Agenda item

Ward

Ashford North and Stanwell South

This has been called in by Councillor Buttar as a result of concerns over the impact upon the character of the area.

Proposal

Alterations and extensions to Blocks B and C of Ruxbury Court, including alterations and extensions to the roof, to enable the creation of 3 x 1 bedroom units and 1 x 2 bedroom unit with associated parking and amenity space.

Officer Recommendation

This application is recommended for approval.

Description:

The application sought alterations and extensions to Blocks B and C of Ruxbury Court, including alterations and extensions to the roof, to enable the creation of 3 x 1 bedroom units and 1 x 2 bedroom unit with associated parking and amenity space.

Additional Information:

Kelly Walker, Senior Planning Officer, provided the following updates:

The Council had received one additional letter of representation, which raised concerns that bats are regularly seen flying around the property and this should be investigated further (Officer note: the applicant had submitted a bat survey, which found no evidence of bats roosting at the site).

The officer’s report should also refer to the height of Block C as being approximately 9.2 metres in height instead of 9 metres.

Amended condition (page 67)

8.) after “bird nesting boxes”, add “and bat boxes”

Public Speaking:

In accordance with the Council’s procedure for speaking at meetings, the Committee Manager read a statement submitted by Paul West on behalf of residents against the proposed development which raised the following key points:

·         Increased vehicle movements will cause noise and disturbance to local residents and additional pollution and light nuisance. 

·         The reduced distance from the parking area to the flats will exacerbate the disturbance for residents in Block B.

·         Reduced direct light to Flat 6 to an unacceptable level

·         Reduced amenity area for Ruxbury Court residents

·         Overbearing and will lead to loss of privacy for No 10 and 12 Cumberland Road

·         The proposed 3 storey development would be out of keeping with the neighbourhood

In accordance with the Council’s procedure for speaking at meetings, Rob Nursey spoke for the proposed development raising the following key points:

·         Additional residential units will meet current technical standards

·         This will help to upgrade the existing site

·         Additional parking, new cycle store, amenity store and refuse stores meet the Council’s standards

·         Suggested electric charging points condition welcomed; an internal ASHP will be incorporated, making an improvement of over 34% compared to council requirement of 10%.

·         No roosting bats on site.

·         Meets Council’s core policies to provide additional homes within existing built up area.

·         Daylight factor will not be affected

·         Shadow study shows little effect on surrounding buildings

In accordance with the Council’s procedure for speaking at meetings, Councillor S. Buttar spoke as Ward Councillor against the proposed development raising the following key points:

·         30 letters of objection had been received

·         Adverse impact on the street scene due to increase height and scale, increased dominance, contrary to policy EN1

Debate:

During the debate the following key issues were raised:

·         The ‘tilted balance’ weighs in favour of the development

·         Out of character with the surrounding area

·         Concerned by lack of bedrooms in windows (officer note: the rooms are served by skylights and therefore receive natural light)

·         Breaches the 45° guide (officer note: this is only in respect of a small part of one window)

·         Development is of a reasonable size

·         Loss of open space

·         Concern over inadequate parking

Decision:

The recommendation was overturned and the application was refused for the following reason:

The proposed development, by reason of the scale and height, would fail to respect and make a positive contribution to the street scene and would be out of character with the appearance of the surrounding area, resulting in a development which would be detrimental to the street scene, contrary to policy EN1a) of the Council’s Core Strategy and Policies Development Plan Document 2009.