Agenda item

(Director of Communities) To consider the attached report, CHB-008-2017/18.

(1) That the garage sites, either previously withdrawn or refused planning permission be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval, at the following locations:

1. Garage site to the rear of 80-98 and 100-112 Hillyfields, Loughton –  development of 2no. 2 bed-houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

2. Garage site to the rear of 109 to 127 Pyrles Lane (Site A), Loughton – development of 2no. 2 bed-houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

3. Garage site to rear of 100 to 108 Pyrles Lane (Site B), Loughton  – development of 3no. 3 bed-houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be offered for sale to the developer of the Pyrles Lane Nursery site in the first instance, or be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

4. Garage site at Hornbeam Close (Site A), Buckhurst Hill (adjacent to 6 Cascade Close) – development of 2no. 2 bed-houses.

Agreed that this site would be developed for paid for parking.

5. Garage site adjacent to 25 Colvers, Matching Green – development of 3no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

6. Garage site at Gant Court, Waltham Abbey – development of 3no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed that this site would be developed for paid for parking.

7. Garage site at Mallion Court, Waltham Abbey – development of 4no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed but to be held for 12 months in order for the new Leisure Centre to open and settle down.

8. Garage site adjacent to 44 Palmers Grove, Nazeing – development of 3no. 3-bed houses and 1no. 2-bed house.

Agreed that this site would be developed for paid for parking.

9. Garage site adjacent to 52 Hansells Mead and 2 Parkfields, Roydon – development of 2no. 3-bed houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

10. Garage site adjacent to 14A Pound Close Nazeing – development of 2no. 3-bed houses and 2no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

11. Garage site at St Thomas's Close, Waltham Abbey – development of 2no. 3-bed houses and 1no. 2-bed house.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

12. Garage site adjacent to 36 Springfield (Site B), Epping – development of 2no. 1-bed bungalows.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.  

The Assistant Director (Housing Property & Development) presented a report to the Cabinet Committee. He advised that 12 sites had either been refused planning permission or withdrawn from the Council’s Housebuilding programme. These sites were know brought back to this meeting to decide on the future outcomes.

Where any of the Council’s development sites were identified for Council house-building and was not developable for any of the reasons below, then the Cabinet Committee were to decide on each sites future use:

(1)        They do not receive planning permission;

(2)        They are not financially viable for the Council to develop based on a development appraisal; or

(3)        The Cabinet Committee considers for whatever reason, the site should not be developed for Council housing

The options already agreed by the Cabinet Committee were as follows:

(a)         To sell the site for social housing to a Housing Association in return for a capital receipt to fund future Council house-building and to gain nomination rights for Council housing applicants;

(b)         To sell the site for private development, either for residential or other use in return for a capital receipt to fund future Council house-building;

(c)         To divide up the site and sell the land to local residents to extend their private gardens in return for a capital receipt to fund future Council house-building;

(d)         To demolish the garages, re-surface and mark out the land and to leave the site as open car parking for local residents;

(e)         To sell the site to a Town or Parish Council for their own purposes (eg. public amenity space) in return for a capital receipt to fund future Council house-building; or

(f)          To continue to market and rent the garages to local residents

A further option now available to the Cabinet Committee was to submit a new planning application for each of the sites which were either withdrawn or refused by the relevant Area Planning Committee, since the Council’s Constitution has recently been amended allowing any future planning applications that are refused permission at the relevant Area Planning Committee to be referred to District Development Management Committee (DDMC) as the Council’s appeal mechanism.

Each of the sites at Hillyfields, Pyrles Lane (Sites A and B) in Loughton; Hornbeam Close (Site A) in Buckhurst Court; Colvers in Matching Green; Gant Court, Mallion Court and St Thomas’s Close in Waltham Abbey; Palmers Grove and Pound Close in Nazeing; Hansells Mead/Parkfields in Roydon and Springfields in Epping had been identified as being undevelopable, either because they did not, or would not likely to receive planning permission.

The Assistant Director advised that there were concerns with the paid for parking garage site at Springfield (B) as residents were not keen in taking up the spaces due to the cost involved. The first year cost was £500 per space and £250 every subsequent year. The Council would only be recouping their costs in preparing the sites for paid resident parking and the installation of posts so that each space allocated to a resident would not be able to be used by anyone else.

Members of the Cabinet Committee agreed that local residents should be given one last opportunity to take up the available parking, the site should be remarketed so that the nature of the charges were clear and transparent, and if there was no take up that the site be redesigned and submitted for planning approval.

Decision:

(1)         That the garage sites, either previously withdrawn or refused planning permission be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval, at the following locations:

a.       Garage site to the rear of 80-98 and 100-112 Hillyfields, Loughton –  development of 2no. 2 bed-houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

b.       Garage site to the rear of 109 to 127 Pyrles Lane (Site A), Loughton – development of 2no. 2 bed-houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

c.        Garage site to rear of 100 to 108 Pyrles Lane (Site B), Loughton  – development of 3no. 3 bed-houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be offered for sale to the developer of the Pyrles Lane Nursery site in the first instance, or be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

d.       Garage site at Hornbeam Close (Site A), Buckhurst Hill (adjacent to 6 Cascade Close) – development of 2no. 2 bed-houses.

Agreed that this site would be developed for paid for parking.

e.       Garage site adjacent to 25 Colvers, Matching Green – development of 3no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

f.         Garage site at Gant Court, Waltham Abbey – development of 3no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed that this site would be developed for paid for parking.

g.       Garage site at Mallion Court, Waltham Abbey – development of 4no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed but to be held for 12 months in order for the new Leisure Centre to open and settle down.

h.       Garage site adjacent to 44 Palmers Grove, Nazeing – development of 3no. 3-bed houses and 1no. 2-bed house.

Agreed that this site would be developed for paid for parking.

i.         Garage site adjacent to 52 Hansells Mead and 2 Parkfields, Roydon – development of 2no. 3-bed houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

j.         Garage site adjacent to 14A Pound Close Nazeing – development of 2no. 3-bed houses and 2no. 2-bed houses.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

k.        Garage site at St Thomas's Close, Waltham Abbey – development of 2no. 3-bed houses and 1no. 2-bed house.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

l.         Garage site adjacent to 36 Springfield (Site B), Epping – development of 2no. 1-bed bungalows.

Agreed to be redesigned and resubmitted for planning approval. At the Pre-app stage, should it not be possible to obtain the positive support of the Planning Officer, then the site be offered for paid parking and residents’ consulted; if there is insufficient interest for paid parking from residents, then the site is be sold on the open market and the proceeds be recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

Reasons for Decision:

The Cabinet Committee is required to decide on the future use of garage sites that have previously been refused planning permission but are to be re-submitted with the reasons for planning refusal being taken into account in the new application in line with the Council’s Policy.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To adopt any other of the options within the existing Policy on the future use of undevelopable sites, as set out in the body of the report.