Issue - decisions

The Committee received an application for full planning permission.

 

The application sought approval for Demolition of existing buildings (City Roomz Hotel and former railway offices) and construction of a new office building comprising:14,326 sq.m office floorspace (Class B1a) and 1,205 sq.m of retail/cafe and restaurant floor space (Class A1/A3/A4/A5), including ancillary accommodation /

facilities with a single level basement (4,020 sq.m) to accommodate 92 car parking spaces, associated plant and 568 cycle parking spaces; roof level plant and hard and soft landscaping, including the final phase of the Station Road Open Space.

 

The Committee received representations in objection to the application from Mr Wratten, Cambridge City Licensed Taxis Limited and Mr Gawthorpe, both of whom expressed their objections to the proposed development. 

 

The representation covered the following issues:

 

(i)           The proposed layout of the square and the size of the area allocated to vehicles including that of the taxi rank was deemed to be insufficient.

(ii)          The reduction in the number of parking spaces for taxis would not cope with the demand at the station particularly during peak times when footfall is increased.

(iii)        The taxi rank would be reduced down to single file and shorter in length; should a vehicle break down or disabled ramps be required this would leave a queue as there would be no room for turning or overtaking and cause conflict with cyclists and pedestrians.

(iv)        Concern expressed that the underground car park exit would add to congestion in the new access road during peak times.

(v)         Aberration from outline in the master plan.

(vi)        Express was concerned environmental impact assessment has been carried out and it is likely that no such assessment would be undertaken.

(vii)      Questioned the conclusion of the report reported that there vehicular movement would be reduced on site. With such a large scale development there had be to increase in traffic which would equate to congestion and an increase in pollution.

(viii)     The development would change the face of Cambridge, while development is needed it should be appropriate to the environment (appropriate in scale).

(ix)        Stated that no consultation had been undertaken on the development.

 

Mr Mike Derbyshire addressed the Committee in support of the application.

 

The Committee:

 

Resolved (by 4 votes to 2, with 1 abstention) to accept the officer recommendation to approve planning permission as per the agenda subject to additional conditions 48 and 49 set out in Amendment Sheet (as below) and completion of s106 Agreement. It was noted by Committee that a variation to the s106 Agreement associated with app ref. 08/0266/OUT was not needed in relation to this application

 

 

Pre-Committee Amendments to Recommendation:

 

Additional condition

 

48     No development shall commence until a detailed ground conditions plan, methodology and specification including de-compaction fill material, topsoil and treepits has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.  The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

 

Reason: To ensure that suitable hard and soft landscape is provided as part of the development. (Cambridge Local Plan 2006 policies 3/2, 3/4, 3/7, 3/11, 3/12, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 and 9/9)

 

49     No development shall commence until a detailed drainage plans including existing drainage and services have been submitted to the local planning authority in writing.

Reason: To ensure that suitable hard and soft landscape is provided as part of the development. (Cambridge Local Plan 2006 policies 3/2, 3/4, 3/7, 3/11, 3/12, 4/2, 4/3, 4/4 and 9/9)

 

3.           To agree the variation to s106 Agreement:

 

2       That the Planning Committee delegate powers to officers to vary the Section 106 Agreement by means of a deed of variation to:

 

Allow for an amendment to the commuted payments towards the Southern Corridor Area Transport Plan and the Cambridge Guided Bus in respect of the Pink Phase as

follows:

 

In relation to SCATP and CGB payments in the Pink Phase (13^th and 14^th Schedule of the s106) make amendments to remove reference to Pink Phase and replace with Blocks C1/C2, D1, F1 and F2 and require commuted payments to be made as follows:

 

Payment	Purpose
£72,143 Index Linked	SCATP
£255,797 Index Linked	CGB

 

Reasons for Approval

 

1.      This development has been approved, conditionally, because subject to those requirements it is considered to generally conform to the Development Plan, particularly the following policies:

 

Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan policies: P6/1, P9/8, P9/9

 

Cambridge Local Plan (2006): 3/1, 3/4, 3/6, 3/7, 3/11, 3/12, 3/13, 3/15, 4/4, 4/11, 4/12, 4/13, 4/14, 4/15, 6/10, 7/2, 8/2, 8/3, 8/4, 8/5, 8/6, 8/9, 8/10, 8/11, 8/13, 8/16, 8/18, 9/1, 9/9, 10/1

 

2.      The decision has been made having had regard to all other material planning considerations, none of which was considered to have been of such significance as to justify doing other than grant planning permission.

 

These reasons for approval can be a summary of the reasons for grant of planning permission only. For further details on the decision please see the officer report online at www.cambridge.gov.uk/planningpublicaccess or visit our Customer Service Centre, Mandela House, 4 Regent Street, Cambridge, CB2 1BY between 8am to 6pm Monday to Friday.

 

Unless prior agreement has been obtained from the Head of Planning, in consultation with the Chair and Spokesperson of this Committee to extend the period for completion of the Planning Obligation required in connection with this development, if the Obligation has not been completed by 30 November 2012, or if Committee determine that the application be refused against officer recommendation of approval, it is recommended that the application be refused for the following reason(s):

 

The proposed development does not make appropriate provision for transport mitigation measures/infrastructure provision, mitigation of potential for overspill parking, the funding and agreement of the a Travel Plan Co-Ordinator, public art, restriction on occupation of offices and monitoring in accordance with Cambridge Local Plan 2006 policies 3/7, 5/11, 7/2, 8/2, 8/3, 9/9 and 10/1, Cambridgeshire and Peterborough Structure Plan 2003 policies P6/1, P9/8 and P9/9 and as detailed in the Planning Obligation Strategy 2010, the Public Art Supplementary Planning Document 2010 and the Southern Corridor Area Transport Plan 2002.