Agenda and minutes

RESOLVED that the minutes of the meeting held on 7 November 2018 be confirmed.

Please note that, in accordance with the Members' Code of Conduct, when declaring interests members must disclose the existence and nature of the interest, and whether it is a disclosable pecuniary interest (DPI) or personal and/or pecuniary.

Councillor Gary Hewson declared a Personal Interest with regard to the agenda item titled 'Application for Development: De Wint Court, Bowden Drive, Lincoln'.

Reason: He knew one of the residents having submitted a consultee response, however not as a close associate, and he had in no way predetermined his interest on the application to be considered.

Councillor Pat Vaughan declared a Personal Interest with regard to the agenda item titled 'Application for Development: Homebase, Lidl Outlet, Topps Tiles and Part of BHS (Units C, D, E), St Marks Retail Park, Lincoln'.

Reason: He sat as a member on the Internal Drainage Board, one of the statutory consultee's to the planning application.

,The Arboricultural Officer:

a.    advised members of the reasons for proposed works to tree’s in City Council ownership and sought consent to progress the works identified, as detailed at Appendix A of his report

b.    explained that Ward Councillors had been notified of the proposed works

c.    stated that in some cases it was not possible to plant a tree in the exact location and in these cases a replacement would be replanted in the vicinity.

Members asked:

·         Was the extensive tree clearance being carried out this year adjacent to the dam wall classed as planned or a reactive scheme of works?

·         What were Turkey Oaks as referred to within the officer’s report to be felled at Hartsholme Country Park? Would they be replaced with a similar species?

The Arboricultural Officer offered the following points of clarification:

·         He would provide his scheduled annual report on the location of replacement trees to Planning Committee in the New Year.

·         The works down the south side of the dam facing the lake at Hartsholme Park were required to provide clear accessibility for regular engineer inspections of the dam.

·         Turkey Oaks were another species of oak. They were not native trees and would be replaced with English Oaks.

RESOLVED that the works set out in the schedule at Appendix A attached to the report be approved.

The Planning Manager:

a)    advised that planning permission was sought for the demolition of existing buildings and development of the site for purpose built student accommodation with commercial floor space, car parking, cycle storage and associated landscaping

b)    described the location of the application site within the south western corner of the wider redevelopment area encompassing the St. Marks Retail Park and Shopping Centre

c)    reported that the site was formerly occupied by the Homebase, Lidl Outlet and Topps Tiles units and part of the BHS unit having a surface parking area in the foreground

d)    highlighted that prior approval had already been granted for the demolition of the units which was now underway

e)    referred to application number 2018/0655/FUL for 1, 372 bed spaces of student accommodation which was considered at Planning Committee on 12 September 2018, with planning permission refused due to the following reason:

·         “the design of the proposal is contrary to Lincoln’s setting and character, and therefore contrary to Policies LP25, LP26, and LP29 of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan”

f)     reported that this application again was for the erection of ten blocks of student accommodation, varying in height from four to ten storeys, for a total of 1,372 bed spaces in clusters with shared living spaces

g)    stated that the main vehicular access for the site would be from the current service yard access at Firth Road, which joined Tritton Road at the traffic light controlled intersection with Beevor Street

h)    reported that access lead into the site for servicing purposes although it was primarily for the collection of refuse from storage areas adjacent and the drop off point for students

i)     highlighted that between the student accommodation blocks would be a series of spaces with seating, landscaping and cycle stores, which would ultimately permit public access from outside the site through to the remainder of the St Marks development

j)     provided details of the policies pertaining to the application, as follows:

·         Policy LP1: A Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development;

·         Policy LP2: The Spatial Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy;

·         Policy LP3: Level and Distribution of Growth;

·         Policy LP5: Delivering Prosperity and Jobs;

·         Policy LP6: Retail and Town Centres in Central Lincolnshire;

·         Policy LP7: A Sustainable Visitor Economy;

·         Policy LP9: Health and Wellbeing;

·         Policy LP13: Accessibility and Transport;

·         Policy LP14: Managing Water Resources and Flood Risk;

·         Policy LP16: Development on Land Affected by Contamination;

·         Policy LP17: Landscape, Townscape and Views;

·         Policy LP21: Biodiversity and Geodiversity;

·         Policy LP24: Creation of New Open Space, Sports and Recreation Facilities;

·         Policy LP25: The Historic Environment;

·         Policy LP26: Design and Amenity;

·         Policy LP29: Protecting Lincoln’s Setting and Character;

·         Policy LP31: Lincoln’s Economy;

·         Policy LP33: Lincoln’s City Centre Primary Shopping Area and Central Mixed Use Area;

·         Policy LP36: Access and Movement within the Lincoln Area;

·         Policy LP37: Sub-Division and Multi-Occupation of Dwellings within Lincoln;

·         National Planning Policy Framework.

k)    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise

l)     referred to the update sheet which contained an additional neighbour response received in respect  ...  view the full minutes text for item 51.

The Planning Team Leader:

a.    advised that planning permission was sought for the demolition of De Wint Court, Bowden Drive and the erection of a replacement three and two storey extra care facility comprising 50 one bed apartments and 20 two bed apartments, also supported accommodation facilities; a restaurant, hair salon and lounge, with a new car park layout and areas of hard and soft landscaping

b.    highlighted that the extra care use was intended to bridge the gap between ordinary/sheltered housing and residential care

c.    described the location of the application site organised in a U-Shape with the principal elevation to the north, opposite the access to the rear of properties on De Wint Avenue, the communal facilities positioned centrally within the front portion of the building with the residential accommodation within the wings to the south

d.    reported that prior to the application being submitted the agent had held extensive pre-application discussions with officers and also engaged with the local community through public consultation exercises in June and August this year; some of the key changes made to the scheme as a result of this involved an increase in the number of parking spaces from 24 to 35, a reduction in the ridge height of the building by 1m, dropping the height at the end of the wing fronting Bowden Drive to two storey and moving the building further away from Bowden Drive and the southern boundary

e.    reported that the site currently accommodated the vacant, two storey building to be demolished which provided 37 sheltered accommodation bedsits, common rooms, a hair salon and laundrette

f.     confirmed that in addition to the application receiving more than four objections, the site was in the ownership of the City of Lincoln Council and therefore was being presented to Members of the Planning Committee for consideration and determination 

g.    provided details of the policies pertaining to the application, as follows:

·         Policy LP1     A Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development

·         Policy LP2     The Spatial Strategy and Settlement Hierarchy

·         Policy LP9     Health and Wellbeing

·         Policy LP10   Meeting Accommodation Needs

·         Policy LP12   Infrastructure to Support Growth

·         Policy LP13   Accessibility and Transport

·         Policy LP26   Design and Amenity

·         National Planning Policy Framework

h.    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise

i.      referred to the update sheet which contained an additional recommended condition from the City Council’s Arboricultural Officer requiring the submission of an Arboricultural Method Statement relating to the retained trees to include exact details of construction and tree protection measures

j.      advised that a request had been made by NHS England facilitating the need for the signing of an S106 agreement for a financial contribution towards demands on existing doctors facilities, which was the subject of negotiation

k.    advised members of the main issues to be considered as part of the application as follows:

·         Principle of Use

·         Visual Amenity

·         Residential Amenity

·         Access, Parking and Highways

·         Drainage and Flood Risk

·         Trees and Landscaping

l.      concluded that:

·         The principle of the use of the site was  ...  view the full minutes text for item 52.

The Planning Team Leader:

a.    advised that planning permission was sought for the installation of 6 storage units to house a total of 18 mobility scooters for residents within City Council sheltered accommodation, within Broomhill and Sorrel Court

b.    highlighted that residents were currently storing their mobility scooters in communal areas within the building which was inadequate

c.    reported that as the sheltered accommodation was within City Council ownership with the City Council as the applicant, the application was required to be decided by Planning Committee.

d.    provided details of the policies pertaining to the application, as follows:

·         Policy LP26   Design and Amenity

·         National Planning Policy Framework

e.    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise

f.     referred to the update sheet which contained photographs and plans relating to the proposed development

g.    advised members of the main issues to be considered as part of the application as follows:

·         Relevant Planning Policy

·         Impact on Residential Amenity

·         Impact on Visual Amenity

·         Highway Safety

h.    concluded that the proposal to install mobile scooter stores would not have a detrimental impact on residential or visual amenity, in accordance with Policy LP26 of the Central Lincolnshire Local Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework.

Members discussed the content of the report in further detail:

RESOLVED, that planning permission be granted subject to the following conditions:

Standard Conditions

01)      The development must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this permission.

            Reason: As required by Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

02)      With the exception of the detailed matters referred to by the conditions of this consent, the development hereby approved shall be carried out in accordance with the drawings listed within Table A below.

            The works shall be carried out in accordance with the details shown on the approved plans and in any other approved documents forming part of the application.

            Reason: To ensure the development proceeds in accordance with the approved plans.

Conditions to be discharged before commencement of works

            None.

Conditions to be discharged before use is implemented

            None.

Conditions to be adhered to at all times

            None.

The above recommendation has been made in accordance with the submitted drawings identified below:

The Planning Manager:

a.    presented the Lincoln High Street Character Appraisal to seek Planning Committee’s endorsement to adopt this document as formal supplementary planning guidance, prior to referral to Executive for approval

b.    advised that in order to achieve the successful management of the 11 conservation areas within the City Council’s administrative boundary, they should be periodically appraised in terms of their special character and appearance

c.    stated that in considering how to approach the first appraisal, it was felt that the High Street was an appropriate place to start because of its significance and importance as the principal commercial zone within the City

d.    advised that the area appraised commenced at the bottom of The Strait and terminated at Monson Street. incorporating parts of 3 current conservation areas; Cathedral and City Centre No1, West Parade and Brayford No6 and St Peter-at-Gowts No2

e.    emphasised that the appraisal provided valuable information which could be taken into account when submitting and considering planning applications to inform what proposals and development should come forward in the interests of the proper planning of the area

f.     advised that the document did not replace the current conservation area designations or create a new conservation area; it was intended as a supplementary document to provide valuable context to the reason why those areas had been designated conservation areas in the first place and provide an important character assessment of Lincoln’s High Street

g.    requested Members support to the adoption of the attached ‘Lincoln High Street Character Appraisal’ document as formal guidance, commissioned by the City of Lincoln Council and carried out by a planning and conservation consultant, prior to referral to the City Council’s Executive for approval.

Members considered the content of the report in further detail. The following questions emerged from discussions held:

·         Who decided where the area appraisal commenced and ended? Were members’ points of view taken into account?

·         Had members of Historic Environment Advisory Panel been consulted?

Councillor Hewson moved that the appraisal area be extended to the lower High Street.

The Planning Manager offered the following points of clarification to assist members in their deliberations:

·         The extent of the appraisal area was determined to make it manageable in order to apply for funding streams.

·         In due course the review may form the basis of the formal conservation area renewal process.

·         All other areas including the lower High Street would also be appraised.

·         The process would be rolled out reviewing conservation areas across the whole city.

·         The footprint chosen made sense as a character area.

·         The area had been chosen by officers as it was manageable. It was within the gift of members to make changes to this decision if they were so minded.

·         A view had been taken that Monson Street was at the far limit to which the appraisal area could stretch and there had to be a cut off at some point.

·         Larger areas were more expensive to review.

·         The area was chosen using the expertise of the Principal  ...  view the full minutes text for item 54.