REPORT OF THE STRATEGIC DIRECTOR OF ENVIRONMENT SERVICES TO DEVELOPMENT CONTROL COMMITTEE

SITE INSPECTION – 11 JULY 2003

1.

TCP/24460/B P/01034/03 Parish/Name: Newport Registration Date: 21/05/2003 - Full Planning Permission Officer: Mr. J. Fletcher Tel: (01983) 823598 2 storey building to provide 4 flats; alterations to vehicular access; parking for 2 vehicles (revised scheme) land between 1 and 5, St. Johns Road, Newport, PO30

REASON FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

Councillor Cunningham has indicated during recent telephone conversation that he would not be prepared to agree to the application being dealt with under the delegated procedure.

PROCESSING INFORMATION

Application has taken six weeks and one day to process to date. 1 July meeting will enable a decision notice to be issued within the required eight week period.

LOCATION AND SITE CHARACTERISTICS

Rectangular site located between St Johns Road and Mount Pleasant Road. Site has been the subject of recent site clearance and is relatively level although it does stand elevated above St Johns Road. There are detached properties either side, 1 and 5 St Johns Road. No. 1 is an older building whilst no. 5 is a more modern detached dwelling. Both these properties have windows which face the site. There is a stone wall along the St Johns Road frontage which is in part a retaining wall with the footpath being lower.

RELEVANT HISTORY

Outline consent for a detached dwelling granted February 2002.

An application for a two storey block of four two bedroomed flats with four parking spaces off Mount Pleasant was received in February 2003 and withdrawn in April 2003.

DETAILS OF APPLICATION

Detailed consent is sought for a two storey block providing one one and one two bedroom flat on the ground floor with their own separate access as with a similar arrangement at first floor, again with their own separate entrances. Block has a main central footprint measuring 8.3 metres by 7.9 metres with two smaller wings at either end resulting in a block which has an overall length of 14.6 metres. Block to be located 2 metres off the back of footpath to St Johns Road and to be provided with a 1 metre footpath on either side. Result is a building which, at its closest, is 2.7 metres off the side wall to no. 5 St Johns Road and 3.7 metres at its closest to no. 1 St Johns Road. Proposal provides for some communal area to the rear including a paved drying area. Finally, two parking spaces have been indicated in the north eastern corner accessed directly off Mount Pleasant Road via a new crossing off that road. Pedestrian access has been provided directly onto the footpath to St Johns Road.

Block to be constructed in a multi-red facing brick under a slated gabled roof and to have a maximum height of 8.5 metres ground level to apex of gable. Block has been designed to have vertical emphasis windows with string courses and brick soldier courses above windows.

Boundary treatments have been indicated to be retention of existing stone wall to St Johns Road, retention of existing wall between site and no. 5 St Johns Road, new timber fence between site and no. 1 St Johns Road and open railings along the front boundary to Mount Pleasant Road.

DEVELOPMENT PLAN/POLICY

Relevant local Plan policies are as follows:

D1 - Standards of Design

D2 - Standards for Development Within the Site

D3 - Landscaping

H5 - Infill Development

TR16 - Parking Policies and Guidelines

TR6 - Cycling and Walking

U11 - Infrastructure and Services Provision

In order to remind Members Policy TR16 is as follows:

Planning applications which seek to reduce car parking requirements to an operational minimum and are in accordance with the Council's parking guidelines will be approved.

In those situations where the Council does not wish to encourage on-site parking, for example some "core" town centre locations where there is good access to public transport and in close proximity to a full range of services, the location, type and scale of development will determine the level of contribution to be sought towards alternative measures which will encourage travel by means of other than private cars.

National policies covered in PPG3 - Housing March 2000. This document emphasises the following:

Provide wider housing opportunity and choice by including better mix in size, type and location of housing.

Give priority to reusing previously developed land within urban areas and to take pressures off development of greenfield sites.

Create more sustainable patterns of development ensuring accessibility to public transport to jobs, education, health facilities, shopping etc.

Make more efficient use of land by adopting appropriate densities with 30 units to 50 units per hectare quoted as being the appropriate levels of densities with even greater intensity of development being appropriate in places with good public transport accessibility such as town centres etc.

More than 1.5 off-street parking spaces per dwelling unlikely to reflect Government's emphasis on sustainable residential development.

Finally, reference is made to Housing Needs Survey, one of the main conclusions of which is as follows:

A large proportion of demand is for single person accommodation although there continues to be an ongoing demand for two and three bedroomed homes to meet statutory homeless requirements.

CONSULTEE RESPONSES

Highway Engineer recommends conditions relating to access and ensuring suitable visibility on the Mount Pleasant Road frontage, should application be approved.

PARISH & TOWN COUNCIL COMMENTS

None.

THIRD PARTY REPRESENTATIONS

Application has been the subject of four letters of objection, two from residents of St Johns Road, (one being from the immediate neighbouring property), one from Mount Pleasant Road resident and one from a Ventnor resident. Points raised are summarised as follows:

Inadequate parking provision with the development having the potential to attract twelve car owners with there only being two parking spaces provided. Such under provision is likely to affect highway safety.

Location of block impinges on the general building line to St Johns Road being set too far forward.

The introduction of open railing on the Mount Pleasant Road would be out of character with the street scene.

Proposal is inappropriate in terms of design, bearing in mind site's location adjacent to the Newport Conservation Area.

Concern that the under parking provision and general generation of traffic as a result of this proposal will cause hazards to road users, with particular reference to the junction of Mount Pleasant Road with Medina Avenue.

Proposal represents an overdevelopment with the site only being capable of accommodating one single dwelling.

Even the provision of two parking spaces will result in the loss of on-street parking in Mount Pleasant Road.

CRIME & DISORDER IMPLICATIONS

No crime and disorder implications anticipated.

EVALUATION

Material considerations are as follows:

Appropriateness of density.

Appropriateness of design.

Provision of parking.

Impact on neighbouring properties.

The site's location and former use makes it ideal for residential development given its urban status close to the town centre. Government policy encourages efficient use of urban land and therefore this proposal to accommodate a block of four flats in lieu of the single detached dwelling as approved on outline is not considered to be unreasonable. The proposal represents a density of 133 units per hectare which in the context of the general area is not considered to be unreasonable given that the proposal is for flats.

This application is the second for this site following the withdrawal of the previous proposal. The differences are that the block has been moved nearer St Johns Road and has been reduced slightly in footprint, reducing two of the flats from two bedroom to one bedroom units. This has enabled amenity and community land to be provided. This provides a sense of space about.

In terms of design applicants have purposely reflected the Victorian appearance of most of the dwellings in this area. This, coupled with vertical emphasis glazing proportions and use of a good quality red brick under slated roof, should, in my opinion, result in a block which will be compatible with the overall pattern of development in the area. The site is close to, but not within the Newport Conservation Area and there are a number of Listed buildings within the vicinity. Overall I consider the design, height and mass of the building will sit comfortably within the street scene.

The site is within Zone 2 in respect of the Council's parking policies. Within this zone the parking requirement is 0 - 50% of guidelines with those guidelines requiring at least one parking space per bedroom. The block will provide a total of six bedrooms and therefore maximum parking provision should be no more than three parking spaces, however, in this case applicants have chosen to only provide two spaces, still well within the 0 - 50% required.

Applicant has been consulted since the Committee's decision to carry out a site inspection and has confirmed that he would be willing to provide additional parking spaces over and above the two spaces already indicated. Members are reminded however, that any parking allocation in excess of three would be contrary to Policy TR16 being in excess of 50%. The second effect of any additional on-site parking off Mount Pleasant Road would be to reduce availability of on-street parking immediately outside the site.

Finally, Members' attention is drawn to a recent appeal which was allowed in relation to a proposed development of two three bedroomed semi-detached houses with zero parking on the site in Clifford Street, Newport. Members will recall a decision to refuse the application on the grounds that the absence of parking would place additional parking pressures on the surrounding area. However, the Inspector, in determining to allow this appeal, made specific reference to that site's easy walking distance of the town centre, a characteristic of this application site. As such the Inspector considered that there were realistic alternatives to reliance on the private car. He also considered that there were realistic prospects that the small size of the dwellings would attract non-car owner households which again equates to the current proposal being for two one bedroom and two two bedroom flats. Finally, he stated that "The marginal increase in on-street parking in the surrounding area would not add materially to congestion and therefore would not harm the living conditions of existing residents". Whilst each site has to be taken on its individual merits I consider there is some similarity between these two sites in terms of the parking issue with the Inspector placing considerable weight on Policy TR16 and Appendix G.

Provision of these two parking spaces will obviously have an effect on current on-street parking within Mount Pleasant Road, however, the Highway Engineer has not commented on this issue which is not surprising as Members will be aware that the roads are for cars to pass one another as opposed to providing parking provision. Indeed the site's location close to the town centre and within easy walking distance of the bus station could well have attracted zero parking scheme on this site.

With regard to impact on neighbouring properties, any development on this site, be it one dwelling or four units of accommodation, would impact to a certain extent on the neighbouring properties both of which have windows in the side elevation facing the site. The revised location and slight reduction in the size of the block, along with level of accommodation and the provision of a reasonable level of communal/amenity space, leads me to the view that the impact will be at an insufficient level to warrant a refusal.

HUMAN RIGHTS

In coming to this recommendation to grant planning permission consideration has been given to the rights set out in Article 8 (Right to Privacy) and Article 1 of the First Protocol (Right to Peaceful Enjoyment of Possessions) of the European Convention on Human Rights. The impacts this development might have on the owners/occupiers of the other property in the area and other third parties have been carefully considered. Whilst there may be some interference with the rights of these people this has to be balanced with the rights of the application to develop the land in the manner proposed. Insofar as there is an interference with the rights of others it is considered necessary for the protection on the rights and freedom of the applicant. It is also considered that such action is proportional to the legitimate aim and in the public interest.

JUSTIFICATION FOR RECOMMENDATION

Having given due regard and appropriate weight to all material considerations as described in the Evaluation section I am satisfied that this proposal represents an acceptable form of development which will not have an excessive impact on neighbouring occupiers and which will sit comfortably within the immediate street scene in particular and the pattern of development in the area in general. Parking provision is well within parking policy guideline and I do not consider that the introduction of four units within one block represents an inappropriate density of development. Indeed the provision of one and two bedroom flats accords entirely with the Housing Needs Survey which identified this type of accommodation as representing the greatest demand.

RECOMMENDATION - APPROVAL

Conditions/Reasons:

1	Time limit - full - A10
2	The access and crossing of the highway footway shall be constructed in accordance with the following vehicular crossing specification for light vehicles before the development hereby approved is occupied or brought into use: (a) Footway Construction (strengthening) for light vehicles 1. Excavate to a minimum depth of 150mm 2. Construct the vehicle crossing in Class C30P/20 concrete to a minimum thickness of 150mm, properly compacted with float and brush finish. Reason: To ensure adequate access to the proposed development and to comply with Policy TR7 (Highway Considerations) of the IW Unitary Development Plan.
3	Notwithstanding the provisions of any Town & Country Planning General Permitted Development Order, no part of any boundary wall or fence erected on the site fronting Mount Pleasant Road, nor any hedge planted to mark the boundary or alongside any such boundary, wall or fence, shall at any time be permitted to be more than 1.05 metres above the level of the carriageway and the resultant visibility splays shall be kept free of obstruction. Reason: In the interests of highway safety and to comply with Policy TR7 (Highway Considerations) of the IW Unitary Development Plan.
4	Construction of the building hereby permitted shall not commence until a schedule of all materials and finishes to be used for the external roofing and walls of the same has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Any such schedule shall make provision for a slated roof. Thereafter only such approved materials and finishes shall be used in carrying out the development. Reason: To safeguard the amenities of the locality and to comply with Policy D1 (Standards of Design) of the IW Unitary Development Plan.
5	No development shall take place until samples of the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details. Reason: In the interests of the amenities of the area and to comply with Policy D1 (Standards of Design) of the IW Unitary Development Plan.
6	Before development commences a hard and soft landscaping scheme shall be submitted which shall include details of any tree or shrub planting and details of hard surfacing, all of which shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Such scheme shall specify the position, species and size of trees and shrubs to be planted and shall be fully implemented prior to occupation of any of the units hereby approved. The scheme shall include for the provision of their maintenance during the first five years from the date of planting. Reason: To ensure that the appearance of the development is satisfactory in compliance with Policy D3 (Landscaping) of the Isle of Wight Unitary Development Plan.
7	No development shall take place until there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority a plan indicating the design, materials and height of boundary treatments as indicated on the plan hereby approved. Such boundary treatment scheme shall include for the retention of the existing walls along the southern and western boundaries. Such boundary treatment shall be completed before the building hereby approved is occupied. All development shall be carried out thereafter in accordance with the approved details. Reason: In the interest of maintaining the amenity value of the area in compliance with Policy D1 (Standards of Design) of the Isle of Wight Unitary Development Plan.

ANDREW ASHCROFT

Head of Planning Services