DELEGATED OFFICER REPORT Application Number: 192000 Site Address: Erlegh House, Earley Gate, Whiteknights Road, Reading, RG6 6BZ Expiry Date: 22 November 2019 Site Visit Date: 28/10/2019 Proposal: Full planning application for the proposed change of use of Erlegh House from research and development to clinical care and the net addition of 85 car parking spaces (part retrospective). PLANNING CONSTRAINTS/STATUS Bat Roost Habitat – suitable if changes proposed to roof Major Development Location Maiden Erlegh ward Earley Town Local Historic Park and Garden – Whiteknights Park (WHE9) Core Employment Area - Whiteknights Park (TB14) Landscape Character Assessment Area SSSI Impact Risk Zones PLANNING POLICY National National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) Policy National Planning Policy Guidance (NPPG) Core CP1 – Sustainable Development Strategy CP2 – Inclusive Communities (CS) CP3 – General Principles for Development CP6 – Managing Travel Demand CP7 – Biodiversity CP9 – Scale and Location of Development Proposals CP15 – Employment Development MDD CC01 – Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development Local CC02 – Development Limits Plan CC03 – Green Infrastructure, Trees and Landscaping (MDD) CC06 – Noise CC07 – Parking CC09 – Development and Flood Risk TB11 – Core Employment Areas TB14 – Whiteknights Campus TB21 – Landscape Character TB23 – Biodiversity and Development Other Borough Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document PLANNING HISTORY Application No. Description Decision & Date 990136 Application for renewal of temporary permission Approved 10 43745 for siting of Terrapin Feb 2000 011611 Renewal of temporary permission 43745 for Approved 01 portable office building. Jun 2001 100002 Proposed erection of new external steel staircase Approved 14th to allow access onto roof of STC Chiller building May 2010 for plant maintenance purposes, also to include installation of new safety handrails to roof. 33305 Erection of research laboratories and 24th June 1991 administration facilities for the AFRC Institute of Food Research Upper East part of the vacant site 38487 Erection of a building to enclose generator and 2nd January two bicycle stands 1992 38755 Erection of a glazed roof over existing courtyard 6th February to create a staff rest area 1992 38951 Variation of condition 8 on approval 33305 to 10th March allow use of building by AFRC Institute of Food 1992. Research plus Reading University CONSULTATION RESPONSES Internal WBC Environmental Health – no objection WBC Highways – no objection subject to conditions (see report) WBC Giles Sutton - no objection subject to conditions (see report) WBC Landscape and Trees – no objection subject to conditions (see report) WBC Cleaner and Greener – no response received External None consulted REPRESENTATIONS Parish/Town Council Earley Town Council “Recommend Conditional Approval conditional on the applicant producing a travel plan and WBC being satisfied that there is sufficient parking provision within the application.” Ward Member(s) No comments received Neighbours No comments received APPRAISAL Site Description: The total site is approximately 0.9 hectares, comprising of Erlegh House (formerly known as the ‘Science and Technology Centre’) with the main body of the building consisting of two floors, with plant and machinery located within the roof space, with a connected ‘Block D’ consisting of three floors. A car park with 160 existing spaces is located to the south east of the building. The whole site is located within the University of Reading’s Whiteknights Campus, which comprises 123 hectares of parkland, including a lake, open grassland spaces and woodlands. The Site’s immediate surroundings predominantly comprise of other modern academic office buildings. Principle of Development: The National Planning Policy Framework has an underlying presumption in favour of sustainable development which is carried through to the local Development Plan. The Managing Development Delivery Local Plan Policy CC01 states that planning applications that accord with the policies in the Development Plan for Wokingham Borough will be approved without delay, unless material considerations indicate otherwise. The site is located within settlement limits and as such the development should be acceptable providing that it complies with the principles stated in the Core Strategy. Policy CP3 of the Core Strategy states that development must be appropriate in terms of its scale of activity, mass, layout, built form, height, materials and character to the area in which it is located and must be of high quality design without detriment to the amenities of adjoining land uses and occupiers. MDD Policy Tb14 recognises University of Reading / Whiteknights Campus as a educational establishment of strategic importance that will continue to adapt and expand over the plan period, including for additional infrastructure and services. Planning permission 33305 for the erection of the original building as research laboratories (24/06/1991) imposes condition 18, restricting the planning use to B1(b) Research and Development and for no other purpose. The proposed development seeks change of use to D1 Use (clinical care), enabling Erlegh House to become a new clinical care hub for the Berkshire Healthcare NHS Foundation Trust. The building would provide community-based Mental Health services and be occupied as follows: • 56 bookable clinical consulting rooms • 5 bookable group rooms • 9 bookable meeting rooms • 264 staff desks - used by clinicians and for secretarial work 19 of the proposed 56 clinical consulting rooms are already operational at the building (hence the application is part retrospective). In addition to the change of use, the application proposes the net addition of 85 car parking spaces, the majority of which would be be located to the north of the building. 245 parking spaces are proposed to serve the building in total (including 11 disabled spaces, and 8 with electric vehicle charging points). Four designated motorcycle parking bays are also proposed. The proposals also seek to re-provide 12 car parking spaces for the University of Reading which are currently located on the access road to the north of the development. These spaces will be lost as part of the reconfiguration to the access road and as such would be re-provided in a designated car parking area. Assessment: The Core Strategy encourages proposals to address the requirements of children, young people and families, including the coordination of services (CP2). It also anticipates the need to expand and adapt services available from Whiteknights Campus (TB14). The NPPF further states that planning decisions should take into account the delivery of local strategies to improve health, social and cultural well-being for all sections of the community (para 92). Therefore, a proposed change of use to D1 (Clinical Care) is considered to be acceptable in principle. The proposed construction of 85 net additional car parking spaces (in support of this use) is considered in further detail in the remaining sections of this report. Character of the Area: The site is located in Whiteknights Park within the University of Reading campus which has remnants of pre-1800 historic parkland and which across the site has areas of wooded pasture (a BAP priority area), Ancient woodland and Veteran trees. Although there are no ancient or veteran trees on the site, the parkland character surrounds it which includes areas of young woodland and older parkland trees. Whitenights Park falls within Woodley-Earley Settled and Farmed Clay, a settled landscape of moderate quality, low sensitivity with considerable potential for improvement. The most sensitive aspect of the landscape is the remnant historic parkland and the landscape strategy is to ensure that this landscape is managed to enhance its distinctiveness and remaining landscape features whilst restoring lost elements. The development involves the addition of 85 parking spaces to facilitate the change of use to a site of clinical care. The additional parking area is located to the north and east of the building which will result in the removal of 13 trees overall. The trees to be removed are mostly on the north edge of the car park and consist of C quality trees. There are no protected trees on the site so their removal is considered to be acceptable, subject to replacement planting. A basic planting plan is included with the application; however, it is not clearly drawn or notated, and there is no information regarding the surface of the parking area. The development can therefore be made acceptable subject to a condition specifying hard and landscape proposals, to include a detailed planting plan (featuring hedges and replacement trees), specification (including cultivation and other operations associated with plant and grass establishment), schedules of plants, noting species, planting sizes and proposed numbers/densities where appropriate, and implementation timetable. Neighbouring Amenity: No external changes are proposed to the building, and the car park extension is not considered to give rise to any negative impact on neighbouring amenity. Highway Access and Parking Provision: The proposed application seeks to increase the existing car park numbers from 160 to 245, in conjunction with change of use to D1 from its permitted B1 use. Assessments of the existing situations have been made which show details on highway, sustainable and public travel and access. The proposals do not look to alter any of the