Manchester City Council List No. 5 Planning and Highways Committee 26 June 2008 Moss Side Application Number Date of Appln Committee Date Ward 085605/FO/2008/S1 29th May 2008 26th Jun 2008 Proposal Erection of a part six, part five, part four and part three storey building comprising 148 self-contained flats, and 414 square metres of A1, A2. B1 or D2 floorspace and 316 sq metres of D1 accommodation together with 160 parking spaces Location 482-506 Moss Lane East, Moss Side, Manchester, M14 4PA Applicant Property Route, Ashley House, Ashley Road, Altrincham, Manchester, WA14 2DW Agent Hodder Associates 113-115 Portland Street, Manchester, M1 6DW Description The application site relates to two, large vacant industrial buildings, formerly in use as a factory but more recently used for storage and distribution purposes. The site consumes an area of approximately 0.5 hectares and fronts Moss Lane East to the north and Heald Grove to the west. In terms of the site's immediate surroundings, the area is mixed use in nature. The site is bounded by Whitworth Park to the north, a public house, restaurant and supermarket with associated car park to the east, a vacant job centre and 5 storey student apartment blocks to the south and south east, and derelict land subject to an extant planning permission for a four storey block of student flats to the west, together with three storey, terraced properties along Heald Grove. The site is considered to be part of Rusholme district centre which contains a vast array of different commercial and residential uses, including large, 8 storey buildings containing student apartments with ground floor commercial uses to the north east of the site, and a large proportion of food and drink uses. The site is situated only a short distance from the main arterial route of Wilmslow Road, the nearby University and St Mary's Hospital. With regard to this application, it is proposed to erect 148 residential apartments, comprising 20 x 1 bedroom, 97 x 2 bedroom and 31 x 3 bedroom apartments. It is also proposed that the new building will contain 730 square metres of commercial floorspace. This will comprise of two units on the ground floor Moss Lane East frontage and consist of 414 square metres for either A1, A2, B1 or D2 use and 316 square metres of D1 floorspace. The applicant has indicated that the D1 floorspace will accommodate a dentist. The proposed apartments are of a contemporary design and consist of eight distinct blocks of various heights ranging from three to six storeys. These are arranged on the site to reflect the scale of buildings in the immediate area and culminates with a six-storey block on the corner of Heald Grove and Moss Lane East, where a strong presence on the street corner and relationship with Whitwork Park is sought. Manchester City Council List No. 5 Planning and Highways Committee 26 June 2008 The scheme includes 160 car parking spaces at basement and semi-basement level with vehicular access gained from Heald Grove. Amenity space is provided in the form of a communal walled garden to the interior of the urban block. The current scheme relates to an amended scheme to that originally submitted. The proposal has been modified to address previous concerns regarding the height of the apartment blocks, vehicular access, elevational design and refuse storage. The application has subsequently been reconsulted upon. Consultations Local residents - 2 letter of objection has been received as part of the original consultation process. These objections are summarised below: (i) A further large scale development of this type will exacerbate the on street parking problems for local residents and large numbers of students or short term residents will have no long term interest in the area. Further, the industrial units to be demolished are prime examples of early industrial buildings and there are few such remaining structures. (ii) There will be a loss of light to my property at 59 Heald Place and would be detrimental to residential amenity. Following the submission of revised plans and a subsequent period of reconsultation, no further objections have been received to date. Environmental Health - Historical information indicates the presence of significance levels of contamination. It is therefore recommended that a condition be inserted requiring the submission of a risk assessment in relation to ground contamination. The risk assessment should conform to the City Council's current guidance document - 'Planning Guidance in Relation to Ground Contamination'. Regulatory and Enforcement Services - recommends conditions are imposed in relation to waste management, external lighting, car park ventilation, the extraction of fumes and odours, noise insulation and servicing arrangements. Greater Manchester Police (Architectural Liaison Unit) - GMP have been in consultation with the applicants and have produced a Crime Impact Statement to identify concerns. It is recommended that the applicant follows the recommendations in the statement which should lead to a successful Secured by Design award. South Manchester Regeneration - It is appreciated that the development is close to the district centre and may attract residents demanding one and two bedroom apartments. It is also appreciated that they have reduced the height of the proposed development and have 100% parking provision and cycle spaces. Manchester City Council List No. 5 Planning and Highways Committee 26 June 2008 Issues Unitary Development Plan - There are no site specific policies relating to the application site. However, the following city-wide policies are relevant to the proposal: Policy H1.2 seeks to ensure that the housing stock contains a wide range of housing types to meet the needs of all people living in Manchester. Policy H2.2 states that the Council will not allow development that will have an unacceptable impact on residential areas. The matters that the Council will consider include the scale and appearance of the development and it's impact in terms of noise, vibration, traffic generation, road safety and air pollution Policy H2.7 - refers to new housing schemes and states that new housing development should be of a high standard of design and make a positive contribution towards improving the City's environment. Policy E1.5 - states that the Council will contribute towards energy conservation by ensuring where practicable that new development is located where it can be easily served by public transport and encourage high standards of energy efficiency in new development. Policy I1.6 - advocates that the Council will encourage the location of new business development on sites where they will contribute to urban regeneration. Regional Spatial Strategy - In terms of regional policy, the Draft North West Plan (The Regional Spatial Strategy) was submitted to Government on 30th January 2006. The Regional Spatial Strategy forms part of the statutory development plan for every Local Authority in the North West and provides a framework for development and investment over the next fifteen to twenty years. A public consultation on the proposed changes to the Draft Regional Spatial Strategy as launched on 20th March 2008. The proposed changes to the draft strategy take account of the recommendations of the independent panel of Inspectors following the examination in public into the draft strategy between November 2006 and February 2007. The following policies are considered relevant: Policy DP1 encourages both the economic use of land and the development of brownfield land. Buildings of poor quality and little or no scope for re-use should be properly removed to make way for new uses. Policy DP2 - seeks to enhance to overall quality of life experienced in the region by delivering sustainable development focused on providing a high quality of life for this and future generations. Manchester City Council List No. 5 Planning and Highways Committee 26 June 2008 Policy SD1 seeks to concentrate development in the North West Metropolitan Area which will enhance economic strength, the environment, overall quality of life and social regeneration. Policy UR1 - sets targets for the recycling of land and buildings. The redevelopment and re-use of vacant sites and buildings should be a priority and additional development should be encouraged to make best use of such sites at sustainable locations. In addition to the above, central government provides national planning guidance in the form of Planning Policy Guidance Notes (PPG) and on some planning issues, Planning Policy Statements (PPS). PPS1 'Delivering Sustainable Development' sets out the overarching policies on the delivery of sustainable development through the planning system. Emphasis in placed on the need for good design to ensure, attractive, usable, durable and adaptable places PPS3 'Housing' highlights that the majority of new housing should be located on brownfield land. The guidance also states that the planning system should deliver: - High quality housing that is well designed and built to a high standard. - A mix of housing, both market and affordable, particularly in terms of tenure and price, to support a wide variety of households in all areas both urban and rural. - A sufficient quantity of housing taking into account need and demand and seeking to improve choice. - Housing developments in suitable locations, which offer a good range of community facilities and with good access to jobs, key service and infrastructure. PPG4 - 'Industrial and Commercial Development and Small Firms' refers to the importance of bringing under used and vacant land back into beneficial use for the regeneration of towns and cities. It also promotes mixed-use developments, advising that optimum use should be made of sites in urban areas, taking into account factors such as accessibility by public transport. PPS6 'Planning for Town Centre' relates to town centre uses and promotes measure that seek to protect the vitality and viability of existing centres PPG13 'Transport- strongly promotes public transport, walking and cycling as alternatives to the private car.