Agenda and minutes

Councillor Josh Cook – work commitments

Councillor Linda Woodings – work commitments

None.

Of the meeting held on 21 September 2016 (for confirmation)

Subject to recording the split of the vote for item 34 – Lace Market Self Serve, London Road, the minutes from the meeting held on 21 September 2016 were agreed as a true record and signed by the Chair.

Rob Percival, Area Planning Manager, presented the report for application 15/02636/PFUL3 by DLA Architecture Limited on behalf of Oakgate Retail Limited and James Farhad Eftekhar-Khonssar, for planning permission for erection of five A3 units and associated works following the demolition of an existing nightclub.

A previous scheme had received a resolution to  grant permission in December 2015  for the erection of six A3 units and associated works following the demolition of the nightclub building. This amended scheme is for the erection of five units in a different configuration, with a reduction in floor space to 18,000 square feet.

The key change is to the position of unit B in the south eastern corner of site, with the unit now backing onto Redfield Road. The new layout has evolved through consultation with potential tenants, with a desire for a unit in what is considered to be a prime corner of the site.

The developers have been asked to mitigate the impact of the rear of the unit facing onto a main road, which has resulted in the addition of a living wall to the proposals. The living wall will cover the rear elevation of the unit, and wrap around on to the side elevations. The overall aesthetic and design of the units remains largely unchanged from the original proposal approved in December 2015.

In policy terms, the amended application is compliant and compatible. The changes and impact are generally quite positive, and the living wall has adequately mitigated against the position of the unit in the corner of the site.

Amended wording to one of the proposed conditions was provided on an update sheet.

Councillors commented as follows:

(a)  the site has no pedestrian footfall, and is highly dependent on car traffic. A query was raised as the potential for re-use of the buildings if the scheme should fail;

(b)  the design on the units looks to be to a very high standard, and the layout of the carpark in relation to the retail units is positive, as the units partially hide the car park, rather than having a large expanse of parking in front of the units;

(c)  the addition of the living wall is a welcomed addition , and the Planning Department should be commended for steering the application in this direction;

(d)  a query was raised regarding the maintenance  for the living wall and the extent to which the design of the plant array would be controlled. It was noted that living walls can have a positive environmental impact on the cooling buildings.

Rob Percival responded to the Councillors’ questions as follows:

(e)  from the developers’ perspective there is real confidence in this scheme; it has been a long time in the making, and similar schemes have worked well in comparable settings elsewhere. There are existing restaurant units nearby, and the existing leisure offering is very family oriented, so these new restaurants should work well. There is a condition that the units cannot be used for A1, as that would be a concern. The units have been designed for A3, but they are the right size to incorporate mezzanine floors, so they could theoretically be converted to offices if needs be;

(f)  one of the conditions requires details of the planned maintenance and management of the living wall. The developers will be required to submit those details to Planning for approval;

(g)  the inclusion of a living wall may be a first for a planning application to Nottingham City Council, so it is fairly new territory. They are a familiar feature elsewhere, and to an extent there is a degree of preference from the developer in terms of the plant species used. The planning permission will only go so far in agreeing the pattern for the wall, as with all landscaping schemes there wouldn’t be micromanagement of the types of plants going in, but rather the permission will secure the inclusion of the  living wall. It is a very energy efficient system in terms of cooling. The expertise on living wall standards does not exist in-house, and the success of the wall will largely rely on the inherent self-interest of the developer/tenants.

RESOLVED to:

 (1)  grant planning permission, subject to the indicative conditions substantially in the form listed in the draft decision notice within the report, and on the additional information sheet (circulated with the initial publication of the minutes);

(2)  delegate authority to the Chief Planner to determine the final details of the conditions of the planning permission.