Agenda item

3/20/0113/FUL - Creation of a 29 bedroomed hotel with ancillary parking, landscaping and a new vehicle access at Woodlands Lodge, Dunmow Road, Bishop's Stortford, Hertfordshire, CM23 5QX

Recommended for Approval

Minutes:

The Head of Planning and Building Control recommended that in respect of application 3/20/0113/FUL, planning permission be granted subject a legal agreement and subject to the conditions detailed at the end of the report submitted. It was also recommended that delegated authority be granted to the Head of Planning and Building Control to finalise the detail of the legal agreement and conditions.

 

The Service Manager (Development Management), on behalf of the Head of Planning and Building Control, said that this application followed a previous application for a much larger hotel building. Members were advised that this application had been withdrawn following advice from Officers that the scheme was largely unacceptable.

 

Members were advised that this application for a 29 bedroom hotel had therefore followed pre-application advice to the applicant and the application was now considered to be satisfactory and there had been no neighbour representations.

 

The Service Manager explained that the site was surrounded by various non-residential and industrial uses. He said that the proposed transient occupational use of the site was appropriate and tourist accommodation was appropriate here due to the proximity of the site to the motorway network and Stansted Airport.

 

The Service Manager said that an additional condition was recommended that would require the submission of details of water saving devices and mechanisms within the building before the development could proceed. Councillor Stowe commented on whether a condition could be added for ducting to enable more electric vehicle charging points.

 

Councillor Page said that his understand of use class C1 was that it covered both hostels and C1 hotels. Councillor Buckmaster referred to condition 10 and asked whether archaeological discoveries would put the development on hold.

 

The Service Manager said that details regarding future electric charging points could be submitted if requested by Members. Members were advised that a development was rarely held up by archaeological discoveries. The procedure was that whatever was found on site was recorded and then left in situ or very occasionally removed to a museum. Members were advised that any stage 2 archaeological reports were sent to the Historic Environment Section archive at Hertfordshire County Council.

 

The Service Manager advised that it had been held in case law that a hotel was for occupation of not more than 3 months. He said however that there would be nothing to stop a hotel being used for temporary accommodation and this would not be a concern in planning terms.

 

The Solicitor said that he thought perhaps that Councillor Page had been looking at the original version of the use class order which was available on the legislation website. He said that use Class C1 had been changed in 1994 to remove hostels and to make this use Sui Generis. Members were advised that a hostel would be a material change of use for which an application would have to be submitted.

 

Councillor Page commented on a potential condition that any application for a hostel would have to come back to Development Management Committee. The Service Manager said that this would be a matter for the constitution regarding whether such an application was referred back to Committee by a Member or determined under delegated powers. He confirmed that a condition could not be imposed on this application requiring that a future application for a hostel was brought back before the Committee.

 

Councillor Kemp said that this seem to be an appropriate location for a hotel as the site was well placed close to the M11 junction and he expected that most people would be arriving by car. He believed that this application would be an enhancement in terms of what was on the site at the moment with a fairly poorly surfaced car park and containers in the back yard.

 

Councillor Kemp asked about the planned number of parking spaces and commented on were Officers confident that this number was adequate to accommodate both the hotel guests and the necessary staff.  He also asked for some clarification as to why the Crime Prevention Officer felt the hotel would not be suitable for disabled guests.

 

Councillor Crystall said that he was pleased to see the almost 10% reduction in energy use against the Part L standards and he shared the thoughts of Councillor Stowe regarding a condition for cabling for more electric car charging points. He expressed concerns that gas boilers were being used for heating and hot water and he asked whether the use of low NOX boilers could be conditioned as the site was close to areas of concern in terms of air pollution.

 

Councillor Crystall said that he welcomed the planned grey water recycling unit and asked whether this could be conditioned. The Service Manager said that the Council could not insist on the use of non-gas boilers based on current District Plan policy. He said that this application did include 38 solar panels which could create a substantial amount of energy.

 

The Service Manager referred to paragraphs 8.28 and 8.29 in the report in respect of car parking and said that the development required 46 spaces, 3 of which should be disabled spaces and this complied with the parking standards.

 

The Service Manager said that the proposed grey water recycling unit was included in the building sustainability report and this was covered by a condition that stipulated that the proposed development must be in accordance with that report. He confirmed to Councillor Crystall that this matter would be fed into the conditions which were due to be delegated to Officers.

 

The Service Manager said that the Crime Prevention Officer had not given any detail with the concern that had been raised as to the suitability of the hotel for disabled guests. Officers could not see why at least the ground floor of the hotel could not be used by disabled occupants and the application would have to comply with building regulation standards regarding access to a publically used building.

 

Councillor Page referred to the points made by the Environment Agency and mitigation in respect of the Household Waste Recycling Site. He said that the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) called for mitigation and he asked for Officers thoughts.

 

Councillor Newton commented on the disability discrimination act for public spaces and she said that any public building had to meet certain criteria in terms for access for people with disabilities.

 

The Service Manager referred to the comments of Environment Agency and Officers did not feel that the suggestions that had been made were necessary due to the distance between this site and the civic amenity site. He said that Environmental Health had not commented on that issue.

 

The Service Manager said that the current District Plan policies covered disabled access to residential properties and the requirement of housing policies was to allow disabled access and disabled occupation. He said that these policies did not extend to public buildings such as this.

 

Members were advised that however that building regulations did cover public buildings. The Service Manager confirmed that an additional condition would be applied that required the submission of details in respect of water efficiency measures within the building.

 

Councillor Andrews proposed and Councillor Beckett seconded, a motion that application 3/20/0113/FUL be granted, subject to a Section 106 legal agreement and the planning conditions detailed at the end of the report submitted, including additional conditions in respect of water efficiency and car charging points; and with delegated authority being granted to the Head of Planning and Building Control to finalise the detail of the Section 106 legal agreement and the planning conditions.

 

After being put to the meeting and a vote taken, this motion was declared CARRIED.

 

RESOLVED that (A) in respect of application 3/20/0113/FUL, planning permission be grantedsubject to a Section 106 legal agreement and the planning conditions detailed at the end of the report now submitted, including additional conditions in respect of water efficiency and car charging points; and

 

(B) authority be delegated to the Head of Planning and Building Control to finalise the details of the Section 106 legal agreement and the planning conditions.

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