Issue - meetings

Ward

Ashford North & Stanwell South

Proposal

Redevelopment of surplus hospital car park for 127 residential units comprising 123 flats and 4 terraced houses, in buildings ranging from 2 to 5 storeys in height, with associated access, parking, services, facilities and amenity space.

Recommendation

This application is recommended for approval subject to the prior completion of a Legal Agreement.

Description:

Redevelopment of surplus hospital car park for 127 residential units comprising 123 flats and 4 terraced houses, in buildings ranging from 2 to 5 storeys in height, with associated access, parking, services, facilities and amenity space.

Additional Information:

The applicant has agreed to a make a contribution of £45,000 to off-site improvements to existing open spaces in the borough.  The figure of £35,000 at paragraphs 7.52, 7.147 and 9 should be revised to £45,000.

Since publication of the officer’s report the Local Planning Authority has received a consultation response from the Surrey Fire Service.  The Fire Service has objected on the grounds that the existing barrier between the application site and Victory Close would be retained and would restrict access to this road.  The Fire Service advises that there is insufficient detail provided to assess whether it will meet with the access requirements of Approved Document B Section B5 of the Building Regulations when the initial notice is submitted.  The Fire Service advises that a sprinkler, water mist system should be provided.

Officer note: it is considered that the matters relating to fire safety can be dealt with at the Building Regulation stage.

The Local Planning Authority does not have a specific planning policy relating to fire safety.  However, at paragraph 4.27, the Council’s SPD on design states that accessways in excess of 45 metres in length require a width of 4 metres to accommodate a fire engine.  When measured from the proposed site plan, the LPA has calculated that the access throughout the site would exceed 4 metres in width. 

The applicant has also provided a response stating that the barrier has never been in use by the Fire Service when in the previous hospital use.  The applicant also notes that the nearest fire station is located on the A308, and the access to the site would more likely be from London Road/Town Lane.  The applicant has also confirmed that Block A and Block B would both be provided with an automatic sprinkler system and arc fault detection devices, which reduce the risk of fire from appliances.

The applicant has submitted a further ground floor plan for Block C, which when measured from the plan shows that the ground floor unit in this block would exceed the minimum floor space requirements set out in the Technical Housing Standards (March 2015).  Paragraph 7.19 should therefore be revised to state that the ground floor unit in Block C would be in accordance with the minimum floor space requirements for a unit of this size. 

The revised plan also clarifies the garden sizes for the units in Block C, with the LPA calculating that 3 of the units would contain gardens measuring approximately 59m² and one of the gardens would measure in excess of 60m², although the applicant’s architect has stated that their calculations show that the gardens would measure 60m².  As a consequence of this, plan number 1345-DNA-B1-G1-DR-A-1070 Rev P1 should be amended to plan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 523