Agenda item

To consider the retrofit of 1no. apartment block. Works include: the installation of External Wall Insulation in render finish and brick-effect render finish; re-roof with Solar PV array system; replacement of windows on stairwell facade, new windows and doors. Upgrade of ventilation and top up of loft insulation.

The Committee considered a report in respect of application 24/00252/FP seeking permission for the retrofit of 1no. apartment block. Works include: the installation of External Wall Insulation in render finish and brick-effect render finish; re-roof with Solar PV array system; replacement of windows on stairwell façade, new windows and doors. Upgrade of ventilation and top up loft insulation.

It was RESOLVED that planning permission be GRANTED subject to the conditions and informatives as set out in the report.

The Committee considered a report in respect of application 24/00252/FP seeking permission for the retrofit of 1no. apartment block. Works include: the installation of External Wall Insulation in render finish and brick-effect render finish; re-roof with Solar PV array system; replacement of windows on stairwell façade, new windows and doors. Upgrade of ventilation and top up loft insulation.

The Senior Planning Officer advised the Committee that the block was situated on Cutty’s Lane, located behind the Church of St. Andrew and St. George, near the Town Centre Gardens.

The Senior Planning Officer informed the Committee that the block currently featured white render, blue metal panels, and Bath stone coloured brickwork on one side, while the balconies had green metal panels on the other side. The proposed changes included replacing external wall insulation with winter white render on the upper floors, sanded slate grey brick-effect render on the ground floor, new windows and doors, solar panels on the rear roof slope, grey concrete interlocking roof tiles, upgraded loft insulation, and improved ventilation systems.

The Committee were shown photos and diagrams including the site, existing and proposed elevations, and examples of the proposed materials.

The Senior Planning Officer advised the Committee that the retrofit aimed to improve energy efficiency, ensuring the buildings met a minimum EPC rating of C and government standards for energy consumption. She noted that there were no objections to the application and that the proposed colours and materials would align with the nearby Holiday Inn hotel. She confirmed that the materials met fire safety regulations, similar to recent approvals in other areas.

Some Members asked questions related to solar panels. The Assistant Director (Planning & Regulatory) responded that the Council had received central government funding for the installation of solar panels on a number of flat blocks, but not all. Regarding the allocation and type of solar panels, the Assistant Director (Planning and Regulatory) advised the Committee that these were not planning issues but further information would be sought and shared.

It was RESOLVED that planning permission be GRANTED subject to the conditions and informatives as set out below:

1       The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:

Existing Site Location Plan; 4102; 4103; 4104; 4402; 4403; 4405; 4404; 4408; 4409;

2       The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

3       The external materials used in the development to which this permission relates shall be those detailed on the approved plans and in the accompanying planning submission documents unless otherwise agreed in writing by the local planning authority.

INFORMATIVE

 1      Public Information on Planning Applications

Warning: all information provided on your planning application is now publicly available. Individuals and organisations offering their services may contact you. The Council does not endorse or approve any builders, surveyors, trades persons or other supplier, and advises householders to obtain quotes/references, and check the legitimacy of any contractor who contacts them before making payment.

2       Community Infrastructure Levy

Stevenage Borough Council adopted a Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) Charging Schedule at Full Council on 27 January 2020 and started implementing CIL on 01 April 2020.

This application may be liable for CIL payments and you are advised to contact the CIL Team for clarification with regard to this. If your development is CIL liable, even if you are granted an exemption from the levy, please be advised that it is a requirement under Regulation 67 of The Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 (as amended) that CIL Form 6 (Commencement Notice) must be completed, returned and acknowledged by Stevenage Borough Council before building works start. Failure to do so will mean you risk losing the right to payment by instalments and a surcharge will be imposed. NB, please note that a Commencement Notice is not required for residential extensions if relief has been granted.

Stevenage's adopted CIL Charging Schedule and further details of CIL can be found on the Council's webpages at www.stevenage.gov.uk/CIL or by contacting the Council's CIL Team at CIL@Stevenage.gov.uk .

3       Building Regulations

To obtain advice regarding current Building Regulations please contact Hertfordshire Building Control Ltd. by emailing us at building.control@hertfordshirebc.co.uk or phoning us on 01438 879990.

To make a building regulations application please apply through our website portal at https://www.hertfordshirebc.co.uk/contact-us/ payment can be made online or by phoning the above number after the application has been uploaded.  Please phone Hertfordshire Building Control for fees guidance on 01438 879990.

Hertfordshire Building Control can also be contacted by post at Hertfordshire Building Control Ltd, Campus East, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 6AE.

Once a building regulations application has been deposited with relevant drawings and fee building work may commence.  You will be advised in their acknowledgement letter of the work stages we need to inspect but in most instances these are usually:

Excavation for foundations

Damp proof course

Concrete oversite

Insulation

Drains (when laid or tested)

Floor and Roof construction

Work relating to fire safety

Work affecting access and facilities for disabled people

Completion

Please phone Hertfordshire Building Control on 01438 879990 before 10.00am to ensure a same day inspection (Mon - Fri).

4       Party Wall etc. Act 1996

Any work that affects a party wall, including foundations dug within 3.0m of a neighbouring building, may be controllable under the Act and may require approval from the adjoining owner(s).  Party Wall Act matters are always civil matters and it is neither Stevenage Borough Council's nor Hertfordshire Building Control Ltd's remit to control or enforce Party Wall act matters.  Please refer to the Government's explanatory booklet The Party Wall etc. Act 1996, a copy of which is available online at

https://www.gov.uk/government/publications/the-party-wall-etc-act-1996-revised-explanatory-booklet.

5          Biodiversity Net Gain

The effect of paragraph 13 of Schedule 7A to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 is that planning permission granted for the development of land in England is deemed to have been granted subject to the condition “(the biodiversity gain condition”) that development may not begin unless:

a)    a Biodiversity Gain Plan has been submitted to the planning authority, and

b)    the planning authority has approved the plan.

The planning authority, for the purposes of determining whether to approve a Biodiversity Gain Plan if one is required in respect of this permission would be Stevenage Borough Council.  The planning authority, for the purposes of determining whether to approve a Biodiversity Gain Plan if one is required in respect of this permission would be Stevenage Borough Council.  There are statutory exemptions and transitional arrangements which mean that the biodiversity gain condition does not always apply.

Based on the information available, this permission is considered to be one which will not require the application of a biodiversity gain plan before the development is begun because one or more of the statutory exemptions or transitional arrangements is considered to apply:

1.    Development which is not ‘major development’ (within the meaning of article 2(1) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (England) Order 2015) where:

a)  the application for planning permission was made before 2 April 2024;

2.    Development below the de minimis threshold, meaning development which:

a)  does not impact an onsite priority habitat (a habitat specified in a list published under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006); and

b)  impacts less than 25 square metres of onsite habitat that has biodiversity value greater than zero and less than 5 metres in length of onsite linear habitat (as defined in the statutory metric).

Where the local planning authority considers that the permission falls within paragraph 19 of Schedule 7A to the Town and Country Planning Act 1990, the permission which has been granted has the effect of requiring or permitting the development to proceed in phases. The modifications in respect of the biodiversity gain condition which are set out in Part 2 of the Biodiversity Gain (Town and Country Planning) (Modifications and Amendments) (England) Regulations 2024 apply.

Biodiversity gain plans are required to be submitted to, and approved by, the planning authority before development may be begun, and, if subject to phased development, before each phase of development may be begun.

If the onsite habitat includes irreplaceable habitat (within the meaning of the Biodiversity Gain Requirements (Irreplaceable Habitat) Regulations 2024) there are additional requirements for the content and approval of Biodiversity Gain Plans.  The Biodiversity Gain Plan must include, in addition to information about steps taken or to be taken to minimise any adverse effect of the development on the habitat, information on arrangements for compensation for any impact the development has on the biodiversity of the irreplaceable habitat. The planning authority can only approve a Biodiversity Gain Plan if satisfied that the adverse effect of the development on the biodiversity of the irreplaceable habitat is minimised and appropriate arrangements have been made for the purpose of compensating for any impact which do not include the use of biodiversity credits.