Agenda item

Walderslade

Demolition of garages and construction of a terrace of 5 two bedroomed houses together with1 two bedroomed bungalow attached to end of terrace with associated parking and landscaping. 

Discussion:

The Senior Planner reminded the Committee that this application had been deferred by the Committee on 8 October 2014 due to concerns regarding the need for further parking surveys and to request a reduction in the number of proposed units on the application site. A query had also been raised as to the need for consent for the demolition of the garages.

The Committee was informed that the demolition of the garages on the site had been included in the current planning application.  However, if the owners/developers wished to demolish the garages without first gaining planning permission for any redevelopment proposals then they would need to apply to the Local Planning Authority (LPA) for a determination as to whether or not prior approval would be required for the proposed method of demolition and any proposed restoration of the site.  In such cases the LPA could only regulate the details of demolition in order to minimise its impact on local amenity.

In response to the reasons for the deferral of the planning application on 8 October, additional submissions received from the applicant were set out on the supplementary agenda advice sheet as to the pre-application consultations that had been undertaken, confirmation that the proposed units  complied with the Council’s Housing Design Standards and the proposed landscaping. For these reasons, the applicant did not wish to reduce the number of proposed dwellings.

The Senior Planner also drew attention to additional parking survey work that had been undertaken since 8 October, details of which were also set out on the supplementary agenda advice sheet. In summary, the displaced parking from the loss of the garages would increase on-street parking by 5% bringing it to an average of 48% in the daytime and 73% at night. It was therefore considered that there was adequate on-street capacity to accommodate cars displaced from the garage site.

The Committee was informed that since despatch of the agenda, one further objection had been received from the adjacent dental surgery, details of which were summarised on the supplementary agenda advice sheet. In response, the applicant had offered to provide 3 parking spaces on the site as suggested by the dentist and to negotiate a licence to give the dental surgery exclusive use of these parking spaces. It was suggested that if the Committee was minded to approve the application and, supported the provision of parking spaces for the dental surgery, a further condition could be imposed.

Decision: 

Approved with conditions 1 – 14 as set out in the report for the reasons stated in the report and new condition 15 as set out below:

15.       No development shall take place until full details of the provision of three parking spaces near the southern side of the King George Road frontage of the site have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.  The spaces shall be provided in accordance with the approved details and shall be made available for use in connection with the adjacent dental surgery at all times that the surgery is open.  Thereafter it shall be kept available for such use and no permanent development, whether or not permitted by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (or any order amending, revoking or re-enacting that Order) shall be carried out on the land so shown or in such a position as to preclude vehicular access to this reserved parking space.

Reason:  To ensure that adequate parking is available in close proximity to the dental surgery and in the interests of amenity with regard to Policies BNE2 and T13 of the Medway Local Plan 2003.