Agenda item

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 the recommendation was to grant planning permission subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report.

Simon Dunlop and Oliver Milne addressed the committee in support of the application. They were asked questions by the Development Management Committee.

Councillor R Buckmaster asked how the allocations of spaces in Jackson Square and Crown Terrace were to be determined by the Officers. The Principal Planning Officer said that the parking spaces would be secured via an agreement with East Herts and the applicant, and this would not be matter that would be controlled by planning.

Councillor Stowe asked how the deliveries to the hotel could be guaranteed to be made by lorries no larger than 18 tonne rigid lorries. He also asked if officers could show the location of the layby for deliveries. The Principal Planning Officer said that the application would be subject to a condition for this kind of information. She put up a plan that showed the location of the layby on Dane Street.

Councillor Stowe asked about the discharge of water into the River Stort and the wording of the agreement that was being drawn up. The Principal Planning Officer said that the Canals and Rivers Trust had advised that planning conditions were required to secure the drainage design and this was in accordance with the drainage design that would be approved by the LLFA and secured by condition.

Councillor Devonshire commented that Crown Terrace was a long way from the hotel site, and Jackson Square was also a good 10-minute walk as well. He said that hotel guests would be more likely to use the Station Car Park, which was closer but very expensive.

Councillor Estop asked about Section 106 obligations in respect of sustainable transport and in particular for walking and cycling. She said that Station Road was a very important walking and cycling and it was very poor in its existing state and everyday people towards the Station from the main shopping area and people also walked east to west from Hockerill to South Street.

Councillor Estop asked if there had already been Section 106 provision for improving Station Road and making the walking routes continuous or whether this needed to be added to this application. The Principal Planning Officer said that these provisions had already been secured via the existing extant outline planning permission, and some more Section 106 had been secured by the most recent hybrid application and the Section 106 on that application was currently being finalised.

Councillor Hill asked for some clarity about the existing provision for cycle parking on site and the wider area. The Principal Planning Officer said that officers had considered the site wide provision as being sufficient along with the existing provision at the train station along with the cycle parking that had been implemented by the extant permission.

The Principal Planning Officer responded to questions from Members regarding retail deliveries, waste management, biological net gain, landscaping and the bus shelter design. The Interim Team Leader (Strategic Applications) said that all of the details that shaped the design of the bus interchange were considered to be acceptable in planning and highways safety terms.

Councillor Stowe proposed and Councillor Adams seconded, a motion that application 3/24/1707/FUL be granted planning permission subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report.

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

RESOLVED – that application 3/24/1707/FUL be granted planning permission subject to the conditions set out at the end of the report.