PLANNING AND REGULATORY COMMITTEE 24th July 2019 PLANNING APPLICATIONS FOR DETERMINATION Item 1: 07/19/0160/O Location: Former Inex Nursery, 612 Goffs Lane, Goffs Oak, Hertfordshire Description: Outline planning for assisted living residential village comprising of 105 apartments (C3) and 78 bed care home (C2) across 3 blocks of 2.5/3 storey builds including landscaping, amenity space with incorporated seating, car parking, cycle store, mobility buggy store, electric car charging points and allotments and including ground floor level mixed use retail, restaurant/café (A1/A3) Applicants: Mrs Julia Davey, Larchglade Limited Agent: Adrian Dalby Architects Date Received: 23/01/2019 Expiry Date: 22/05/2019 Officer Contact: Chenge Taruvinga Date of Committee: 24/07/2019 Ward Councillors: Cllr Mills-Bishop, Cllr Moule and Cllr Pearce RECOMMENDED that planning permission be refused for the reasons set out at the end of the report. 1.0 CONSULTATIONS 1.1 Hertfordshire County Council Highways - No objection subject to conditions 1.2 Lead Local Flood Authority – No objection subject to conditions that provide a drainage scheme that demonstrates that the SUDs hierarchy has been followed 1.3 The Herts and Middlesex and Wildlife Trust - Details of tree planting and aftercare must be provided, along with bat boxes and integrated swift boxes within the fabric of the brickwork 1.4 HCC Minerals and Waste - A site waste management plan should be submitted by condition 1.5 Thames Water – No objection subject to confirmation of surface water network upgrade. A1 1.6 CPRE Hertfordshire – Objection as the scheme is in a remote green belt location and is too large and there are no very special circumstances that have been put forward to warrant the proposal 1.7 HCC Waste Management – Requirement for a site waste management plan 1.8 NHS Hertfordshire – No comments received 1.9 Hertfordshire Constabulary – Objection on account of inadequate security measures and poor lighting design 1.10 HCC Education – No comments received 1.11 BBC Environmental Health – land contamination 2.0 PUBLICITY 2.1 The Council wrote to 121 neighbouring residents, and posted site notices. 3.0 REPRESENTATIONS 3.1 At the time of writing the report 2 letters of objection have been received and 1 letter of support. The representations are summarised below. Support – 1 Object – crammed and unclear and café missing, concern about proximity of northern site boundary 4.0 RELEVANT LOCAL PLAN POLICIES 4.1 The following policies of the Borough of Broxbourne Local Plan Second Review 2001-2011 (adopted December 2005) apply: GBC2 Development within the Metropolitan Green Belt SUS6 Air Quality SUS10 Noise Sensitive Development SUS11 Light Pollution SUS12 Development on Contaminated Land SUS17 Flood Prevention SUS18 Surface Water Drainage H2 Maximising the Development Potential of Sites H8 Design Quality of Development H11 Housing Densities in New Development on Unallocated Sites H12 Housing mix H13 Affordable Housing HD13 Design Principles HD14 Design Statement on Local Character HD16 Prevention of Town Cramming HD18 Trees, Hedgerows and Woodlands HD22 Community Safety RTC1 Hierarchy of Town and Local Centres A2 T3 Transport & New Development T10 Cycling Provision T11 Car Parking IMP2 Community & Infrastructure needs linked to new development 4.2 The draft Local Plan 2018-2033 was submitted to the Secretary of State for independent examination on 16 March 2018 and the examination hearings have now concluded. The following draft policies are a material consideration in assessing this application and should be afforded some weight: PM1 Sustainable Place Making GO2 North of Goffs Lane INF1 Infrastructure INF7 Bus Transport INF8 Local Cycling and Walking Infrastructure Plan INF9 Utilities Statement INF13 Healthcare PO1 Planning Obligations IMP1 Delivery of Development DSC1 General Design Principles DSC3 Design Affecting the Pubic Realm DSC4 Management and Maintenance DCS5 Sustainable Construction DSC6 Designing Out Crime DSC7 Comprehensive Urban Development H1 Affordable Housing ED3 Loss of Employment Uses – Rest of the Borough ORC1 New Open Space, Leisure, Sport and Recreational Facilities W1 Improving the Quality of the Environment W4 SuDS W5 Flood Risk NEB1 General Strategy for Biodiversity NEB2 Wildlife Sites NEB3 Green Infrastructure NEB4 Landscaping and Biodiversity in New Developments ENV1 Residential and Environmental Quality EQ2 Air Quality EQ4 Noise EG5 Contaminated Land TM1 Sustainable Transport TM2 Transport and New Developments TM3 Access and Servicing TM5 Parking Guidelines 4.3 The Borough-wide Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG) (August 2004, updated 2013) is relevant to this application as it provides design guidance for all forms of development. 4.4 The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) 2018 should also be considered as it sets out the Government’s planning policies for England and how these are expected to be applied. A3 4.5 The Interim Policy for Residential Car Parking Standards (February 2011) is a relevant consideration. 4.6 The Technical Housing Standards – nationally described space standards (March 2015) are also relevant. 5.0 LOCATION AND DESCRIPTION OF SITE 5.1 The application site lies immediately adjacent to Goffs Oak Village centre, to the north of Goffs Lane. The site is the former In-Ex Nursery and is situated on Goffs Lane, on the outskirts of Goffs Oak to the south east Hertfordshire. 5.2 The application site measures approximately 1.64 hectares and is bounded to the east by land relating to the former Tina Nursery site now subject to a resolution to grant outline planning permission subject to the completion of a S106 agreement (ref:07/18/1097/O). To the north is an area of woodland that separates the residential area of St. James to the north. To the west of the site is Goff Oak Village Centre and Goffs Lane is to the south. 5.3 The site has remained in use as a garden centre and plant nursery until recent years when the use ceased and the site was cleared. The site is still characterised by building rubble, and a few derelict structures. A4 Tina Nursery Site Application Site View of the derelict condition of the site A5 View towards the rear boundary of the site View from the eastern boundary of the site looking towards Goffs Oak Village Centre A6 Goffs Oak Community facilities to the west of the site View of Comrade’s Club adjacent to the east/ western boundary A7 View from eastern boundary View from the public highway A8 6.0 PROPOSAL 6.1 This application seeks outline planning consent for the redevelopment of the site to provide: retirement apartments; a care home; and restaurant/café and retail 6.2 Although in outline, the applicant is currently proposing that the development would be provided across no.4 blocks with ancillary shared spaces including a café/retail use, surface and basement car parking and associated communal landscaping. 6.3 An indicative layout has been provided which demonstrates how the proposed buildings would sit within the site as well as the wider street scene. Site Layout A9 6.1 The application is accompanied by a number of supporting documents as follows: Design and Access Statement Tree Survey and Schedule Preliminary Ecological Appraisal Transport Assessment Travel Plan Arboricultural Impact Assessment Landscape Design Strategy Phase 1 Desktop Study and Preliminary Risk Assessment Phase 2 Site investigation Report Drainage Strategy Flood Risk Assessment Retirement accommodation feasibility study Care home feasibility study 7.0 RELEVANT HISTORY 7.1 The following planning history applies to the site 07/13/0555/F - conditional approval Continued use of change of position of part of car park for car wash and retention and colour treatment of canopy with repositioning of storage building (refer planning permission 07/11/0296/F) 07/12/0129/F –withdrawn Use of "The Mall" building for retail sales, demolition of bungalow, revised and extended parking layout, revised radii to point of access, erection of secure cycle storage area and canopy, segregated point of pedestrian access and associated screen planting 07/11/0296/F – conditional approval Change of use of part of car park to car wash and erection of advertisement banner and free standing information board 07/10/0847/F- conditional approval Mixed use of existing nursery for horticulture and the sale of plants and plant related products including the change of use of existing buildings, the relocation of an existing building, the formation of a hardstanding and associated landscaping and boundary treatment A10 8.0 APPRAISAL The main issues to consider in the assessment of this proposal are as follows: Principle of residential development Design, layout, density and appearance; Impact to the amenity of neighbouring residential properties; Highways/Parking; Trees and Landscape; Biodiversity and Ecology; Flood risk and Drainage; Refuse and Recycling; Planning Obligations; Other matters. Principle of Development 8.1 The application site is located in the Green Belt. The policies of the adopted Local Plan, and in particular Policy GBC2 – Development within the Metropolitan Green Belt, set out the circumstances where development may be permissible within the Green Belt. That would not include the development proposed within this application which is therefore contrary to the adopted Development Plan. 8.2 The fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open; the essential characteristics of Green Belts are their openness and their permanence. The National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) identifies the construction of new buildings within the Green Belt as inappropriate development, unless they benefit from one of the exemptions set out in Paragraphs 145 and 146 of the NPPF. One of those exceptions is for previously developed land. Although the historic use of the site was horticulture, the site has until recently been in use as plant nursery/garden centre with ancillary café. As such, a portion of the site is considered to be previously developed land.