Agenda item

(Director of Governance) To consider the attached report for a reserved matters application for appearance, layout, scale, massing, materials, external works, and landscaping of the Leisure Centre site only for approved outline consent EPF/2207/16.

The Assistant Director of Governance (Development Management) presented a report for a reserved matters application for appearance, layout, scale, massing, materials, external works, and landscaping of the new Leisure Centre site only for approved outline consent EPF/2207/16 in Ninefields, Waltham Abbey. This application was before the Committee as it was classified as a “major application” for development where the Council was the landowner.

The Assistant Director stated that the wider application site was 3.73 hectares in size, and currently consisted of open space, a car parking area and the Ninefields Community Centre. The site was located to the south-west of Hillhouse within the Ninefields estate and was bordered to the south by a brook and a public footpath. The application site for the proposed Leisure Centre consisted of the south-eastern parcel of land which currently contained the vacant Community Centre, the immediately surrounding area of open space, and the adjacent car park area. The site was not located within the Metropolitan Green Belt.

The Assistant Director reported that the proposed Leisure Centre building would contain a swimming pool, fitness suite, dance studio, group cycle room, reception area, café, community room and a staff room. A 98 space car park would be situated to the north and west of the building and accessed from the Hillhouse estate. Pedestrian access would be from the eastern elevation that opened onto the existing square and would replace the existing, and now vacant, Community Centre.

The Assistant Director conveyed that Planning Officers had concluded the proposed Leisure Centre was an appropriately designed building which would meet the needs of the local community whilst retaining and enhancing the appearance of the area. The proposed development would not cause any undue detrimental impact on the amenities of surrounding residents and would be served by adequate off-street parking provision. There had been no objections to the proposed details of the development from any statutory consultees, and the application complied with all relevant Local Plan policies and Government guidance, so therefore the application was recommended for approval.

The Committee noted the summary of representations received in respect of this application, including two objections from residents concerning the potential detrimental impact on parking and residential amenities, and two further comments from residents regarding vehicle access to the new Leisure Centre. Waltham Abbey Town Council had no objections to the proposal. The Committee heard from an Objector before proceeding to debate the application.

In response to questions from the Committee, the Assistant Director stated that the new Leisure Centre would be situated within a residential catchment area, and the parking provision was low but Planning Officers considered it acceptable and sustainable. It was hoped that more people would walk to the Leisure Centre as it was in a residential area, and this was the justification for reducing the parking provision from 120 at the outline planning stage to 98 in the application before the Committee. The dimensions of each parking space was 5.5 metres by 2.9 metres on the provided plans and this could be added to condition 4.

In addition, the Assistant Director explained that the control of the parking area would be a management responsibility once the Centre was open and not a planning issue. Cllr Stallan advised the members of the Committee to discuss the issue of parking control at the site with the Leisure & Community Wellbeing Portfolio Holder if they had any concerns. Cllr Whitehouse highlighted that there was no provision for cycle parking within the plans before the Committee, and the Assistant Director stated that a condition for cycle parking could be added if the Committee so desired.

Cllr Kane enquired if there would be a separate entrance for the Community Centre, as residents had requested out-of-hours access to it. In addition, there did not appear to be the standard condition for the hours of operation for the building phase and the provision of wheel-washing facilities and the such like. The Assistant Director explained that there was not a separate entrance for the Community Centre shown on the plans that had been submitted. In respect of the hours of construction for the Leisure Centre, the Assistant Director undertook to see if this had been dealt with under the application for the outline planning permission; if it had not then Officers could add the standard hours of construction condition to the permission if Members wished.

Cllr Kauffman sought assurances that the new Leisure Centre building would be fully compliant with the requirements of the Disability Discrimination Act 2005; the Assistant Director was sure that it would be as the building would be owned by the Council. Cllr Pond requested whether condition 2 could be amended to ensure that the external cladding of the building would be fully fire-proof. The Chairman added that the proposed building would only be two storeys high, and the Assistant Director explained that this was more of an issue for Building Control rather than Planning, but an informative could be added to the decision notice to remind the Building Control Inspectors that the Committee wanted fire-proof external cladding to be used.

Decision:

(1)        That planning application EPF/1139/17 at the site of the proposed new Waltham Abbey Leisure Centre in Ninefields, Waltham Abbey be granted permission, subject to the following conditions:

1.               The development hereby permitted will be completed strictly in accordance with the approved drawings numbers:

            P4560-110 Rev: B;

            P4560-1200 Rev: B;

            P4560-1210 Rev: B;

            P4560-1211 Rev: B;

            P4560-1212;

            P4560-1350 Rev: A; and

            P4560-1400.

2.         No construction works above ground level shall take place until documentary and photographic details of the types and colours of the external finishes have been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority, in writing. The development shall be implemented in accordance with such approved details.

3.         Prior to the first use of the development hereby approved, full details of both hard and soft landscape works (including tree planting) and implementation programme (linked to the development schedule) shall be submitted to and approved inwriting by the Local Planning Authority. These works shall be carried out as approved. The hard landscaping details shall include, as appropriate, and in addition to details of existing features to be retained: proposed finished levels or contours; means of enclosure; car parking layouts; other minor artefacts and structures, including signs and lighting and functional services above and below ground. The details of soft landscape works shall include plans for planting or establishment by any means and full written specifications and schedules of plants, including species, plant sizes and proposed numbers /densities where appropriate. If within a period of five years from the date of the planting or establishment of any tree, or shrub or plant, that tree, shrub, or plant or any replacement is removed, uprooted or destroyed or dies or becomes seriously damaged or defective another tree or shrub, or plant of the same species and size as that originally planted shall be planted at the same place, unless the Local Planning Authority gives its written consent to any variation.

4.         The parking spaces should be as dimensioned on the approved plan drawing number P4560_1200 Rev: B and shall be provided prior to the first use of the development and shall be retained free of obstruction for the parking of staff and visitors vehicles.

5.         Prior to the first use of the development hereby approved, details of cycle parking facilities shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The details as approved shall be provided on site prior to the first use of the development and retained thereafter.