Agenda item

To consider the report of the City Development Manager.

The Principal Project Manager (Development) (MH) presented the application for the demolition of an existing bungalow to allow construction of New Hotel with up to 250 Bedrooms and associated facilities including new pedestrian foot Bridge link as main entrance at high level via Sandy Park Stadium Car Park.

Members were circulated with an update sheet - attached to minutes.

The Principal Project Manager (Development) (MH) explained that the key issue was transport and that both an initial and revised proposal for alleviating traffic flows along Old Rydon Lane as a consequence of the development had not been acceptable to the Highways Authority. Although parking for residents would be provided on the main Sandy Park site with access to the hotel by means of a pedestrian bridge there was concern that both staff vehicle movements and those of servicing vehicles would impact on safety conditions on the Lane and make it less attractive to pedestrians and cyclists. The applicant’s latter proposal was for a traffic island within the carriageway of Old Rydon Lane immediately outside the proposed vehicular access to the hotel site itself as an addition to the scheme for one way traffic on the Lane west of the Hotel site back towards the railway bridge through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) (allowing eastbound movements only for vehicles). The applicant had offered a financial contribution of £40,000 towards this scheme. This, and the earlier proposed traffic solution, had not satisfied the Highways Engineer as it was not felt that an associated TRO could be adequately enforced.

As well as traffic movement being a potential problem, a Member referred to potential parking problems in the wider area occurring during match days and at other times. The Principal Project Manager (Development) (MH) confirmed, in response to other Members, that the provision of 250 bedrooms was indicative at present and a maximum limit. Final numbers as well as the hotel design would be addressed as reserved matters.

Another Member referred to planning permission granted for 392 homes on the adjoining site, suggesting that a road link from this residential development to the A370 and the newly constructed roundabout access into Sandy Park, required as part of a legal agreement on construction of 150 units, could solve the concerns regarding traffic on Old Rydon Lane.

The planning permission was over three years old and it was unusual for such a time lapse before progressing a Section 106 Agreement. The Chief Executive & Growth Director advised that it would be appropriate to seek clarification from the developer on the intentions for this site and to seek early resolution to the completion of the outstanding Section 106 Legal Agreement.

Mr Dare spoke against the application. He raised the following points:-

·         representing residents of Old Rydon Lane and the local area;

·         the Newcourt Masterplan states that Old Rydon Lane will be managed with the aim of avoiding additional traffic using this route and to ensure that it does not become attractive as a through route for private vehicle traffic. Old Rydon Lane will be managed to make this route attractive to cyclists and shall be maintained as green infrastructure;

·         the proposed hotel site is on a designated green belt and a valuable green corridor for cyclists and pedestrians. With such a large scale building project, the lay down area for materials will be vast, as will the size of the various construction vehicles and equipment, creating major access problems, including road closures and safety hazards on a narrow country lane. This is unacceptable;

·         the designated commercial land to the West of Sandy Park, which would connect directly to the A379 is a far better site;

·         the proposed hotel site seems to be the cheapest possible option but with the biggest negative impact to the local area and residents. Even the need for another hotel away from the city centre is suspect, when there's already seven hotels within approximately one mile radius of Sandy Park;

·         traffic is already increasing as Newcourt expands and will get far worse once IKEA opens. The safety of pedestrians, cyclists and Exeter Chiefs’ own supporters, who flood Old Rydon Lane on match days, are already in grave jeopardy as there are no footpaths and safety will only get significantly worse, if the hotel on this inappropriate site is approved;

·         considering the massive impact of IKEA opening next year, with its 1,000 space car park, those motorists will use Old Rydon Lane as a short-cut and escape route when Newcourt Way and the A379 are at expected gridlock at peak times;

·         after consulting fellow residents of Old Rydon Lane, Newcourt, Clyst Road, Clyst St Mary, Bishop Clyst, their Parish Councils, plus Councillor Mike Howe, an East Devon District Councillor, they are all in full support of my objection; and

·         Sandy Park should not increase the safety risk posed to their own spectators and the wider public.

He responded as follows to Members’ queries:-

• the building of residential properties on the Bricknells Bungalow site did lead to considerable traffic problems as a result of parked vans and movement of construction vehicles; and
• 15 houses built with a further 60 homes proposed on this site will lead to further problems.

Mr Cord spoke in support of the application. He raised the following points:-

• reading letter on behalf of Mr Tony Rowe, OBE, Chairman of Exeter Rugby Club;
• aware of Devon County Council’s objections to the proposals and have had numerous meetings and consultations to try and resolve their concerns which it is believed have been addressed and that the development would have a minimal impact on Old Rydon Lane;
• the Transport Assessment identified that there would only be 10 trips in the morning and evening peak periods that would potentially access the site to and from Old Rydon Lane through Newcourt. This was considered to be a concern by Devon County Council, and hence a raft of further mitigation measures are proposed to reduce the impact to a minimal level including:
• redesigned the staff and service access to and from the Hotel to make it physically impossible for vehicular movements along Old Rydon Lane to access the site from a westerly direction;
• reducing the level of on-site staff parking to 30 additional spaces, 10 of which are existing;
• staff contracts preventing access to the site from the west, any incidences to be in violation of staff conditions of employment;
• agreeing to write the above conditions into the Hotel Travel Plan, and regularly monitor and report any incidences of access to the site from the west;
• these measures would physically prevent any trips accessing the Hotel to and from the west;
• the Club will offer to provide a contribution to the proposed scheme to upgrade and redesign Old Rydon Lane to provide a partial one way route from the westerly direction, even though it is considered that the mitigation measures do not require this one-way scheme to mitigate the impact from the Hotel;
• despite all these extensive mitigation measures, Devon County Council still consider there to be an impact on Old Rydon Lane to the west of the site, due to the slight possibility that vehicles could U-turn in Old Rydon Lane to access the site. This is unlikely as there are no opportunities for U-turns on Old Rydon Lane and only very few vehicles would make this manoeuvre, if any;
• the guiding policy is the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) which states that ‘Development should only be prevented or refused on transport grounds where the residual cumulative impacts of development are severe’. In this case, the residual impacts from the Hotel development after the extensive mitigation measures are minor and cannot be considered to constitute a severe impact;
• Highways England have no issues with the application;
• only asking for an extra 30 car spaces at the Hotel for staff. Hotel guests will be accessing and parking at the current Sandy Park car park accessed from Sandy Park Way. No hotel guests will be using Old Rydon Lane Hotel guests will use the footbridge access from the car park over Old Rydon Lane to the main reception of the Hotel;
• as all other issues in relation to the principle of a Hotel on this site are acceptable. It is considered that there are no grounds for refusal of this application;
• currently Sandy Park is losing business to Torquay and Plymouth, and not attracting the bigger business users because there is no on site accommodation in the form of a Hotel to support the conferencing, banqueting and Rugby facilities;
• Exeter Rugby is a members club, the members owning Sandy Park. The Directors do not get paid for their services to the club and all the profits from the activities at Sandy Park are used to maintain Exeter Rugby at the pinnacle of English Rugby. The club is currently Champions of England and are focusing on being Champions of Europe; and
• the Club has helped put Exeter firmly on the Rugby sporting map of Europe.

In response to a Member’s question, he stated that it was anticipated that hotel residents, as well as those attending rugby matches and conferences, would use the main Sandy Park address as their point of destination when utilising sat nav capabilities.

The recommendation was for refusal for the reason set out in the report.

Members further considered the car parking proposals for the hotel for both hotel staff and residents and, not withstanding a suggestion of a mezzanine type solution on the Sandy Park site to cater for residents parking, the applicant had advised that there was insufficient capacity on the Sandy Park site to absorb hotel residents’ needs as well as catering for match days parking and that of the proposed conference facility.

With a potential future solution for traffic flows generally in the area as well as for Old Rydon Lane through the provision of a link to the A379, Members considered that the potential for a Grampian condition preventing implementation until a partial one-way system on a section of Old Rydon Lane had been approved and implemented through a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) was of sufficient merit to progress the application. The Development Manager Highways and Transport advised that, subject to this proviso, the application could be supported by Devon County Council as Highway Authority.

The City Solicitor and Head of Human Resources advised that if Members were considering approval of the application on that basis, it would also have to be subject to confirmation from Highways England that this did not affect their current recommendation of no objection to the proposal. It was also pointed out that this would require further modelling work by the applicant to demonstrate that there would be no adverse impact on the operation of Junction 30 arising from the introduction of one-way restriction on Old Rydon Lane.

The Principal Project Manager (Development) (MH) advised that a Section 106 Agreement under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 would be required to secure a financial contribution of £40,000 from the applicant to Devon County Council in respect of the TRO relating to the introduction of the partial one-way restriction on Old Rydon Lane together with appropriate conditions.

Members re-iterated their concerns regarding the lack of progress in relation to the completion of a Section 106 Agreement relating to the adjoining land and their desire to reconsider this mater at a future Committee. Officers noted this and undertook to raise the matter with the applicant for that development and bring a report on this issue back to Planning Committee in due course.

RESOLVED that the decision to deal with the application be delegated to the City Development Manager subject to:-

 (a)       a Grampian condition prohibiting implementation of the permission until such time as a TRO relating to the introduction of a partial one-way system of Old Rydon Lane has been agreed and implemented;

 (b)       the proposal in (a) above being to the satisfaction of Highways England who would require modelling of the potential impact of the introduction of a one-way scheme upon the distribution of trips and details of any impact on the operation of Junction 30;

 (c)       the completion of a Section 106 Agreement under the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 securing a contribution of £40,000 from the applicant to Devon County Council in respect of the proposed TRO; and

(d)        conditions to be reported to a Delegation Briefing and subsequently agreed with the Chair of the Planning Committee.