Issue - meetings

Demolition of existing semi-detached houses, sea cadets, nursery and scouts buildings and garages to provide 57no new dwellings with associated parking, facilities and landscape. Reconfiguration of existing public car park.

It was RESOLVED: That the application 22/00965/FPM be GRANTED planning permission subject to the conditions and reasons set out in the report and the applicant having first entered into a S106 legal agreement, as well as the following amended conditions:

5             Notwithstanding the details set out in the application submission, no development shall take place above slab level until details of a hard and soft landscaping strategy and boundary treatment shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include details of the following:

1.    Details of all new planting to take place including species, size, quantity, location and method of planting;

2.    Details of all boundary treatments including type, size, positions, heights and materials;

3.    Details of any street furniture;

4.    Details of tree pit designs and root protection measures (if required);

5.    Details of all hardsurfacing areas to include type, size and materials;

6.    Details of replacement tree planting to achieve a ratio of 3:1.

REASON:- To ensure a satisfactory appearance for the development.

11           No development shall commence until details of 15 integrated Swift boxes and / or Swift Bricks and 4 integrated bat boxes have been submitted and approved by the LPA. These devices shall be fully installed prior to occupation and retained as such thereafter.

REASON:- To conserve and enhance biodiversity.

The Committee considered a report in respect of application 22/00965/FPM seeking the demolition of existing semi-detached houses, sea cadets, nursery, and scouts’ buildings and garages to provide 57 new dwellings with associated parking, facilities, and landscape, as well as the reconfiguration of the existing public car park.

The Principal Planning Officer advised that the site comprised of a mixture of uses. She added the north of the park was an allocated housing site in the Stevenage Local Plan. The car park was allocated open space in the Local Plan.

The Chair invited Lesley Dimery, an objector, to address the Committee.

Ms Dimery explained that Bedwell Crescent was a densely populated area, and the roads cannot support the extra cars from the new development. The location was also a pressure point with access to Fairlands Valley park, near a bus stop, a doctor surgery, and down the road from a primary school. She believed that the 52 spaces would not resolve the issue and the car parking was being reduced to supple the new homes. She believed the development was unsympathetic to the local town history and was changing the area from a low impact community to a high impact residential area. She also added that the reduction of the trees would not be mitigated by planting new trees as it would take them time to grow

The Chair thanked Ms Dimery for her contribution to the meeting.

The Chair then invited Jack Jeffreys of 5^th Stevenage Scouts, an objector, to address the Committee.

Mr Jeffreys stated he was speaking in relation to the relocation of the Scouts and Sea Cadets and his concerns with the medium- and long-term resettlement. He informed the Committee the applicant had been positive to work with and had proposed an alternative site in Hampson Park, but the building was considerably smaller. He believed the new location was cost effective but was only a short-term solution as they only had a 3-year term. He also expressed concerns that they could not safely accommodate the amount of youths in the Pin Green site. He stated that these issues were not formally recognised as a condition in the application and asked to be formally recognised within the Section 106.

The Chair thanked Mr Jeffreys for his contribution to the meeting.

The Chair invited the Housing Development Representative to address the Committee.

The Housing Development Representative informed Members this application was to construct and provide Stevenage residents with 57 new homes which included 24 flats and 33 houses along with 105 parking spaces. The Housing Development team held consultations over 2 years and received 6000 responses which they used to alter and enhance the scheme. For example the original scheme proposed 97 new houses but after consulting with the community this was reduced to 57. Another community concern was the traffic problem in the area and parking issues. The Housing Development team worked with the Highways Authority to benefit the parking situation as well as creating a new  ...  view the full minutes text for item 4