Agenda item

Gillingham North 

Construction of a mosque, community centre and car parking.

Discussion:

The Planning Manager – East outlined the application and reminded the Committee that this application had originally been considered at the meeting on 18 June 2014 but had been deferred to enable the applicants to undertake further work in relation to the proposed parking arrangements.

She drew attention to the Proposals Section of the report and advised that this had been retained as originally submitted. However the Highways Section of the report had been amended to reflect the new parking arrangements. A further condition had also been recommended to secure the car parking arrangements.

During her presentation on this planning application, the Planning Manager – East drew attention to the supplementary agenda advice sheet which set out a proposed amendment to condition 17 relating to the provision of 29 off-site parking spaces.

In addition, she advised that the information contained within the Highways Section required correction to state that 31 parking spaces would be allocated within the site rather than 30 spaces. Therefore the proposed parking for this development would be as follows:

Spaces within the application site                              31

Spaces within private car park area adjacent             20

to South Eastern Railway Station car park

Spaces within South Eastern Railway                       20

Car park secured via scratchcard scheme

Total for the development                                      71

The Committee was informed that since despatch of the agenda, six further letters of representation had been received, details of which were summarised on the supplementary agenda advice sheet.

The Planning Manager – East confirmed that in considering this planning application, Officers had taken into account the use of the existing car park for coaches transporting fans to Gillingham Football Club. It was considered that with the replacement parking to be provided on the former petrol filling site, such arrangement could continue to operate. It was however stressed that this arrangement was with the Council and not with the applicants.

The Committee was also advised that appended to the supplementary agenda sheet was an updated parking survey of both the Croneens Car Park and the South Eastern Railway Station Car Park undertaken between 26 June and 13 July.

Referring to proposed condition 16 and the new condition 17 set out on the supplementary agenda advice sheet, it was suggested that if the Committee was minded to approve the application, both conditions be amended to state that the parking arrangements be retained so as to secure the parking provision in the long term.

The Committee discussed the planning application and noted that the Committee’s previous concerns regarding lack of parking provision had been addressed. Some Members advised that they continued to have reservations about the size and location of the proposed development and the possible competing demands on parking provision in the locality of the development. 

Decision:

Approved with conditions 1 – 15 as set out in the report for the reasons stated in the report and conditions 16 and 17 amended as follows: 

16.       No development shall take place, and the existing car parking within the site shall remain open and available for use by the general public, until 115 replacement pay and display parking spaces have been provided and made available for use.  The replacement parking spaces shall be provided within 300m of any of any boundary of the application site and shall be retained thereafter.

Reason: In the interests of amenity in accordance with Policies BNE2 and T13 of the Medway Local Plan 2003.

17.       No development shall take place until details of the parking arrangements for a minimum of 29 off-site parking spaces to serve the development have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  The development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved parking arrangements prior to the first use or occupation of the building and shall be retained thereafter.

Reason: In the interests of amenity in accordance with Policies BNE2 and T13 of the Medway Local Plan 2003.