Agenda item

To consider the partial demolition of existing buildings and provision of undercroft car parking;  retention of existing office use (Use Class B1) on upper floors; change of use of existing retails units (Use Class A1) to a mixed use development of Use Classes A1 (Shops), A2 (Professional & Financial Services), A3 (Restaurants & Cafes), A4 (Drinking Establishments) and D2 (Gym) with associated enhancements to shop frontages; replacement canopies; public realm improvements and associated car parking and highway works.

It was RESOLVED:

 

That planning permission be granted subject to the applicant having first entered into and completed a Section 106 legal agreement to secure/provide financial contributions towards:

 

·               Contributions towards TROs and replacement of Pay and Display Machine Signage and Road Markings; and

·               Secure provision of a CCTV camera,

 

the detail of which be delegated to the Assistant Director of Planning and Regulation, in liaison with the Council’s appointed Solicitor, and subject to the following conditions:

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

           

            P1.1; P1.2; P4.1a; P4.2; P4.3; P5.1; P5.2; P5.3; P5.4; P5.6.

 

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

 

3.        No development, other than works of demolition, shall commence until a schedule and sample of the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall thereafter be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

           

4.       Notwithstanding details specified in the application submission, no public realm landscaping works shall commence until a scheme of soft and hard landscaping and details of the treatment of all hard surfaces has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The scheme shall include details of all new planting to take place including species, size and method of planting. The approved landscaping scheme shall be implemented within the first available planting season following the first occupation of the buildings or the completion of the development whichever is the sooner.

 

5.        Any trees or plants comprised within the scheme of landscaping, which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

           

6.        Prior to the first occupation of the ground floor mixed Use Class A1 (Shop) to A3 (Restaurants and Cafes) and Use Class A1 (Shop) to A4 (Bars and Public Houses) units as detailed on drawing number P4.1a, a scheme for the installation of equipment to control the emission of fumes and smell from these premises shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority and the approved scheme shall be implemented prior to the first occupation of these units. All equipment installed as part of the scheme shall thereafter be operated and maintained in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions.

 

7.        No demolition or construction work relating to this permission shall be carried out on any Sunday, Public or Bank Holiday nor at any other time, except between the hours of 0730 and 1800 on Mondays to Fridays and between the hours of 0830 and 1300 on Saturdays, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority. These times apply to work which is audible at the site boundary.

 

8.        No development, including site clearance or demolition works, shall commence until a Construction Management Plan/Method Statement shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority in consultation with the highways authority. Thereafter, the construction of the development shall only be carried out in accordance with the approved Statement.

 

           The Construction Management/Method Statement shall address the following matters:-

 

           (i) Details of a construction phasing program (including any pre-construction, demolition or enabling works);

           (ii) Hours of construction operations including times of deliveries and removal of waste;

           (iii) Site set up and general arrangements for storing plant including cranes, materials, machinery and equipment, temporary offices and other facilities, construction vehicle parking and loading/unloading and vehicle turning area;

           (iv) Access and protection arrangements around the site for pedestrians, cyclists and other road users;

           (v) Details of provisions for temporary public car parking during construction;

           (vi) The location of construction traffic routes to and from the site, details of their signing, monitoring and enforcement measures;

           (vii) Screening and hoarding details;

           (viii) End of day tidying up procedures;

           (ix) Construction and storage compounds (including areas designated for car parking);

           (x) Siting and details of wheel washing facilities;

           (xi) Cleaning of site entrances, site tracks and the adjacent public highway;

           (xii) Disposal of surplus materials and;

           (xiii) Post construction restoration/reinstatement of the working areas, reinstate construction access.

 

9.        Prior to the first use of the gym hereby permitted the relevant access and car parking areas shall have been fully constructed, surfaced and permanently marked out. The car parking areas so provided shall be maintained and retained permanently and shall be used for no other purpose at any time.

           

10.      The development permitted by this planning permission shall be carried out in accordance with the letter Ref: 18021/QueenswayStevenage/PG, carried out by GDP Limited dated 26/06/2018, and the following mitigation measures detailed within the drainage strategy:

 

1. Providing a minimum attenuation of 313m3 to ensure no increase in surface water run off volumes for all rainfall events up to and including the 1 in 100 year + climate change event.

2. Implementing appropriate drainage strategy based on attenuation by using sub-base lined permeable pavement, attenuation tank and green roofs as indicated on drawing no. 18021-200 – Surface Water Drainage Strategy – General Arrangement dated 29/06/2018, and discharged into Thames Water surface water sewer system.

3. Limiting surface water discharge off the southern and eastern site at a maximum allowable discharge rate of 4.9 l/s for any rainfall event up to the 1 in 100 year plus 40% for climate change event.

 

The mitigation measures shall be fully implemented prior to occupation and subsequently in accordance with the timing/phasing arrangements embodied with the scheme, or within any other period as may subsequently be agreed, in writing, by the local planning authority.

 

11.      No development shall take place until the final design of the drainage scheme is completed and agreed by Thames Water and sent to the Local Planning Authority for written approval. The scheme shall also include:-

 

·      Confirmation on the final discharge rate for the whole site with contribution of each sub-catchment (western, eastern and southern) with figures supported by drainage calculations presented in a manner that the link can be made with specific locations on drawings.

·      Formal permission to continue using the existing connection to the public surface water sewer from the water company that must include figures;

·      Engineering details of all SuDS features should be provided in line with the SuDS Manual (CIRIA C-753).

 

12.      Upon completion of the development a final management and maintenance plan must be supported by a full set of as-built drawings, a post construction location plan of the SuDS components cross-referenced with a maintenance diagram to secure the operation of the scheme throughout its lifetime.

           

13.       No development, including site clearance or demolition works, shall commence until a scheme of dust control measures has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority in consultation with the Environmental Health Department and shall be adhered to throughout the construction period. Dust and airborne particulates from operations on site shall be minimised by spraying with water or by carrying out of other such works that may be necessary to suppress dust.

           

14.      No external lighting shall be installed on site unless details of such lighting, including the intensity of illumination and predicted light contours, have first been submitted to, and approved in writing the Local Planning Authority prior to first occupation of the development. Any external lighting shall accord with the details so approved.

           

15.      No development, including site clearance or demolition works, shall commence until a methodology for the screening or enclosure of plant and machinery to be used during the construction period shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning authority before works are commenced. The siting of plant and machinery shall be away from noise sensitive areas wherever possible. Vehicles and machines in intermittent use shall be shut down in the intervening periods between works.

           

16.      No development shall take place until a detailed Site Waste Management Plan (SWMP) to detail how waste materials generated as a result of the proposed demolition and/or construction methods shall be disposed of, and detail the level and type of soil to be imported to the site as part of the development has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

 

17.      No development shall take place until a site investigation of the nature and extent of contamination has been carried out in accordance with a methodology which has previously been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The results of the site investigation shall be made available to the local planning authority before any development begins. If any significant contamination is found during the site investigation, a report specifying the measures to be taken to remediate the site to render it suitable for the development hereby permitted shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The site shall be remediated in accordance with the approved measures before the properties are occupied.

 

If, during the course of development, any contamination is found which has not been identified in the site investigation, additional measures for the remediation of this contamination shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The remediation of the site shall incorporate the approved additional measures.

 

18.      In the event that contamination is found at any time when carrying out the approved development that was not previously identified it must be reported in writing immediately to the Local Planning Authority. An investigation and risk assessment must be undertaken and where remediation is necessary a remediation scheme must be prepared in accordance with the requirements of condition 19, which is subject to the approval of the Local Planning Authority. Following completion of measures identified in the approved remediation scheme a verification report must be prepared, which is subject to the approval in writing of the Local Planning Authority in accordance with condition 20.

           

19.      A detailed remediation scheme to bring the site to a condition suitable for the intended use by removing unacceptable risks to human health, buildings and other property and the natural and historic environment must be prepared, and is subject to the approval in writing of the Local Planning Authority. The scheme must include all works to be undertaken, proposed remediation objectives and remediation criteria, timetable of works and site management procedures. The scheme must ensure that the site will not qualify as contaminated land under Part 2A of the Environmental Protection Act 1990 in relation to the intended use of the land after remediation.

           

20.      The approved remediation scheme must be carried out in accordance with its terms prior to the commencement of development other than that required to carry out remediation, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Local Planning Authority must be given two weeks written notification of commencement of the remediation scheme works. Following completion of measures identified in the approved remediation scheme, a verification report that demonstrates the effectiveness of the remediation carried out must be produced and is subject to the approval in writing of the Local Planning Authority.

           

21.      Prior to the first occupation of the development hereby permitted the approved secure cycle parking areas and public cycle parking shall be constructed in accordance with the details submitted with this planning application and shall be permanently retained in that form.

 

22.      Prior to the use of the development hereby permitted the approved refuse/recycle stores shall be constructed in accordance with the details submitted with this planning application and shall be permanently retained in that form.

           

23.      No development, including site clearance or demolition works, shall commence until a detailed Demolition and Construction Method Statement shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The Method Statement shall detail and advise of the measures in accordance with the best practicable means to be used to minimise construction noise and vibration likely to affect adjacent residential premises. The approved Statement shall be adhered to throughout the construction period.