Agenda and minutes

Venue: Rennes Room, Civic Centre, Paris Street, Exeter

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

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Items
No. Item

37.

Minutes pdf icon PDF 791 KB

To approve and sign the minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2022.

 

 

Minutes:

The minutes of the meeting held on 5 September 2022 were taken as read, approved and signed by the Chair as correct.

 

38.

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:

No declarations of interest were made by Members.

 

 

39.

Planning Application No. 21/1564/OUT - Former Police Station and Magistrates Court, Heavitree Road, Exeter pdf icon PDF 218 KB

To consider the report of the Director City Development.

 

 

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Director of City Development reported that on 5 September 2022 Members resolved that the above application be deferred and that he had been asked to report back to this Planning Committee with full technical reasons for refusal for the areas set out below:

 

·         height, massing, design, siting and landscaping of the development having an adverse impact on the surrounding buildings and the street scene of the Heavitree Road approach into the City Centre;

·         insufficient usable external amenity space for both the Co-living and Purpose Built Student Accommodation (PBSA) accommodation blocks, allied to a failure to adequately acknowledge the wider impact on amenity space in the surrounding residential areas and also the substandard quality and amenity space offered as part of the living accommodation within the Co-Living block itself; and

·         loss of trees and biodiversity.

 

Accordingly, the following technical reasons for refusal were recommended:-

 

1.    The proposed development would harm the character of the area, including the streetscenes along Heavitree Road and Gladstone Road, and the setting of the locally listed St Luke’s College buildings, by virtue of the height and massing of the two buildings, which would be of a far greater scale than the majority of buildings in the area, and their siting in close proximity to the pavement and not in keeping with the sub-urban street scene. The proposed development is therefore contrary to Policy CP17 of the Core Strategy, which requires all proposals for development to complement or enhance Exeter’s character and local identity, saved Policies H5 and DG1 of the Exeter Local Plan First Review 1995-2011, and paragraphs 130 and 197c) of the NPPF (2021).

 

2.    The proposed development would harm the amenity, privacy and outlook of the adjacent residential properties, particularly in Higher Summerlands, due to the height, scale and massing of the proposed buildings and their siting in close proximity to the properties taking into account their designs. The proposed development is therefore contrary to saved Policies H5(a) and DG4(b) of the Exeter Local Plan First Review 1995-2011, and paragraph 130f) of the NPPF (2021).

 

3.    The proposed development would have a limited amount of external amenity space for use by the high number of residents of the two buildings and the external amenity space proposed in the form of the internal courtyards would be poor quality due to the overbearing design of the proposed buildings. In addition, the small size of the studios within the Co-Living block combined with the amount of internal, shared communal space within the building would provide a poor living environment for residents that would have a negative impact on their health and well-being. The proposed development is therefore contrary to saved Policy DG4(b) of the Exeter Local Plan First Review 1995-2011 and paragraph 130e) and f) of the NPPF (2021).

 

4.    Notwithstanding the applicant’s agreement to pay £472,995 for the maintenance and upgrade of off-site public open spaces serving the development (to be spent on upgrades to Exeter City Council parks) and £121,095 for the  ...  view the full minutes text for item 39.

40.

Planning Application No. 22/0236/FUL and 22/0237/LBC - The Royal Clarence Hotel, Cathedral Yard, Exeter

Minutes:

The Assistant Service Lead Development Management (Major Projects), presented the planning application and listed building consent for the reconstruction and extension of building (including partial demolition and repair of remaining building fabric) following extensive fire damage to create commercial food and beverage units at ground floor and residential units from first to fifth floor.

 

The Assistant Service Lead Development Management (Major Projects),     described the location of the site through photos of the site showing the proposed new development and perspective views from the surroundings including other parts of Cathedral Yard. He set out the timeline since the fire and explained the relationship of the site to its immediate neighbouring properties and to their listed designation, and also to the wider area being located within Central Conservation Area and the Area of Archaeological Importance.In regard to the listed buildings, he explained through photos of the fire damage that the works proposed were justified as having special regard to the desirability of preserving remaining building fabric on the site including that of Martin’s Lane and the substantial public benefits of the proposed development.

 

The report also setting out the following key elements:-

 

·         the principle of development;

·         design and density;

·         impact on heritage assets;

·         access and parking;

·         residential amenity of proposed apartments and impact on amenity of surroundings;

·         affordable housing/viability;

·         planning technical issues; and

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

 

The Assistant Service Lead Development Management (Major Projects),         explained that the site comprised Cathedral Yard (formerly The Well House Tavern) to the north of Cathedral Green. The complex of buildings that formed the hotel and adjoining public house had suffered a significant fire in 2016 resulting in the loss of the majority of the building fabric on site. The remaining building structures on site had been made safe and salvage/recording operations associated with the necessary partial demolition of unsafe remains carried out under listed building consent. His report set out the planning history following the fire and the various planning applications received to date.

 

The Assistant Service Lead Development Management (Major Projects), advised that the proposal was to reconstruct and extend the building, including the partial demolition and repair of the remaining building fabric, to provide commercial food and beverage units (Class E(b)) on the ground floor/basement level and residential units (Class C3) on the floors above. 23 apartments (including 3 duplex apartments) will be provided in total, comprising: 15 no. 2-beds and 8 no. 3-beds. The residential units were proposed as 100% market housing. The residential units would be provided over five floors, three of which plus a first floor mezzanine would sit behind the reconstructed Cathedral Yard and Martin’s Lane elevations of the former building, and with a modern, aluminium-clad mansard above, which would be setback from the front elevation. The mansard would contain the fourth and fifth floors, the fifth being much smaller, only containing the living accommodation of a duplex apartment and setback into the northwest corner of the site. In  ...  view the full minutes text for item 40.

41.

List of Decisions Made and Withdrawn Applications pdf icon PDF 124 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.

 

42.

Appeals Report pdf icon PDF 198 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.

 

 

43.

SITE INSPECTION PARTY

To advise that the next Site Inspection Party will be held on Tuesday 1 November 2022 at 9.30 a.m.  The Councillors attending will be Councillors Morse, Newby and Snow.

 

Minutes:

RESOLVED that the next Site Inspection Party will be held on Tuesday 1 November 2022 at 9.30 a.m. The Councillors attending will be Councillors Morse and Snow and one other.