Agenda item

[To consider the planning application]

The Committee considered a report regarding 20/00832/FUL - Demolition of existing warehouse buildings and construction of Costa Coffee Drive-Through (use class A1 / A3) and retail unit (use class A1) with associated parking, access and landscaping.

Vijay Kaul, Senior Planning Officer, reported the following updates since the agenda had been published:

1. An email had been received by the Applicant from Councillor Zee Russell, Ward Member for Ettingshall, stating that she supported the scheme, however it may be worthwhile asking Historical England and the Conservation Team what measures they required in order to meet their approval.
2. The Applicant had revised the opening hours to start at 6.00am, with closing time of 8.00pm for Greggs and 10.00pm for Costa. Environmental Health still advised later opening of 7.00am and noise barrier.
3. A full application and Listed Building Consent had now been submitted for the Royal Hospital site.

Mr Tim Dixon addressed the Committee and spoke in support of the application.

The Senior Planning Officer responded to the statements made and

advised that:

1. The statutory test for assessing applications that affected the setting of Listed Buildings, Conservation Areas and the Development Plan Policy were set out in the report.
2. Historic England, who are the Government’s expert adviser on England’s Heritage and have a statutory role in the planning system had stated that the development would cause harm and that the harm was unjustified.
3. Objections had also been raised by the Victorian Society, the Ancient Monuments Society and All Saints Action Network (ASAN).
4. The Local Planning Authority (LPA) had robustly assessed the design and heritage impact of the development.
5. The proposal would result in harm to the character and appearance of the Cleveland Road Conservation Area, and harm to the setting of the Listed Buildings.

A Member of the Committee welcomed the development however most felt that the proposals were unacceptable.

Councillor Muston moved the recommendations and Councillor Page seconded the recommendations.

Resolved:

That planning application 20/00832/FUL be refused on the following ground:

1. The proposal involves the demolition of warehouse buildings which contribute to the significance, character and appearance of Cleveland Road Conservation Area through their layout, scale, form and materials. The proposed scheme fails to make a positive contribution to local character and distinctiveness, as it involves a typical drive through, single storey built form within an area of surface car parking which does not reflect the pattern of built form, design quality or scale of development that would be required to complement the existing context, or the emerging regeneration of the Royal Hospital development area. The proposal would result in harm to the character and appearance of the Cleveland Road Conservation Area, and harm to the setting of the Grade II Listed Royal Hospital and Locally Listed Dixons Building. The proposal conflicts with saved Unitary Development Plan Policies HE1, HE4, HE5, HE6, HE17, HE19, D4, D5, D6, D7, D8, D9, Black Country Core Strategy Policies CSP4, ENV2 and ENV3, City Centre Area Action Plan Policies CC8 and CC9, and relevant policies contained within the National Planning Policy Framework. The public benefits are insufficient to outweigh the less than substantial harm to the setting of to Cleveland Road Conservation Area, the Grade II Listed Royal Hospital and adjacent locally listed building.