Agenda item

Rob Percival, Area Planning Manager, introduced application 18/02038/PFUL3 by Leonard Design Architects on behalf of Nottingham City Council for provision of a new bus station and car park structure with a public library (Use Class D1), commercial space (Use Classes A1, A2, A3, A4 and A5), ancillary public facilities including a travel centre and a link footbridge. The application was brought to Planning Committee because it relates to a major development of critical significance to the City Centre where there are important land use, design, heritage and regeneration considerations.

Rob Percival gave a presentation showing comparable visuals of the previously approved scheme and the proposed amendments. He highlighted the following points:

a)  a scheme for the redevelopment of the bus station and car park was approved in February 2018, this represents a revision to that scheme, to incorporate the library.  The lower ground level design is essentially very similar to the previous scheme. The upper ground level (level with Collin Street) now contains library with frontages to Collin Street and Carrington Street. There is a void space above this at the first car park level to allow for greater height in the library. The next floor includes another floor of the library on the Collin Street frontage;

b)  the size of the car park has been reduced in the redesign, with fewer parking spaces provided;

c)  it is proposed to shrink the digital advertising screen to allow for an expansive double height entrance to the library, with very little change on the other three corners of the building. The library is a welcome addition to the building, and it also makes enhancements to the outside of the building;

d)  the update sheet reflects the fact that the Environment Agency have withdrawn previous concerns;

e)  the update sheet also details the objection of Pedals to the fact that the revised scheme does not include cycle parking or lockers.  The revision of the design has moved at a pace where the issue is ongoing in terms of design development, but it is very much intended that a cycle hub still will be included.  The latest plans suggest it will be located in the north eastern corner, which was its original proposed position, with potentially another area of cycle parking on the lower ground level near the bus station. A condition in the draft decision attached to the report already secures the provision of cycle parking by requiring details of the cycle scheme to be submitted for approval by the planning authority;

f)  the update sheet also proposes the deletion of the existing Condition 5 in light of the submission and approval of the various archaeological documents and the substitution of a new regulatory condition. 

Following a number of questions and comments from the Committee, some additional information was provided:

g)  the library will be located in the city centre with many bus routes going to that point, along with accessible entrances. The change in internal levels within the library will be by steps, but there will also be an accessible lift option available;

h)  there will be the same proportion of electric charging points as in the previous design – 10% (only 5% are required to be electric charging point spaces);

i)  transport to a library is obviously a very important point. A number of additional bus stops are being explored, particularly on Canal Street, in light of the proposed library placement. The network will be analysed to see if stops on Middle Hill will be considered;

j)  although not a planning consideration, the proposed scheme will still be viable even if the redevelopment of the Broadmarsh Shopping Centre does not go ahead.

RESOLVED to:

(1)  grant planning permission subject to the conditions substantially in the form listed in the draft decision notice at the end of the report;

(2)  delegate authority to the Director of Planning and Regeneration to determine the final details of the conditions.