Agenda item

Redevelopment of former Hackworth House Aged Persons Home to provide 19 dwellings.

Redevelopment of Former Hackworth House Aged Persons Home to Provide 19 Dwellings

Consideration was given to the report submitted in relation to the above application, a copy of which had been circulated.

A Inch, Principal Planning Officer gave a detailed presentation which included photographs of the site.

He advised that since the report had been prepared the following amendments were proposed to conditions numbered 9 and 11:-

   9.  ‘The development hereby approved shall not be occupied until such time   as the existing access to the site has been improved in accordance with the approved drawings referred to in condition 2.’

     11. ‘No removal of limbs of trees or other tree work shall be carried out unless   approval has been sought and granted by the local planning authority.’         

E Alder, the applicant was in attendance and responded to a number of questions from Members.

He explained that the underground tunnel shown on the plan displayed as part of the presentation was a railway tunnel situated 29m below ground level. In addition an air shaft was located within the application site which had been capped some years ago. Construction works were to be carried out to safeguard the tunnel and air shaft, in accordance with details provided by Network Rail.

A Member commented that the provision of affordable housing on this site had been considered unviable based on the applicant’s own viability assessment. He noted that this had been independently assessed and asked who had carried this out and what criteria was used to determine whether or not the inclusion of affordable homes was viable on development sites.

A Inch advised that the independent assessment was carried out by the Local Planning Authority using a nationally recognised toolkit which was endorsed by the Government. In determining viability the criteria used included the current economic climate and a developer’s financial circumstances, however a lot of the information provided was commercially sensitive. A Member acknowledged that some information may be of a commercially sensitive nature but considered that it would be useful for detail on viability assessments to be included in reports. It was suggested that this be raised at the Planning Chairs and Vice-Chairs meeting.

E Alder appreciated the concerns expressed by Members and stated that the provision of affordable housing was at the heart of the company’s ethos. However this was a brownfield site which required a lot of remedial works, including asbestos removal, mine shaft works and soil decontamination.

If affordable housing had been a requirement he considered that the land would have had a negative value. However they intended to provide low cost homes for local people, and would try to assist first time buyers by promoting home ownership and offering a range of incentives.

As developers, Gleeson’s aim was to promote strong and sustainable communities by providing a mix of low cost housing, and at the request of a Member E Alder outlined the approximate selling prices for each unit type. He continued that they also ensured that properties were not purchased and then sub-let by the use of legal covenants. Sub-letting was a breach of the terms of the mortgage and the developers had successfully taken action against owners in the past.

N Carter, Legal Officer advised the Committee that as there was no planning justification for affordable housing on this site, in reaching their decision, Members should not have regard to issues such as legal covenants, plot sales etc.  

Following consideration of the application, Members stated that the proposed development was welcomed, and the Chair thanked E Alder for responding to Members questions.

RESOLVED

That the application be approved subject to

(i)      the conditions outlined in the report, including the following amendments to  conditions numbered 9 and 11:-

9. ‘The development hereby approved shall not be occupied until such time as the existing access to the site has been improved in accordance with the approved drawings referred to in condition 2.’

11. ‘No removal of limbs of trees or other tree work shall be carried out unless approval has been sought and granted by the local planning authority.’         

(ii)     the applicant entering into a Section 106 Agreement in relation to the payment of a commuted sum to provide off-site recreation provision and/or off-site planting.