Agenda item

The Assistant Director for Planning:

a.    described the location of the application as being to the west of Tritton Road, accessed via Moorland Way with the ‘entry only’ access off Moorland Way also serving the Elite Fish and Chip Shop restaurant, located to the south east of the application site, as well as the Marks and Spencers Foodhall and Co-operative Travel, located to the south west. The exit from the main car park, which could also be used as an access, was located to the west of the site, adjacent to the Marks and Spencers Foodhall. The exit returned customers onto Moorland Way, which looped around the rear, north west and side, north east and of the application site.

b.    advised that planning permission was sought for the demolition of the existing Moorland Centre to provide a foodstore (Use Class E), two retail units (Use Class E) and a drive-thru restaurant (Use Class E)/ The application also proposed alterations to the existing car park, the creation of a new car park and associated external works, including landscaping.

c.    reported that the existing Moorland Centre building was vacant, formerly occupied by Downtown, and sat at the north corner of the application site with the existing car park to the south. The proposed foodstore, to be occupied by Aldi, and adjoining retail units would also sit towards the north corner of the site but would have a significantly smaller footprint than the existing building. This would allow a new car park to be provided to the front, south east of the building and an additional access point from Moorland Way. The proposed drive-thru restaurant would be located beyond the car park, adjacent to the existing access. It was proposed that the works would be constructed in two phases, with phase one comprising the Aldi foodstore, drive-thru restaurant and associated car park and landscaping works. Phase two, the two retail units, would be constructed at a later date once interest had been confirmed.

d.    reported that along Moorland Way were a number of mixed use industrial and commercial units. To the north east, off Moorland Close, was Lindis Retail Park, which accommodated Sainsburys, Matalan, The Food Warehouse (Iceland) and Bargain Buys, along with McDonalds and Dominos Pizza. To the south of the site were properties on Parksgate Avenue with further residential properties on Middlebrook Road, on the opposite side of Tritton Road.

e.    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 LP6 – Retail and Town Centres in Central Lincolnshire;

·         Policy LP13 – Accessibility and Transport;

·         Policy LP16 – Development on Land Affected by Contamination;

·         Policy LP26 – Design and Amenity;

·         National Planning Policy Framework.

f.     advised members of the main issues to be considered as part of the application to assess the proposal with regard to:

·         policy context, principle and sequential test;

·         visual amenity;

·         impact on residential amenity and neighbouring issues;

·         access, parking and highways;

·         flood risk and drainage;

·         contaminated land.

g.    outlined the responses made to the consultation exercise.

h.    concluded that the principle of the uses on this unallocated site were considered to be acceptable and the application had demonstrated that it had met the policy requirements of the sequential and retail impact tests. The layout, scale and design of the development was acceptable, complimenting the architectural style of the local surroundings. It was not considered that the amenities of neighbouring residential properties or neighbouring uses would be unduly harmed by the proposal. Technical matters relating to highways, surface water drainage, foul water drainage and contamination had been appropriately considered by the relevant statutory consultees and could be dealt with as necessary by condition. The proposal would therefore be in accordance with the requirements of Central Lincolnshire Local Plan Policies LP1, LP2, LP6, LP13, LP16, LP26 as well as guidance within the National Planning Policy Framework.

Members discussed the content of the report in further detail. The following comments or questions emerged:

·         the proposal consisted of a similar use and similar dwelling, which could have taken the form of the existing structure but instead was seeking to demolish the existing building and re-design the way it worked, incorporating a drive-thru restaurant;

·         concerns had been expressed regarding traffic and congestion from local businesses and residents, but no objections on highways matters had been received from the Highways Authority;

·         it was reassuring that there were limits on the type and amount of goods that the foodstore would be able to sell in order to protect retail in the city centre;

·         Aldi had confirmed that it would undertake a local recruitment drive to ensure that local people were provided with employment opportunities, which was very pleasing to see, particularly given that Birchwood and Moorland wards were some of the highest areas of multiple deprivation in the country;

·         proposals relating to landscaping were welcomed and it was pleasing that this would include, where practical, shrubbery or trees within the car park itself to break up such a large and remote area of tarmac. This would make the site much more attractive;

·         it was unclear how the drive-thru restaurant would operate in terms of the entrances used and whether it would consist of a one-way or two way system. The entrances to the site from Tritton Road and off Moorland Way already experienced significant traffic movements at peaks times;

·         it was important that any decisions in relation to landscaping took into account appropriate conditions for maintenance;

·         appropriate conditions should ensure sympathetic signage was erected as part of the development;

·         large car parks often attracted anti-social behaviour at night so clarity was sought as to whether the existing barrier would continue to be used.

The Assistant Director provided the following comments in response to the points and questions raised by members of the Committee:

·         in terms of employment, Aldi’s response and reassurance in that respect regarding opportunities for local people was very positive;

·         the drive-thru restaurant would still operate as a one-way system, utilising the north east side entrance onto the site;

·         the Highways Authority had undertaken a transport assessment and safety of the scheme from a highways perspective. No objections had been received to the proposed development in that respect;

·         the applicant had confirmed their intention to break up the car park with landscaping. Officers would liaise with the applicant as part of the conditions to agree upon species, size and maintenance in respect of any shrubbery and trees included as part of the development;

·         local residents had also raised the use of a security barrier to mitigate against potential anti-social behaviour on the car park. It was proposed that the barrier to the car park would be put in place after the units on the site closed each day.

RESOLVED that the application be granted conditionally, subject to the following conditions:

·         Time limit of the permission;

·         Development in accordance with approved plans;

·         Details of materials;

·         Site levels and finished floor levels;

·         Contamination;

·         Surface water drainage scheme;

·         Foul water drainage scheme;

·         Assessment of off-site impact of lighting;

·         Landscaping;

·         Tree protection measures;

·         Details of an electric vehicle charging scheme;

·         Details of any extraction/filtration systems associated with the drive-thru use;

·         Restriction on retail use;

·         Restriction on opening hours of retail and drive-thru units;

·         Restriction on hours for delivery and waste collections;

·         Hours of construction/delivery.