Agenda item

Strood South

Proposed part demolition of existing communal facilities block and addition of first floor to create a two-storey building (block 3), addition of new storey to block 1 to create a three/four storey building and extension to front and external staircase to block 2 and other associated works to facilitate conversion of Greatfield Lodge Residential Hostel into 14 one bed and 10 two bed residential self contained flats (Resubmission of MC/12/2898). 

Discussion:

The Development Manager reminded the Committee that this application had been deferred at the meeting on 8 January 2014 as a result of concerns regarding the parking provision.

The applicant had now submitted revised drawings and sent an email to all members of the Committee addressing the concerns raised.

The application was now re-submitted for consideration with 36 spaces to serve the proposed development. This was an increase of 9spaces on the previous application.

In the light of the Committee’s concerns that some of the rooms within the proposed development did not meet the Council’s Housing Design Standards, the applicant had submitted revised layout drawings together with a schedule demonstrating that the room sizes complied with the good practice standards rather than just meeting the baseline standards.  Prior to this revision, the layout showed a number of individual rooms within some of the flats being disproportionately larger than other rooms due to the proposal largely being a conversion.  The applicant had achieved the good practice standards within the scheme by reducing the size of these larger individual rooms to allow for the increase of other rooms. 

The applicant had also submitted a financial statement with the current application having liaised with the original case officer and an officer from the Property Team of Medway Council.  The financial statement had been accepted by the Council as demonstrating why the lower Section 106 contributions were justified.

The Committee discussed the report and a member drew attention to the request of the Committee on 8 January 2014 for the contribution towards off site provision and/or maintenance of outdoor open space to be spent on improvements to Reed Common in place of Broomhill Park.

Decision:  

Approved subject to:

A)        The applicant entering into an agreement under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 to include the following contributions:

i)          A contribution of £11,230.80 towards health facilities in the Strood area. 

ii)         A contribution of £28,000 towards off site provision and/or maintenance of outdoor open space to be spent on improvements to Northcote Recreation Ground, Sycamore Road play area and/or Reed Common. 

iii)        A contribution of £4,200 towards waste and recycling to be used to provide adequate facilities to cover the impact of the development.

iv)                An agreement that when any future stage of the development is undertaken (of all or any of the land outlined in blue on the submitted site plan) that it will include the provision of a minimum of 25% of affordable homes calculated on the basis of the number of dwellings across the site as a whole, the trigger being when 25 or more dwellings are proposed across the joint sites. 

B)             Conditions 1 and 3 – 15 as set out in the report for the reasons stated in the report and condition 2 amended as follows:

2.         The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: HSP/FR1, HSP/FP2, HSP/FP3, 227/07 rev A, 227/08 rev B, 227/09 rev A, 227/10 rev A, 227/11 rev B, 227/12 rev A, 227/13 rev A, 227/14 rev A, 227/15 rev A and 227/18 received 19 June 2013; 3033, 227/02 rev A, 227/17 rev A, 227/19 received 22 November 2013; 227/01 rev D received on 9 January 2014 and 227/03 rev C, 227/04 rev B, 227/05 rev C, 227/06 rev B received 21 January 2014.

Reason: For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.