Agenda item

Councillor Carling left the Chamber for this application and took no part in the debate or decision.

The Committee received a reserved matters application which covered the appearance, landscaping, layout and scale for 160 dwellings, access roads, cycle and pedestrian routes, cycle and car parking, landscaping, utilities and associated ancillary structures at Lots M4 and M5, North West Cambridge Development following outline planning permission 11/1114/OUT as varied by ref:13/1402/S73.

The Principal Planner updated their report by referring to additional relevant site history, details of which were contained within the Amendment Sheet.

Jake Lambert (Applicant’s Agent) addressed the Committee in support of the application.

The Principal Planner and the Strategic Sites Manager said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.         The design of the development had evolved during the pre-application process and since the Quality Panel had provided comments on the application. It was Officer’s view that the grid work on the left-hand side of Blocks A-C at the southwest end of the site was acceptable and provided a strong visual appearance for views across the site. Blank elevations would be between buildings. The heights of Blocks A-C were in accordance with the Design Code and Parameter Plans.

    ii.         As part of the process of buying a house, usually a prospective buyer’s solicitor would undertake local authority searches which should provide information such as approved planning permissions on land adjacent to the property which may be built out in the future.

   iii.         Noted a typographical error on p151 regarding PV panels - the response should read that ‘PV panels should not be readily visible…’

  iv.         This application provided one vehicular access into the site with future phases of the development providing further vehicular accesses.

    v.         The underground waste collection facility collected recycling and general waste, there would be alternative arrangements for green waste.

  vi.         The streets within the development would not be adopted by the County Council however consideration had been given to a design-led / holistic approach for the use of the roads, which included for example cyclists, pedestrians and how planting could be incorporated within the street.

 vii.         The ratio of cycling parking was just over one space per bedroom which was in accordance with the Area Action Plan. The cycle parking would be covered.

viii.         A condition survey of the trees on the site had been carried out and mature trees would be retained where they were healthy. Advised that the hard/soft landscaping condition on the outline permission (condition 11) was not proposed to be discharged as part of this application. An informative to encourage the planting of mature trees could be included.

  ix.         Mechanical ventilation was proposed within the apartment blocks.

    x.         A condition could be added requiring hedgehog doorways in fences be installed while the development was being built.

  xi.         Guidance in the Design Code said that properties should be within 50m of an access point to the underground bins. There were a couple of properties outside this distance at 70m. The location of the underground bins was constrained by where refuse vehicles could access them.

 xii.         Back-to-back distances from Block E (the 4-storey building on the development) to the closest building on Huntingdon Road was 80m. Noted that on some newer developments back-to-back distances could be as low as 15m. Officers did not consider that there was any overlooking concerns arising from a back to back distance of 80m or that any significant overshadowing would occur. 

The Chair noted that:

        i.       The scheme would be part of the District Heating Network and the Applicants were looking to try and move away from the use of gas as an energy source.

      ii.        The streets within the development were more than just engineered streets and considered the segregation of pedestrians and cyclists, sustainable drainage systems and landscaping.

The Committee:

Unanimously resolved to grant the application for planning permission in accordance with the Officer recommendation, for the reasons set out in the Officer’s report, subject to:

      i.         The planning conditions set out in the Officer’s report with delegated authority to Officers to undertake appropriate minor amendments to any of those conditions and /or Informatives (and include others considered appropriate and necessary) prior to issue of the planning permission.

    ii.         Delegated authority to Officers to draft and include an additional condition regarding hedgehog doorways.

   iii.         An additional informative in relation to soft landscaping and a requirement to plant semi mature trees in relation to condition 11 of the outline planning permission (reference 13/1402/S73).

Unanimously resolved to approve/not approve the part discharge of the outline planning conditions as detailed in paragraph 26.1(ii) of the Officer’s report in so far as they relate to this reserved matters application.