Agenda item

To consider planning application 21/0486 for:

Site A: Erection of 53 two and three-storey dwellings with vehicular access from Chepstow Road and Gateside Drive, associated parking landscaping and public open space, and creation of school green for use by Boundary Primary School.

Site B: Erection of 78 dwellings to include two and three-storey dwellings, bungalows, a two-storey block of 12 flats and a three-storey block of 18 flats with access taken from Dinmore Avenue, with associated parking, landscaping and public open space including a children’s play area, formation of a shared cycle and pedestrian link from Dinmore Avenue to Dingle Avenue, and reconfiguration of existing car park to The Grange.

The Planning Committee considered application 21/0486 for Site A: Land at the junction of Chepstow Place and Gateside Drive and Site B: Land off Dinmore Avenue to the West of the Grange and south of Boundary Primary School. 

Miss Susan Parker, Head of Development Management, outlined the report and informed Members that the application was for a major-scale residential development on Grange Park that had not been subject to any objections.  However, as this was a Council project, it had been brought before the Planning Committee for determination.

The application related to two sites with one being roughly rectangular to the south-east of the junction between Chepstow Road and Gateside Drive and the second site was wedge-shaped and sat to the south of the school and medical centre behind The Grange on Dinmore Avenue.

Miss Susan Parker outlined the proposal which was for 131 affordable homes and as set out in the report, the development of Site A would result in the loss of some designated public open space and the development of Site B would result in the loss of designated, albeit unused, school playing field.  The loss of public open space was unfortunate and did weigh against the proposal, however this needed to be balanced against the benefits of the scheme, not only in terms of housing provision, but on the basis that the development would be entirely affordable.  Given that Blackpool had a significant unmet need for affordable housing, the provision that had been proposed weighed very strongly in favour of the application.

A financial contribution had been agreed that would go towards the provision or improvement of off-site public open space to compensate for that that would be lost.  The school playing field had not been used as such for many years and subject to the payment of monies towards off-site provision to mitigate the loss, Sport England had no objection to the scheme and therefore the loss of the playing field on this basis was considered to be acceptable.  Financial contributions had also been agreed toward local education and health care provision.

Miss Susan Parker noted that as the Council is the applicant and developer, it is not possible for these financial contributions to be secured through the normal route of a S106 agreement. Instead a Memorandum of Understanding was to be drafted and Sport England had confirmed their agreement to this approach.

With respect to housing mix, the scheme proposed a proportion of one-bed units that would conflict with adopted policy.  However, the one-bed units proposed would be intended as sheltered housing type accommodation for older people.  At present the Council cannot offer this type of accommodation to residents and the Council’s Housing Strategy Manager has confirmed that there is an identified need for such provision and on balance, the scheme was considered to be acceptable in principle.

Members were informed that the units proposed would all meet national floor space standards and this weighed in favour of the scheme.  Some of the separation distances between properties fell a little short of standards but not sufficiently to be of concern and it was difficult to see how the sites could be laid out differently to overcome these shortfalls without compromising overall efficient use of land.  The designs of the properties are considered to be acceptable in the context as are the materials used and any amenity impacts arising from noise could be adequately avoided through the imposition of the conditions recommended with the report.

With respect to landscaping, reasonable proposals had been included that would be effective in softening the appearance of the development and greening the street scene.  No unacceptable highways issues had been identified, however it had been noted that parking was a little short of standards.  The site was considered to be well-located in relation to nearby shops and services and therefore the limited parking did not weigh significantly against the proposal.  No issues relating to drainage, flood risk, ecology or environmental quality had been identified and some features to maximise sustainability were proposed.

Miss Susan Parker stated that subject to the conditions listed, the scheme was considered to be acceptable and it was recommended that planning permission should be granted.  An Update Note had been circulated prior to the meeting which provided an update on the education contribution and some of the conditions.  Natural England had responded to the submitted Habitats Regulation Assessment and had no objections.  Members were recommended to resolve to support the proposal and defer the application to the Head of Development Management to issue planning permission once the necessary Memorandum of Understanding had been finalised.

Ms Claire Parker, Agent for the application, spoke on the item and informed the Committee that the proposed dwellings were affordable and would help to meet local housing needs, in particular the provision of two-bedroom bungalows.  The proposed design would provide an orchard, green space and a play area.  The development of Site A would add a better mix of social housing to allow residents to move and stay within the immediate area.

The Planning Committee discussed the application and noted that biodiversity enhancement proposals seemed positive, however more could have been included in respect of green energy strategies.  Members presented the general view that the proposed development was much needed particularly in terms of affordable housing.

In response to Members’ comments, Miss Susan Parker drew their attention to paragraph 11.11.4 of the committee report which outlined the proposed range of sustainability measures which included renewable heating sources, measures to reduce water consumption and energy efficient lighting options.  In addition she had received an email from Natural England prior to the start of the meeting in which no objections were raised.

Resolved:

To support the proposal and to defer the application to the Head of Development Management to issue planning permission once the necessary Memorandum of Understanding had been finalised.

Councillor Robertson BEM declared a prejudicial interest in the item as he was a Non-Executive Director of Blackpool Coastal Housing and left the meeting for the duration of this item.