Decision details

The Committee received a report for two full planning applications for the proposed Cambridge North Rail Station with associated infrastructure.

 

The Committee noted revised conditions and a neighbour representation on the amendment sheet published pre-committee and the revised amendment sheet tabled 19 August 2015 which amended SCDC condition 22 and City condition 17 as follows (additional text was underlined).

 

SCDC condition 22

 

No development shall commence, except for underground enabling works, until an Operational Noise Management Plan (ONMP) for the operational phase of the development has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The ONMP shall include: noise sources; the time, duration and frequency of noise occurrences; noise control measures; noise levels to be achieved at the boundary of the site; methods to monitor noise and report the findings; reports of mitigation measures undertaken on site; procedures to accept investigate and resolve noise complaints. The approved plan shall be implemented in full. 

 

Reason: To safeguard and protect the amenity of nearby sensitive receptors in accordance with policies NE/15 and DP/6 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework Development Control Policies (Adopted July 2007) and policy 3/11 of the Cambridge City Council Local Plan (2006).

 

Cambridge City Council condition 17

 

Prior to the occupation of the development the details in drawings:

CSPSIAW-ATK-HGN-00-DR-D-0001 Rev P06 Cowley Road Pedestrian / cycleway access – Planning condition 25 Drawing (Sheet 1 of 2)

CSPSIAW-ATK-HGN-00-DR-D-0002 Rev P05 Cowley Road Pedestrian / Cycleway Access – Planning condition 25 Drawing (Sheet 2 of 2)

CSPSIAW-ATK-HGN-00-DR-D-0006 Rev P03 Access at Nuffield Road Allotment for Planning Condition 25

NUFFIELDCLOSE/001 Rev A Planning Condition 25 Access from Industrial Estate to Busway

CSI/MOSSBANK/001 Rev B Planning Condition 25 Moss Bank Foot/Cycleway Access

Shall be implemented in full including a route to a minimum width of 2.5 metres along Cowley Road.

 

Reason: In the interests of highway safety and to mitigate the impact of travel to the development in accordance with policies DP/1, DP/2, DP/3, TR/1, TR/2 and TR/4 of the South Cambridgeshire Local Development Framework Development Control Policies (Adopted July 2007) and policies 8/2, 8/3 and 8/4 of the Cambridge City council Local Plan (2006).

 

The Committee received a representation from Sean McGrath on behalf of The Crown Estate who own and manage the Cambridge Business Park.

 

The representation covered the following issues:

i.             Supported the principle of a new train station but had concerns that some detailed matters would be overlooked for example the access to and from the Business Park to the new station needed to be accessible to pedestrians and cyclists.

ii.            South Cambridgeshire District Council Officers preferred an informative rather than a condition for Network Rail to facilitate a link to the Business Park, expressed concern as an informative could be ignored.

iii.           There was already a Grampian condition for the maintenance track to be made into a cycle link, requested the condition was amended to ensure that Network Rail had to work with The Crown Estates to deliver access in accordance with The Crown Estates planning consent and to ensure that there was no ransom position.  

 

Mr Seamark (Applicant’s Agent) addressed the Committee in support of the application.

 

The Committee made the following comments in relation to the report.

i.             Requested clarification what a Grampian condition was and asked whether there was any objection to the amendment requested by The Crown Estate.

ii.            Asked whether there were any comments from the Quality Control Panel.

iii.           Questioned how far disabled parking spaces were from the station entrance and why there were no litter bins at the station.

iv.          Expressed concern that individuals would park in the side roads close to the train station rather than parking at the train station car park.

v.           Expressed concern regarding access arrangements.

vi.          Expressed concern regarding surface water drainage and air quality.

vii.         Queried the number of trains that would call or stop at the train station.

 

In response to Members’ questions the Senior Planning Officer (SCDC), the Team Leader (SCDC) and Legal Advisor said the following:

i.             A Grampian condition was used to deal with an issue which arose outside of the red line application site.  The test for a Grampian condition was that the condition was necessary, precise and reasonable.

ii.            There were several reasons why the condition requested by The Crown Estates had not been taken forward the first was that access to the site was controlled by a swipe card and the second was that it was considered that the condition did not meet the necessity test.

iii.           The application did not go back to the Quality Control Panel for consideration as the design of the building was the same as the extant permission.

iv.          There were 24 disabled parking spaces, the majority of which were within 50 metres of the station entrance; there would also be seating areas between the parking spaces and the station entrance in accordance with the British Standard.

v.           Litter bins were not provided at the station due to safety concerns.  Condition 34 of the application specifically related to litter management. 

vi.          The parking provision on the application site was 450 spaces, which was considered to be sufficient and was the same as the extant permission. The s106 agreement provided that an assessment of any displacement parking was carried out prior to and after the development had been constructed.  If any impact was identified then Cambridgeshire County Council would work with Network Rail to resolve. 

vii.         Access arrangements had not been agreed with Network Rail, a condition had been proposed which required details of the disabled access arrangements to be approved.

viii.       Surface water drainage information had been submitted to the Council, which did not meet the requirements of the proposed condition. There was a move away from infiltration to permeable paving which would be tanked. The condition for surface water drainage required a lot more information to be submitted before it could be discharged. 

ix.          Air quality was addressed within the report at section 23, page 47.  There was a condition that required a construction and management plan.

x.           Advised that the exact number of trains was not known but that during peak times there would be four trains per hour.  

 

Councillor Harford proposed and Councillor Smart seconded that the informative, which related to the requirement that Network Rail facilitated a link to the Business Park was changed to a Grampian condition.  The reasons given for the condition was to improve access, permeability and connectivity to the Business Park and to reduce additional traffic to Cowley Road, it was felt by members that the condition was reasonable and necessary.  When put to the vote this was agreed unanimously.

 

The Committee

 

Resolved (unanimously) to grant the application for planning permission in accordance with the officer recommendation, for the reasons set out in the report, subject to the completion of a section 106 Agreement with amendments to conditions as recommended by officers, which included the amendment sheet published pre-committee and the revised amendment sheet tabled 19 August 2015 which amended SCDC condition 22 and City condition 17.  An additional amendment to Condition 30 (Appendix B of the report) and Condition 20 (Appendix C of the report) to require that pedestrian and cycle links to the Cambridge Business Park from the maintenance track (adjacent to the first public drain and Cowley Road) are submitted, approved and implemented.