Agenda item

The Committee received an application for full planning permission.

 

The application sought approval for the redevelopment of the existing parking area to provide a new Cambridge Cancer Research Hospital building (C2 use) with alterations to existing access arrangements, underground link tunnel, public realm works, hard and soft landscaping, and associated work.

 

Carin Charlton (Applicant’s Representative) addressed the Committee in support of the application.

 

The Area Team Manager (West), Strategic Sites Manager and Legal Advisor said the following in response to Members’ questions:

      i.         Noted that the Applicant had advised that they had reduced water consumption on the site and that they planned, where possible, to make further water efficiency savings on site. 

    ii.         Referred to paragraph 6.50 of the Applicant’s Environmental Statement which noted that the proposed development was expected to increase water demand by 0.0195 megalitres per day.

   iii.         The planned delivery of the hospital (subject to planning permission being granted) was expected in 2029. Noted with reference to paragraph 21.29 of the Officer’s report that the major water infrastructure projects by Cambridge Water and Anglian Water were planned for delivery in 2032 for the Grafham water transfer and 2040 for the new Fen Reservoir.

  iv.         Landscaping conditions would secure the maintenance of the green spaces proposed within the building.

    v.         The development would include changing places toilet provision. 

  vi.         Noted concerns raised regarding two tier stacking cycle parking provision and advised that condition 31 could be amended to require details of the mechanism to be provided as part of the application to discharge the condition.

 vii.         Noted concerns raised about the amount of cargo bike parking. The amount proposed was planning policy compliant but noted that further provision could come forward through condition 31. The level of cycle parking provision proposed was based on the estimated number of users of the building.

viii.         Noted that the revised draft Water Resources Management Plan (WRMP) was currently with DEFRA for consideration. Officers had no fixed date for when the WRWP would be published in its final form. 

  ix.         Each planning application must be considered on its own merits. Applications which came forward in the future would need to be considered and assessed (in planning terms) in reliance of the circumstances then prevailing. Noted that the site was an allocated site within the Local Plan and water use would have been projected at the time the site was allocated.

    x.         Noted that the objection made by the Environment Agency had been weighed up in the report and considered as part of the Officer’s recommendation.

  xi.         The building had been designed to have an open plan, welcoming space and to provide areas for people when processing difficult news. Terraces had also been designed in the upper floors to provide additional social areas.

 xii.         Noted that the Applicant had agreed to work with the Shared Planning Service to develop a Supplementary Planning Document for a Masterplan for the Cambridge Biomedical Campus.

xiii.         Condition 32 required information to be submitted to the Local Planning Authority regarding wayfinding.

xiv.         Courtyard details (which included the water feature) would be secured by condition.

xv.         The Applicant’s responses to comments from the Quality Panel were included within the officer’s report at paragraph 15.75.

xvi.         Noted the difference between the ‘minded to’ determination of the Darwin Green 2/3 application and this, the Cancer Research Hospital application was that the Joint Ministerial Statements on Water Scarcity had been issued after the Committee had reached its ‘minded to’ position on Darwin Green.

xvii.         The increased car parking provision was modest and reflected the small net increase in floorspace. Noted that more sustainable transport modes (for example Cambridge South Station) would be coming forward in the future.

xviii.         A previous planning application required the Applicant to monitor car parking (and displaced car parking) within the Addenbrookes Campus and surrounding area. A monitoring report had recently been submitted to the County Transport Assessment Team. Acknowledged in some areas there was parking stress. 

xix.         The wording of Condition 35 had been drafted with input from the Council’s Sustainability Officer. Noted Members’ concerns regarding water scarcity and suggested:

a.    an amendment to condition 35 requiring action to be taken should the daily water use exceed the levels set out in the Environmental Statement; and

b.    an additional condition requiring the Applicant to commit to working with the Water Scarcity Group to participate in the scheme as set out in the Ministerial Statement to reduce water consumption over the Addenbrookes Campus site.

 

The Chair invited the Applicant to respond clarifying some points raised by the Committee:

        i.       There was overnight accommodation available for relatives close to the proposed building. The proposal was considering what overnight sleeping provision could be provided as there needed to be a balance between emergency access to patients and overnight sleeping provision in patient rooms.  

      ii.        There was a Campus Wayfinding Strategy and a Hospital Wayfinding Strategy so as new developments came forward these would be reviewed and refreshed to ensure those attending and visiting the site would be able to locate the relevant building for their appointments / needs. 

    iii.        There would be a modest increase in staffing, but the purpose of the proposed development was to co-locate clinical and research staff.

 

Councillor Bradnam proposed and Councillor S.Smith seconded the following additional sentence to condition 35 that:

 

Should the monitoring data exceed the daily water use as set out in the Environmental Statement, details of action to be carried out shall be provided and agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority.

 

The amendment to condition 35 was carried by 9 votes in favour to 2 against.

 

Councillor Bradnam proposed and Councillor S.Smith seconded the following additional condition that:

 

Prior to first occupation, details of a Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust wide water consumption strategy for the Addenbrookes Campus site which demonstrates how the Applicant has worked with the Water Scarcity Group, using best practice techniques, and sought to reduce the use of potable water, where applicable, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. 

 

The additional condition was carried by 9 votes in favour to 1 against and 1 abstention.

 

The Strategic Sites Manager offered the following summary of amendments to the Officer’s recommendation as set out in paragraph 28 of the Officer’s report, reflecting Member debate during the meeting:

 

To approve the planning application 22/00240FUL subject to:

i.               The conditions and informatives set out in section 29 of the Officer’s report including:

a.    an amendment to condition 35 to include an additional sentence: ‘Should the monitoring data exceed the daily water use as set out in the Environmental Statement, details of action to be carried out shall be provided and agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority’; and

b.    an additional condition that ‘Prior to first occupation, details of a Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust wide water consumption strategy for the Addenbrookes campus site which demonstrates how the Applicant has worked with the Water Scarcity Group, using best practice techniques, and sought to reduce the use of potable water, where applicable, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority’;

ii.             the completion of a Section 106 Agreement; and

iii.            authority delegated to Officers to carry through minor amendments to those conditions, informatives and the Section 106 Agreement, prior to the issuing of the planning permission.  

 

The Committee:

 

Unanimously resolved to grant the application for planning permission in accordance with the Officer recommendation set out in paragraph 28 of the Officer’s report, for the reasons set out in the Officer’s report, subject to:

      i.         the prior completion of a Section 106 Agreement; and

    ii.         the planning conditions and informatives set out in section 29 of the Officer’s report including;

a.    an amendment to condition 35 to include the additional sentence ‘Should the monitoring data exceed the daily water use as set out in the Environmental Statement, details of action to be carried out shall be provided and agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority’; and

b.    an additional condition that ‘Prior to first occupation, details of a Cambridge University Hospitals NHS Trust wide water consumption strategy for the Addenbrookes campus site which demonstrates how the Applicant has worked with the Water Scarcity Group, using best practice techniques, and sought to reduce the use of potable water, where applicable, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority’;

   iii.         delegated authority to Officers to carry through minor amendments to those conditions, informatives and the Section 106 Agreement, prior to the issuing of the planning permission.