Application Number: 08/00269/FUL CONSTRUCTION OF 4 STOREY BUILDING FOR 9 APARTMENTS (4 X ONE BED, 4 X TWO BED, 1 X THREE BED) WITH ASSOCIATED PARKING AT Land Off, Walker Avenue, Wolverton Mill East FOR Cooper Beard Estate Agency Ltd Target: 15th April 2008 Ward: Wolverton Parish: Wolverton & Greenleys Town Council Report Author/Case Officer: Richard Sakyi Contact Details: 01908 252509 [email protected] Team Leader: Mike Bowley Contact Details: 01908 252610 [email protected] 1.0 SUMMARY (A brief explanation of what the application is about, what the main issues are and the officer's Recommendation to the Committee) 1.1 This application seeks full planning permission for the erection of 4 storey building for 9 apartments (4 x one bed, 4 x two bed, 1 x three bed) with associated car parking. The site comprises the area of land between the V5 Great Monk Street to the east, Walker Avenue to the west and High Park Drive to the south. It is a small site at 0.098 ha at the southern end of Walker Drive. The proposal is for a building with 9 apartments at a density of 92 dwellings per ha. The site is located within a designated employment area with suitable uses B1, B2 and B8 as identified in the Proposals Map of the Milton Keynes Local Plan 2001 – 2011. 1.2 Main Issues 1) Whether the proposal adheres to development plan policy and national planning guidance. 2) Whether the layout, siting, density and design of the buildings would be acceptable. 3) Whether the access road would be acceptable and there would be adequate car parking provision to service the site. 4) Compliance with policy D4 Sustainable Construction measures. 5) Whether the proposal adheres to planning obligation for affordable housing. RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that planning permission be refused for the reasons set out at the end of this report. 2.0 REASON FOR REPORTING APPLICATION TO COMMITTEE (Most planning applications are dealt with by the Chief Planning Officer under powers delegated by the Development Control Committee) 2.1 This application is being brought before the Committee as a departure from the Milton Keynes Local Plan 2001 – 2011. 3.0 INTRODUCTION (A brief description of the site and its surroundings) 3.1 The application site is located between the settlements of Stony Stratford to the west and Wolverton to the east. The site has a frontage onto Great Monks Street to the east, Walker Avenue to the west and High Park Drive to the south. The site is approximately 0.093 hectare and was formally part of a larger site (Post Office Training College) with extant permission for the erection of a commercial unit (use classes B1 or D1) with associated parking and disabled facilities reference 07/00551OUT. Planning permission was granted for the erection of 9 houses on the land immediately to the north of the site reference 07/00550/FUL. At the time of the grant of that permission the site was within the ownership of Newton Survey and Development Limited. The current application relates to the southern section of the site, which is now in the ownership of Cooper Beard Estate Agency Ltd (applicant). 3.2 The site is narrow and roughly rectangular shape with a frontage to High Park Drive of approximately 19m and a depth of 53m to both Great Monks Street and Walker Avenue with footpaths to three sides. The ground level slopes steeply from the south to north of the site. The site lies within the Wolverton Framework Area and designated Employment Area as identified in the Proposals Map of the Milton Keynes Local Plan 2001 - 2011. 4.0 RELEVANT POLICIES (The most important policy considerations relating to this application) 4.1 The most important factor that the Committee must consider is the relevant planning policies. Firstly there are the Council's own planning policies, particularly the policies in the Adopted Local Plan, but including other policy documents such as Supplementary Planning Guidance (SPG). Relevant Government policy documents, such as Planning Policy Statements (PPS) or Planning Policy Guidance (PPG) and Circulars also need to be considered, along with Regional Plans and policies. Planning legislation requires that all planning decisions should be in line with the relevant policies. 4.2 The most relevant policies in the adopted Milton Keynes Local Plan (2001 - 2011) are: D1: Impact of Development Proposals on Locality D2A: Urban Design Aspects of new Development D2: Design of Buildings D4: Sustainable Construction T3 & T4: Pedestrians and Cyclist T10: Traffic T15: Parking Provision H3 - H5: Affordable Housing H7: Housing on Unidentified Sites H8: Housing Density E1: Protection of Existing Employment Land NE3: Biodiversity and Geological Enhancement KS6: Wolverton Development Framework Area and Principles of Development P01, P02, P04 (Planning Obligations – General Policies) Supplementary Planning Guidance/Documents Wolverton West End Development Framework adopted September 2004 Parking Standards for Milton Keynes Adopted 2005 Sustainable Construction Guidance adopted April 2007 Supplementary planning Guidance Affordable Housing July 2007 National Policies PPS1 – Delivering Sustainable Development PPS3 - Housing 5.0 RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY (A brief outline of previous planning decisions affecting the site – this may not include every planning application relating to this site, only those that have a bearing on this particular case) The site was originally developed as a teacher training college for Buckinghamshire County Council. In the mid 1970's the Post Office purchased the site and used it as a residential training and conference centre. Subsequently, permission was granted in 2003 reference 03/02146/FUL for a residential development consisting of 96 houses and 46 flats on the land to the west of the training/conference centre buildings and is currently constructed. On 11.09.2007 planning permission was granted reference 07/00550/FUL for residential development comprising nine houses and associated parking on land immediately to the north of the site. At the time of the application this land formed part of a larger site which this current application relates to and was within the ownership of Newton Survey and Developments Limited. On 30.11.2007 planning permission reference 07/00551/OUT was granted for erection of B1/D1 commercial unit with associated parking and disabled facilities which has not been implemented. 6.0 APPLICATION AS ORIGINALLY SUBMITTED (Details of the proposal as originally submitted) 6.1 This proposal seeks planning permission for the erection of four-storey building comprising 9 apartments with associated car parking on the site which currently has outline permission for a B1/D1 commercial unit. The building would comprise 4 x one-bedroom, 4 x two-bedroom and 1 x three-bedroom. Access to the building would be via Walker Avenue and a closed shared recycling and refuse storage building erected at the northern part of the site adjacent to the parking area. It is proposed to provide 15 parking spaces including one disabled space at the north of the site. The proposed building would have equally strong elevations different from each other. The building would incorporate three separate floor plates extending to 2, 3 and 4 floors with varying heights of ridge and eaves, which tapers to the north. The proposed external materials would provide a horizontal emphasis to the flats wrapped around a vertical uniting tower that is separated by the vertical glazing to the landing and circulation areas. The building would have a duo pitched roofs to reflect the existing buildings situated to the north and west of the site. 6.2 The applicant has provided additional information from Masons Lousada outlining the marketing of this site since 2003 when it was part of a larger development opportunity. This site is now the only part of the former Post Office Training College that has not been developed or acquired full planning approval. The information indicates that they have not received a serious inquiry for a land sale or pre-letting or pre-sale of any building constructed for an occupier. The site has been marketed since the outline consent in May 2007. 6.3 Other documentation included such as the MK Employment Survey May 2007 and a letter from Quadrant Estates indicate that there is very little demand for B1 employment use and that commercial development is not viable, and will not be so for the foreseeable future – especially bearing in mind the amount of available competition in the area. Further information from Mike Neville estate Agents indicates that the site is being actively sought by a number of housing associations and that there is a pressing need for affordable housing, which is most frequently supplied as part of open market housing approvals – with the slow down in completions and the delay in new sites coming forward, the target supply is not being met and the pent up demand not satisfied. The application is accompanied by a Design and Access Statement, Noise Assessment of acoustic air and Sustainability Statement. 7.0 AMENDMENTS (Any changes that have been made to the application since it was originally submitted) 7.1 None 8.0 CONSULTATIONS AND REPRESENTATIONS (Who has been consulted on the application and the responses received) 8.1 Wolverton and Greenleys Town Council Commented that the Committee in principle supports the application but would wish to be consulted in the landscaping design for the proposed development. 8.2 Archaeologist Commented that the immediate environs of the site have been demonstrated to contain significant prehistoric and later archaeological remains therefore no development shall take place until a programme of archaeological work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation has been submitted and approved in writing.