Agenda and minutes

Venue: Rennes Room, Civic Centre, Paris Street, Exeter. View directions

Contact: Howard Bassett, Democratic Services Officer (Committees)  01392 265107 or email  howard.bassett@exeter.gov.uk

Media

Items
No. Item

9.

Declarations of Interest

Councillors are reminded of the need to declare any disclosable pecuniary interests that relate to business on the agenda and which have not already been included in the register of interests, before any discussion takes place on the item. Unless the interest is sensitive, you must also disclose the nature of the interest. In accordance with the Council's Code of Conduct, you must then leave the room and must not participate in any further discussion of the item. Councillors requiring clarification should seek the advice of the Monitoring Officer prior to the day of the meeting.

 

Minutes:

Councillor D. Moore declared a disclosable pecuniary interest in Minute No, 10

 

10.

Planning Application No. 21/1564/OUT - Former Police Station and Magistrates Court, Heavitree Road, Exeter pdf icon PDF 564 KB

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

Councillor D. Moore declared a disclosable pecuniary interest and left the meeting during consideration of this item.

 

The Assistant Service Lead – Development Management (Major Projects) presented the outline planning application with all matters considered in detail except landscaping, for the demolition of the existing buildings and construction of mixed-use development comprising Purpose-Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) (Sui Generis) and Co-Living (Sui Generis) with associated infrastructure. (Revised plans received)

 

The proposal involved the demolition of all existing buildings comprising the former Heavitree Road Police Station and Magistrates Court, clearance of the site and re-development to provide a mixed Co-Living and PBSA scheme in two separate building blocks with associated access, parking and infrastructure. The former would comprise 315 studio apartments and the latter 640 rooms including a mixture of studio rooms and cluster flats.

 

The Assistant Service Lead - Development Management (Major Projects) reported that, at the Planning Committee held on 10 October 2022, Members had resolved to defer a decision on the application in order to allow the applicant to revise the proposals to address the issues that had been raised by Members and the technical reasons for refusal that had been drafted. This was subject to an extension of time being agreed, taking the revisions to a Design Review Panel and carrying out public consultation on the revisions. Accordingly, revised plans and supporting documents had been submitted on 6 January 2023 following a review by the Design Review Panel on 22 November 2022. Public consultation on the revisions had been carried out between 12 January and 5 February 2023. Statutory and non-statutory consultees had also been re-consulted on the amended plans.

 

The Assistant Service Lead - Development Management (Major Projects) reported the following summary of the changes made since the previous reports:-

 

·         the number of rooms in the PBSA building reduced from 677 to 640;

·         the number of rooms in Co-Living building reduced from 358 to 315;

·         the sixth floor of the Co-Living building removed;

·         part of the fifth floor of PBSA building removed to the west;

·         the floor to ceiling heights reduced in both buildings to reduce overall height;

·         both buildings setback further away from Heavitree Road;

·         privacy film applied to Co-Living ground/first floor windows facing Higher Summerlands;

·         the central wing of the PBSA building removed creating one, larger courtyard instead of two;

·         the Co-Living courtyard elevated from lower ground to ground floor improving daylight;

·         the amount of external landscaped space increased from 5,600 square metres to 7,200 square metres;

·         the amount of communal amenity space in Co-Living block increased from 2.5 square metres per room to five square metres per room, which accords with the Greater London Authority’s draft guidance on Large-Scale Purpose-Built Shared Living (January 2022); and

·         five existing trees along Heavitree Road retained: T10 (11m Silver Birch), T14 (7.5m Hawthorn), T16 (15m Silver Birch), T17 (16m Beech) and T20 (14m Silver Birch).

 

The Assistant Service Lead - Development Management (Major Projects) provided further detail of the revised proposal through floor plans, elevations and illustrative images  ...  view the full minutes text for item 10.

11.

Planning Application No. 21/1940/OUT - Land adjacent to Newcourt Road, Topsham, Exeter pdf icon PDF 344 KB

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Assistant Service Lead – Development Management (Major Projects) presented the outline planning application for demolition of existing structures and construction of up to 30 no. residential units and associated infrastructure (Means of access to be determined with scale, layout, appearance and landscaping reserved for future consideration).

 

The report also set out the following key elements:-

 

·         principle of development;

·         access and impact on local highways;

·         affordable housing;

·         noise;

·         archaeology;

·         impact on air quality;

·         contaminated land;

·         impact on trees and biodiversity;

·         flood risk and surface water management;

·         sustainable construction and energy conservation;

·         CIL/Section 106; and

·         Development Plan, material considerations and presumption in favour of sustainable development.

 

The Assistant Service Lead – Development Management (Major Projects) described the location of the site through photos, aerial views and an illustrative site layout plan, the photos showing in particular the views of Newcourt Road, the location of existing and proposed footpaths and current parking provided and views into the site from the existing access. In setting out the historical planning context, he provided the following additional detail:-

 

·         the proposal was to develop the site for up to 30 dwellings, 35% of which will be affordable housing, and associated infrastructure. The application has been submitted in outline with all matters reserved except access. Vehicular access would be provided from Newcourt Road towards the south of the site, with adjoining two metres wide footways;

·         recently granted permissions had been for 16, 27 and 7 dwellings respectively with a further dwelling granted for the larger of these sites and a single dwelling granted further south along Newcourt Road, the majority having been implemented;

·         Newcourt Road was a no through road with vehicular access from Denver Road, 680 metres southeast of the site. The road had no footways adjacent to the site or to the south for approximately 170 metres;

·         an existing pedestrian, cycle link linking Newcourt Road southwards to Topsham Road;

·         the site was proposed to be allocated for housing together with the adjacent field to the southeast in the new Exeter Plan; and

·         as an outline application, the developer will be required to submit further proposals to the Exeter Design Quality Partnership (EDQP) before submitting reserved matters details for formal approval.

 

The Assistant Service Lead - Development Management (Major Projects) referred to two late objections, both of which objected to the application because of the impact on the safety and functionality of Newcourt Road and because, in their view, the Traffic Assessment provided by the applicant misleadingly referred to the 2018 traffic survey which was taken before a number of housing developments along Newcourt Road were approved and developed. The Assistant Service Lead - Development Management (Major Projects) advised that the applicant’s traffic assessment was acceptable to the County Council’s Highways Officer.

 

The following responses were given to Members’ queries:-

 

·         standard consultations had been undertaken with South West Water who had not objected and had not raised concerns with the issue of foul sewage;

·         a footpath would be constructed in front of the development of 16  ...  view the full minutes text for item 11.

12.

Planning Application No 21/1710/FUL - Exwick Changing Rooms, Western Road, Exeter pdf icon PDF 563 KB

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Service Lead, City Development, presented the planning application for demolishing an existing building to provide a new Sports Pavilion and All-Weather 3G Pitch.

 

The Service Lead City Development described the location of the site through the site location plan, an aerial view and photos, floor plans and elevations, explaining that site was located west of Exeter city centre and the River Exe on land owned by the City Council, which was leased to Exeter College. The application site and wider landholding were bisected by the main railway line that runs through Exeter, with a pedestrian underpass providing access via a public footpath.

 

The report also set out the following key elements:-

 

·         the principle of development;

·         community facility and sports pitch provision;

·         green infrastructure and valley parks;

·         landscape and ecology;

·         pedestrian and cyclist accessibility;

·         flood risk and drainage;

·         noise; and

·         sustainability.

 

The Service Lead City Development provided the following additional detail:-

 

·     the application proposed the demolition of the existing Exwick Changing Room building and the erection of a new Sports Pavilion, together with the surfacing of an existing rugby pitch to provide an ‘all-weather’ 3G Pitch;

·         the contemporary pavilion building would offer replacement changing facilities, a classroom, a sports laboratory and a gym;

·         the previously proposed pavilion had been located on the top and directly in front of the Exeter Flood Defence Scheme. The proposed building was now to be offset from the Exeter Flood Defence Scheme embankment, and

·         the location of the proposed all-weather, floodlit 3G rugby pitch has been moved northwards. Instead of proposing development on existing playing fields, the application proposed to install a 3G rugby pitch on an existing rugby pitch at Flowerpots Fields, allowing the existing playing fields to the south to be retained and unaltered and would be enclosed with security fencing and floodlighting;

 

The following responses were given to Members’ queries:-

 

·         given the size of the application site in the context of the much larger Riverside Valley Park, it was not felt that the fence would harm the character of the Valley Park and formal recreation was permitted in the Valley Park;

·         the proposed cycle parking provision met the standards set out in the Supplementary Planning Document;

·         the materials within the 3G pitch were to the highest current standards for a facility of this nature but could be replenished at a future date;

·         detailed information had been provided on lighting to include integral solar time control to reduce the impact on neighbouring properties; and

·         the pavilion had been sited so as not to interfere with the flood prevention measures.

 

Mr Strang, speaking in support of the application, raised the following points:-

 

·         Exeter College had been again rated as Outstanding by Ofsted, with Inspectors praising strong links with partners across the city, an example being Exwick Community Sports Hub, providing facilities for football and tennis both for the college and for local clubs;

·         hundreds of members of sports clubs and organisations would benefit; for example, Exwick Cricket Club and the Exeter Saracens and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 12.

13.

List of Decisions Made and Withdrawn Applications pdf icon PDF 16 KB

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The report of the Director City Development was submitted.

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

 

 

14.

Appeals Report pdf icon PDF 218 KB

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

 

Minutes:

The schedule of appeal decisions and appeals lodged was submitted.

 

RESOLVED that the report be noted.

 

 

15.

SITE INSPECTION PARTY

To advise that the next Site Inspection Party will be held on Tuesday 14 March 2023 to which all Committee Members are invited.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the next Site Inspection Party will be held on Tuesday 14 March 2023 at 9.30 a.m. to which allCommittee Members are invited.