Agenda item

Residential redevelopment of the site to provide 23 x 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats with associated access, parking and amenity areas.

Residential redevelopment of the site to provide 23 x 1, 2 and 3 bedroom flats with associated access, parking and amenity areas.

Officers introduced the report and directed Members to note the changes set out in the addendum circulated at the meeting.

In recommendation 2, second line after the words, 'before the'; '31^st' was changed to '30^th'.

A Member highlighted that no charging point had been allocated in the disabled parking spaces and given the layout of the parking; a disable person would find it difficult to manoeuvre in the event of their battery running out.  Officers advised that the legislation did not distinguish between able bodied and disable people.

The Highway Engineer advised that the electrical charging points were standard with 2 active and 6 passive charging spaces and confirmed that there was adequate turning point for disabled users. 

Members noted that this was not the normal practice and acknowledged that the Council had no policy against the standard practice for allocating electrical charging points.  Officers suggested that the issue would be raised with the Policy Team in order to incorporate this issue in the Develop Management Policy. Officers further clarified that there was no correlation between wheelchair design and electric vehicle charging.

A Member added that it would not be unreasonable for the Committee to ask for additional charging points to be provided. Officers added that if the members considered that additional charging points should be made available, Condition 5 in the addendum could be amended to include this. The Committee advised that Condition 5 should be amended to include additional charging points.

The recommendation with amendment to Condition 5 (in the addendum) was moved, seconded and on being put to the vote was agreed.

Resolved

That delegated powers be given to the Head of Planning, Green Spaces and Culture to grant planning permission, subject to the following:

1. That the Council enter into a legal agreement with the applicants under Section 106/Unilateral Undertaking of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) or other appropriate legislation to secure:

1.    Affordable housing;

2.    Highways: S278/S38 Agreement to reinstate the public footway where the existing accesses would be closed on Botwell Lane, Printing House Lane and Golden Crescent;

3.    Education contribution - £62,385;

4.     Health: A financial contribution equal to £216.67 x 47.5 = £10,291.83;

5.    Libraries: A financial contribution equal to £23 x 47.5 = £1092.5;

6.    Construction training - £2500 per £1m build cost plus Coordinator Cost: 22/160 x £71,675 or in kind scheme;

7.    Tree planting within the highway;

8.    Project Management & Monitoring fee: A financial contribution equal to 5% of the total cash contributions.

2. That if any of the heads of terms set out above have not been agreed and the S106 legal agreement has not been finalised before the 30^th June 2014, or any other period deemed appropriate that delegated authority be given to the Head of Planning, Green Spaces and Culture to refuse the application for the following reason:

'The applicant has failed to provide a commensurate package of planning benefits to maximise the health and social benefits, namely affordable housing, highway improvements, education contribution, health, libraries, construction training, tree planting within the highway and project management of the scheme to the community. The proposal therefore conflicts with Policy R17 of the Hillingdon Local Plan: Part Two - Saved UDP Policies (November 2012).'

3. That the applicant meets the Council's reasonable costs in the preparation of the S106 Agreement and any abortive work as a result of the agreement not being completed.

4. That subject to the above, the application be deferred for determination by the Head of Planning, Green Spaces and Culture under delegated powers, subject to the completion of the legal agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and other appropriate powers with the applicant.

5. That officers be authorised to negotiate and agree the detailed terms of the proposed agreement.

6. That on completion of the S106 Agreement, the application be deferred for determination by the Head of Planning, Green Spaces and Culture under delegated powers.

7. That if the application is approved, the conditions and informatives set out in the officer's report be attached.