Agenda item

Demolition of existing office building and erection of 39 over 55's senior living residential apartments together with associated Works

 

LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Gareth A Roberts

 

Link to relevant background documents

 

To delegate powers to the Senior Planning Manager to approve the application, subject to the following conditions:

1.    Five years.

2.    In accordance with the plans/details submitted with the application.

3.    Compliance with the parking scheme.

4.    Compliance with the landscaping plan along with future maintenance work.

5.    Secure a plan/arrangement to provide the affordable units e.g. mix, tenure, occupancy criteria, timetable and arrangements to ensure that units are affordable now and in perpetuity.

6.    Compliance with the recommendations of the Bat Survey Report and the Preliminary Ecological Assessment.

7.    Agree on details regarding Welsh names for the development before the residential units are occupied for any purpose along with advertising signage informing and promoting the development.

8.    Working hours limited to 08:00-18:00 Monday to Friday; 08:00-13:00 Saturdays and not at all on Sundays or Bank Holidays.

9.      Condition to comply with the Lighting Plan submitted with the application. 

10.   Submission of a Construction Method Statement to include measures to reduce noise, dust and vibration to be agreed with the LPA.

11.   Restrict the use to prospective occupants aged 55+.

Note: Need to submit a sustainable drainage system application to be agreed with the Council

Demolition of existing office building and erection of 39 living residential apartments for adults aged 55+ together with associated works

 

Attention was drawn to the late observations form.

 

a)    The Senior Development Control Officer highlighted that this was a full application for the demolition of the existing building (unoccupied offices previously used by the Countryside Council for Wales) and the construction of a replacement building that would provide 39 residential flats for people aged 55+. The proposal included the following elements:

 

·         Provision of 39 flats that included 18 one-bedroom flats and 21 two-bedroom flats and each flat would be offered as an affordable unit.

·         Provision of 31 parking spaces with six of these for disabled parking and six spaces for electric vehicle charging points.

·         Using the current access from Penrhos Road through Llys Adda as per the current arrangement. The parking spaces were located to the south and to the west within the application site.

·         Erecting a building that varied from three storeys in the north (facing Penrhos Road) to four storeys in the south taking the gradient of the land within the site itself into account. The new building would be set in an "I" shaped form with the external elevations broken up by using numerous and various openings (some with Juliet balconies), various materials (e.g. clean brickwork, coloured render, grey panelled windows and doors that reflected vertical timber work and a blue slate roofing system) along with recessed walls.

·         Landscaping to include soft landscaping with a number of existing trees retained and additional planting work to mitigate for the loss of some trees, cloddiau/privets, shrubs and hard landscaping to include footpaths and an architectural feature in the form of a sphere water fountain near the main entrance.

·         Communal amenity spaces around the building as the building itself was located more or less in the centre of the site.

·         Installation of solar panels on the roof.

 

It was reported that the site was located within the development boundary of Bangor as contained in the Gwynedd and Anglesey Joint Local Development Plan, 2017 (LDP) but it had not been designated for any specific use. It was highlighted that the site was included within Tree Preservation Order ref. 3/TPO/A85, which also included the Llys Adda Estate to the south of the application site.

 

It was highlighted that a large number of documents had been submitted to support the application.

 

It was explained that the principle of constructing houses on this site was based in Policies PCYFF1, TAI1, TAI15, PS5 and PS17 of the LDP. Bangor was identified as an Urban Service Centre in Policy TAI1 and this policy supported housing developments to meet the LDP's Strategy (Policy PS17), which were located on housing designations and suitable windfall sites within the development boundary, and were based on the indicative provision contained within the LDP itself. This meant that Bangor, by completing the existing land bank, reached its indicative growth level of 969 units and, in such circumstances, consideration would be given to the units that had been completed thus far within the Key Centres tier where there was a shortage of 371 units. Under such circumstances, the applicant would be required to outline how the proposal would address the needs of the local community.  To this end, the following information was submitted:

·         Provision of 39 residential flats for people aged 55+ on a brownfield site within the development boundary.

·         Although the capacity figures for Bangor had been reached, it was considered that the housing supply figure was an indicative figure only.

·         Although capacity figures for Bangor had been reached, it was considered that the proposal to provide 100% affordable units addressed the needs of the local community - reference was made to the response of the Strategic Housing Unit following the statutory consultation process.

 

In the context of visual amenities, it was noted that the site was fairly prominent within the local street-scene and the impact on visual amenities was considered by referring to the following principles:

·         Scale - it was believed that the scale and mass of the proposed building would be reduced by providing façade elevations that were broken up by various openings, various materials together with creating recessed walls on the main elevations.

·         Design - it was proposed to create a modern residential development given that numerous dwellings in the catchment area of the application site had modern elevations.

·         Setting - the site was located within an urban context of fairly high housing density, which also included vegetation and trees.  The building's setting within the site meant that it followed the footprint of the existing building. It was reiterated that physical constraints, shape, vegetation and trees that were subject to a tree preservation order determined where any new building could be located.

·         Landscaping and trees - the proposal involved undertaking soft and hard landscaping. As the site was included within the Plas Penrhos tree preservation order area, an Arboriculture Impact Assessment had been submitted. The Assessment confirmed that only four trees within the site were in Category A (trees of high quality), 12 in Category B (moderate quality), 10 in Category C (trees of low quality) and 2 within Category U (trees that needed to be felled due to their poor quality). As a result, subject to compliance with the contents of the assessment, it was anticipated that the development would have minimum impact on the arboriculture environment of the site. 

 

In the context of general and residential amenities, a number of objections / concerns had been received from local residents relating to matters that included overlooking, loss of privacy, loss of light and shade considering the scale of the proposed building. In response, a Report on Daylight and Sunlight within the site and on the outskirts of the site had been submitted.

 

In the context of transport and access matters, it was highlighted that the proposal included using the existing junction to the class III county road, Penrhos Road and the junction with the Llys Adda Estate road. It was also intended to provide parking spaces for 31 cars with six of them as disabled spaces and six of them for electric vehicle charging points. A new pedestrian crossing would be provided along Penrhos Road and adjacent to the application site that would make the proposal accessible for pedestrians, which would be realised under Section 278 of the Highways Act, 1980. It was noted that the Transportation Unit had no objection to the development in principle subject to agreeing on details of the crossing with the applicant.

 

It was considered that the proposal would improve the visual appearance of the currently dormant site and with 100% of the units affordable, it would greatly contribute towards the affordable housing needs of the city. Full consideration had been given to the observations received from local residents and it was acknowledged that a development of this size would change the character of the local environment.   Nevertheless, having assessed the current proposal in its entirety, no substantial harmful impact contrary to local planning policies and relevant national guidance had been identified.

 

b)    Taking advantage of the right to speak, the applicant’s agent noted the following points:

·         The proposal was for the demolition of an existing office building and erection of a new block of 39 one- and two-bedroom flats for adults aged 55+.

·         All of the flats would be provided as affordable units and developed by the Local Housing Association, Adra.

·         The officer's report provided a detailed assessment of the application.

·         The local need for this type of units was high in Bangor with over 130 individuals aged 55+ waiting for one- or two-bedroom units.

·         The units would be let using a joint Local Lettings Policy.

·         Residents would be selected from the Council's housing options list with priority given to residents with a local connection - it was expected for the units to be occupied by residents from the Bangor city area.

·         Providing units of this type would enable local residents aged 55+ to get access to modern accommodation of high, suitable standard for an affordable rent.

·         At present, a high percentage of the residents in the Bangor city area under-occupied their current homes. Following changes to the benefits system, a number of tenants had suffered as a result of the bedroom tax and, therefore, wanted to move to a smaller home. Not only would the proposed development help to meet the need for units for those aged 55+, but it would also release homes that would be more suitable for families who needed homes in the city.

·         With residents aged 55+, it was not expected for a high percentage of them to be working and, therefore, it was likely that traffic movements would be lower than its previous use as an office. Following detailed discussions with Highway Officers, it was confirmed that they had no objection on the grounds of highway matters.

·         With the development already addressing the need for housing for local people living in the city, an unacceptable impact on the Welsh language was not expected. However, Adra was willing to commit to undertake a linguistic study after residents had moved into the units, and to find out the true picture in terms of the language situation.

·         That the planning officers recommended approving the application - it was hoped that the committee would support the application to provide social rented housing that were genuinely needed for local people in the city of Bangor.

 

c)    Taking advantage of the right to speak, the Local Member made the following points:

·         That a number of Llys Adda residents had highlighted their concerns to him.

·         A site meeting had been held with Adra.

·         Many expressed that the density of 39 flats appeared to be excessive.

·         The area was known for serious traffic problems.

·         An element of overlooking affected some Llys Adda houses.

·         The proposal would have a negative impact on the amenities of current residents.

·         There were insufficient parking spaces.

·         That use needed to be made of the dormant building - a health centre would be better than a residential centre.

·         Standard affordable homes were needed but the figures had already been reached in Bangor.

 

ch) It was proposed and seconded to approve the application.

 

d)    During the ensuing discussion, the following observations were made by members:

·         Such a scheme would release homes for local people - allowing the current tenants of Adra to move to smaller houses which released homes for families.

·         A similar project in Tywyn had been very successful.

·         The site needed to be developed.

·         An excellent plan with some negative elements.

·         Were 4 floors reasonable considering the age of the tenants? Would it be possible to adapt the plan to reduce density?

·         The development would add to traffic problems in the area.

·         The Council had lost an appeal in the past due to a decision on the impact of traffic on Penrhos Road.

 

  dd)     In response to the observations, it was confirmed that lifts had been included as part of the development plans to ensure easy access to the floors / flats. It was added that discussions had been held regarding traffic, but the proposal was unlikely to contribute towards current problems on Penrhos Road as only a low number of tenants would go to work.

 

The Assistant Head of Department added that use of the site as a busy office in the past had to be considered and that the plan in question met local needs. It was highlighted that the plan was part of the Council's Housing Plan vision - accepted that there were concerns about the size and amenity impact on nearby residents, but these matters had been assessed in detail.

 

RESOLVED:

To delegate powers to the Senior Planning Manager to approve the application, subject to the following conditions:

 

1.    Five years.

2.    In accordance with the plans/details submitted with the application.

3.    Compliance with the parking scheme.

4.    Compliance with the landscaping plan along with future maintenance work.

5.    Secure a plan/arrangements to provide the affordable units e.g. mix, tenure, occupancy criteria, timetable and arrangements to ensure that units are affordable now and in perpetuity.

6.    Compliance with the recommendations of the Bat Survey Report and the Preliminary Ecological Assessment.

7.    Agree on details regarding Welsh names for the development before the residential units are occupied for any purpose along with advertising signage informing and promoting the development.

8.    Working hours limited to 08:00-18:00 Monday to Friday; 08:00-13:00 Saturday and not at all on Sunday or Bank Holidays.

9.    Condition to comply with the Lighting Plan submitted with application. 

10.  Submission of a Construction Method Statement to include measures to reduce noise, dust and vibration to be agreed with the LPA.

11.  Restrict the use to prospective occupants aged 55+.

 

Note: Need to submit a sustainable drainage system application to be agreed with the Council.