Issue - meetings

Recommended for Approval

The Head of Planning and Building Control recommended that in respect of application 3/24/1707/FUL, planning permission be granted subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report.

The Principal Planning Officer summarised the late and additional representations that had been received. She said that two objections had been received regarding the application and potential traffic congestion, public transport provision, and a query regarding paragraph 7.4 and a reference to the Neighbourhood Plan, and also an objection regarding the design.

The Principal Planning Officer summarised the application in detail and presented a series of visuals and plans in respect of the proposed development. She detailed the full planning history of the wider Bishop’s Stortford Goodsyard and Members were advised that the site was allocated in the District Plan. The Principal Planning Officer said that this allocation was supported by the Neighbourhood Plan for Bishop’s Stortford and part of Thorley. She said that the proposals should be assessed against the aims of the NPPF and other relevant District Plan policies.

The Principal Planning Officer set out the wider planning context and said that the principle of redevelopment of the whole of the goodsyard site is established with strong policy support spanning several years.

Members were advised that the site was located on the northern part of the wider goodsyard development and it was intended that the both the proposed hotel and bus interchange would be delivered concurrently. The Principal Planning Officer explained that certainty of delivery would be ensured by the planning permission being structured on a phased basis with the bus interchange being phase one and the hotel forming a separate phase.

Members were advised that this would enable planning conditions to be discharged independently for each phase thereby preventing delays to one element if issues arose with other phases of development. The Principal Planning Officer said that the phasing plan had been prepared on this basis, and this would be secured by conditions to ensure that the bus interchange could be still delivered if the hotel was delayed.

The Principal Planning Officer said that the applicant had responded to design refinements requested by conservation and urban design officers and these officers considered that the scheme was appropriate to its urban context and they felt that the development would have a neutral impact on the adjacent conservation area.

Members were advised of the proposed parking arrangements for hotel guests in Jackson Square Multi Storey Car park and Crown Terrace Car Park and also the proposed cycle parking for the employees of the hotel.

The Principal Planning Officer said that Hertfordshire Highways had not objected to the application and officers considered that, in planning terms, the principle of the development was firmly established and the proposal benefited from extant permission, policy support, an improved design, economic benefits, public transport improvements, and strong sustainability measures and the regeneration of a vacant site.

Members were advised that all of the above were public benefits that should be given significant weight, and  ...  view the full minutes text for item 201