN94. The site is covered by the Walton on the Hill Residential Area of Special Character, and land to the west is designated Metropolitan Green Belt. The apartment building would take the appearance of an Edwardian arts and crafts style house. The dwellings around the main building have been designed to read as ancillary structures, including coach houses, and a gate lodge. Each of these units are individually designed however they have a cohesive character that accords with one another and the main building proposed for the site. During the course of the application amendments have been secured to address initial concerns raised by the Conservation Officer and now subject to recommended conditions including materials, landscaping and boundary details, no objection is raised by the Conservation Officer. During the course of the application, amendments have been sought to increase parking space numbers whilst also increasing the number of trees to be retained. Both these have been achieved through the submission of amended drawings and tree protection details and subject to a recommended tree protection and landscaping condition, no objection is raised by the Tree Officer The proposal is not considered to result in a harmful impact upon neighbour amenity and the County Highways Authority has raised no objection subject to recommended conditions. The application proposes a contribution towards offsite provision of affordable housing. This is considered acceptable in this case given the timing of the application’s submission. It was submitted prior to the adoption of the Council’s Development Management Plan and, at 14 dwellings, fell below the threshold whereby on-site affordable housing was required by the Local Plan, currently in force at that time. It is therefore considered unreasonable to require the scheme to be altered mid-way through its consideration to allow on-site affordable provision and presents further difficulties both in finding a Registered Provider for the units and their affordability. DMP Policy DES6 does allow for a contribution towards offsite provision of affordable housing in exceptional circumstances such as this. It is therefore considered that exceptional circumstances do exist in this instance to justify a contribution towards offsite affordable housing provision. The initial contribution of £270,000 put forward by the applicants was negotiated upwards by Officers to the £340,000 now agreed. RECOMMENDATION(S) Subject to the completion of all documentation required to create a planning obligation under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) to secure: (i) The provision of a contribution of £340,000 towards offsite provision of affordable housing; (ii) The Council’s legal costs in preparing the agreement Planning permission is GRANTED subject to conditions.