Agenda item

Construction of a discount food store (Use Class E) with car parking, landscaping works, and other associated works, following the demolition of the existing building.

Recommendation: Refusal

RESOLVED: That the application be refused as per officers’ recommendations

Construction of a discount food store (Use Class E) with car parking, landscaping works, and other associated works, following the demolition of the existing building.

Officers introduced the application.

Councillor Peter Smallwood addressed the Committee as Ward Councillor:

• 1,751 residents had signed the petition in objection to the proposal, one of the largest planning related petitions the Council had received in decades, showing the strength of opinion
• The heritage of Ruislip was important, and The Orchard was now locally listed
• Councillor Smallwood thanked Lidl for their openness throughout the process
• The Orchard was once a refuge and a social haven for Polish airmen and there was a spitfire memorial in the garden
• The proposal itself was flawed on multiple fronts including highways and road safety
• There was a five-way roundabout and there was the potential for vehicles overhanging the roundabout
• Delivery vehicles reversing through the car park or mounting the pavement could be dangerous
• The car park was not in line with sustainable travel targets of outer London
• The proposed development was not air quality neutral
• The drainage consultation raised specific unresolved concerns particularly regarding runoff
• There would be a loss of biodiversity
• If this application was approved, a connection to the past would be lost
• The Committee was urged to support officers’ recommendations of refusal

Councillor Philip Corthorne addressed the Committee as Ward Councillor:

• Councillor Corthorne clarified that he was speaking only in his capacity as Ward Councillor
• Officers were commended for their report, which highlighted the many ways in which the proposal failed from a planning policy perspective, including highways, site heritage, policy conflict impacts on the existing street scene, and residential amenity
• Planning refusals must be robust
• The Ward Councillors had met many residents in recent months about this proposal, and the 1,700+ petition signatures were highlighted, showing the strength of local opinion
• Any proposal must be appropriate for the site and respect its heritage, something which this application failed to do
• Residents were thanked for supporting the petition
• The Polish Armed Forces 303 squadron association was noted for their support
• The Committee was urged to support officers’ recommendations of refusal

Councillor John Riley addressed the Committee as Ward Councillor:

• There had been more engagement on this issue than almost any other
• The feeling locally was very strong in opposition
• There was another Lidl on Victoria Road in South Ruislip and one in Uxbridge
• There were also many similar shops in Ruislip High Street, and the need for an additional store was questioned
• The principal objection was highways
• The five-way roundabout was noted and often contributed to traffic congestion
• Officers were commended for their report

Members noted the strength of opinion through the number of petition signatures; the number of separate objections received; and the objection of the three Ward Councillors. There were substantial reasons for refusal.

Members noted that while some of the points raised were not material planning considerations, officers had done a good job in highlighting issues.

Members suggested that too much would be lost for little gain if the application was approved.

Officers’ recommendations were moved, seconded and, when put to a vote, unanimously agreed.

RESOLVED: That the application be refused as per officers’ recommendations