Agenda item

To consider the report of the Strategic Director for Place.

Councillor Asvachin declared a non-pecuniary interest and left the meeting as a Committee Member during consideration of the item. Councillor Asvachin, having registered to speak under Standing Order No. 44 and returned to speak during the Member and public speaking section of the item and left the meeting after speaking.

The Assistant Service Lead – Development Management (Major Projects) presented the application for the redevelopment of the existing Wonford Sports Centre and Community and Learning Centre, including the demolition of the existing gym, Phoenix Centre and Outdoor changing rooms and construction of a new hub and FA changing facilities. The new Hub would also accommodate a cafe area, changing facilities, studio, and gym.

Members received a presentation which included:-

·         the site location and context;

·         location plan;

·         an aerial view;

·         photos of the existing building and view;

·         the proposed ground floor and mezzanine;

·         the proposed north, east, south, and west elevations;

·         the proposed landscape plan;

·         axonometric and illustrative views;

·         the planning balance; and

·         the recommendation.

The Assistant Service Lead – Development Management (Major Projects), responded to questions from Members as follows:-

·         this was a full application and existing solar panels would be retained, with additional panels also being added;

·         existing gas boilers would also be retained due to their age, and improvements to the building's thermal dynamics would be made. The design also allowed for future connection to the local energy network;

·         although the image was illustrative, the submitted layout plan showed the actual number of disabled parking spaces;

·         the Police Designing Out Crime Officer recommendations included CCTV, square drain pipes, and flush doors and there would be no issue in including a condition for these details;

·         sports pitches were not included in the application;

·         changing the material from red brick to another type could have visual benefits, however if Members were minded to condition the Police Designing Out Crime Officer recommendations, antisocial behaviour issues would be covered;

·         policies did not specify a number for EV charging points, but there were two spaces available in the scheme with a condition for their provision;

·         confirmation was needed on whether there were accessible changing rooms;

·         the boundary treatment provided a guardrail to indicate public and private spaces;

·         the impact of the cafe viability and removing seating was expected to be minor;

·         the car park footprint and number of spaces remained unchanged; and

·         no additional information was available on proposals to encourage inclusiveness as part of the scheme.

Speaking under Standing Order 44, Councillor Asvachin made reference to:-

·         after many years and consultations, the final plan application was welcomed;

·         the Wonford Community Centre, operated a wide variety of clubs and activities, a friendly café  providing a social lifestyle for Wonford residents;

·         the building was in urgent need of updating, notably the heating and leaks;

·         if approved the updates would commence as soon as funding was provided; and

·         a lot of work had been undertaken between, the planning team, the trustees, and the community to move this forward and it was hoped Members would support the application.

In responses to questions from Members, Councillor Asvachin made the following further comments:-

·         several consultations had been held, starting before the COVID Pandemic, which included resident sounding boards, open days, and social media to gather community input; and

·         funding was the primary concern for residents and Trustees. A full-sized football pitch would be welcomed but was not feasible due to space constraints.

During the debate, Members expressed the following views:-

·         there was concern about crime and antisocial behaviour in the area and the need to include the recommendations from the Police Designing Out Crime Officer as a condition to address these concerns;

·         concerns about funding availability;

·         was there a potential for a phased development approach with funding and delivery?

·         there appeared to be insufficient accessible parking and electric vehicle charging points, with the recommendation only including one double electric charging point for two cars;

·         the improvements to biodiversity were welcomed;

·         recessed doorways and access control were raised were potential issues relating to the crime measures on the design; and

·         the Planning Committee needed to consider all aspects of the application, rather focus solely on anti-social behaviour.

The Strategic Director for Place made the following concluding points:

·         there was a further design stage (RIBA stage 4) which would be fully funded to provide detailed engineering plans before going to tender; and

·         the comments from the Police Designing Out Crime Officer were advisory and could be considered as planning condition to ensure safety and security in building design stage.

Councillor Hughes proposed and Councillor Pole seconded that a condition be added to include additional security measures as recommended by the Police Designing Out Crime Officer.

The Strategic Director for Place advised that the exact wording of this additional condition could be delegated to Planning Officers, in consultation with the Chair for inclusion in the decision notice, should Members be minded to grant planning permission. The reasoning of the condition would be in accordance with Members comments. It was noted that RIBA stage four, would be where the issues raised would be considered.

During the debate on the amendment Members expressed the following views:-

·         there was concern about the potential financial implications later in the process and there needed to be an allowance for design variance for later in the process;

·         the planning committee needed to ensure there was still room for sensible planning considerations going forward to incorporate the Police Designing Out Crime Officer recommendations without imposing restrictions;

·         it was noted that the plan showed 12 out of 18 spaces were for disabled parking;

·         it was suggested that wording of the amendment should be kept vague to allow for future design improvements; and

·         full consideration should be given to police recommendations, but the amendment process could proceed if the proposer and seconder agree for the exact wording to be finalised by officers in consultation with the Chair.

Cllr Hughes advised that the additional security measures listed, were for public understanding, rather than a directive for inclusion in the amendment. Cllr Hughes emphasised trust in the Strategic Director for Place and the officers to appropriately word the planning conditions.

The Chair moved and Councillor Patrick seconded the recommendation and inclusion of the amendment, which was voted upon and CARRIED as amended.

RESOLVED that planning permission for the refurbishment of the existing Wonford Sports Centre and Community and Learning Centre, including the demolition of the existing gym, Phoenix Centre and Outdoor changing rooms and construction of a new hub and FA changing facilities. The new Hub would also accommodate a cafe area, changing facilities, studio and gym be approved subject to the conditions set out in the report update sheet and as amended during the meeting.