Agenda and minutes

Councillor Donovan-Hart welcomed everyone to the meeting. Members of the Committee and officers introduced themselves and the Chair outlined the procedures for the meeting.

There were no apologies for absence.

There were no declarations of substitute members.

If you have a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest* in an item of business:

§  if it is not yet on the council’s register, you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent;

§  you may choose to declare a Disclosable Pecuniary Interest that is already in the register in the interests of openness and transparency. 

In both the above cases, you must leave the room without participating in discussion of the item.

If you have a personal interest in an item of business and you intend to speak or vote on the item you must declare both the existence and details of it at the start of the meeting or when it becomes apparent but you may participate in the discussion and vote on the item.

*(a)     Employment, etc - Any employment, office, trade, profession or vocation carried on for profit or gain.

(b) Sponsorship - Any payment or other financial benefit in respect of your expenses in carrying out duties as a member, or of your election; including from a trade union.

(c) Contracts - Any current contract for goods, services or works, between you or your partner (or a body in which one of you has a beneficial interest) and the council.

(d) Land - Any beneficial interest in land which is within the council’s area.

(e) Licences- Any licence to occupy land in the council’s area for a month or longer.

(f) Corporate tenancies - Any tenancy between the council and a body in which you or your partner have a beneficial interest.

 (g) Securities - Any beneficial interest in securities of a body which has a place of business or land in the council’s area, if the total nominal value of the securities exceeds £25,000 or one hundredth of the total issued share capital of that body or of any one class of its issued share capital. 

This applies to all members present at the meeting.

There were no declarations of interest.  

The order of business would be B1, B3 and B2.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 27 February 2018 be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

Erection of three storey extension to existing three storey (plus basement) host building at fourth, fifth and six floor levels and excavation at basement level to extend the existing floorplate to the rear of the building, and lowering of floor to form a full height basement. Erection of a setback plant room at roof level above the new sixth floor. Proposed extensions resulting in an uplift of 632 square meters of floor space. Change of use at basement to provide Class A3 café floor space and provision of bike store, refuse and recycle store. Change of use from Class A3 café floor space to Class B1 office floor space at first floor level; change of use from mixed Class B1 office floor space and ancillary Class A3 floor space at second and third floors to provide Class B1 office floor space across both floors. Provision of Class B1 office floor space at new fourth, fifth and six floors. Alterations to ground floor shopfront including installation of new double doors to provide access to the first-sixth floors; reinstatement of the missing corbel and the missing sash window to the front elevation at third floor level; three storey contemporary extensions at fourth-sixth floors to be formed of glazing and corten steel to comprise Class B1 floor space with reinstatement of existing saw-tooth roof form at sixth floor.

(Planning application number: P2017/4659/FUL)

In the discussion the following points were made:

·         The application was policy compliant.

·         The consistency of the roofline was welcomed as was the restoration of historic features.

·         It was considered by some members that there was no harm caused.

·         The business floorspace was welcomed in this strategic office location.

·         The quality of the design was considered to be a question of taste.

RESOLVED:

That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions and informatives set out in Appendix 1 of the officer report and subject to the prior completion of a Deed of Planning Obligation made under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 securing the heads of terms as set out in Appendix 1 of the officer report.

Erection of a single storey glazed extension (greenhouse) to the existing outbuilding (tea hut)(following removal of existing greenhouse).

(Planning application number: P2017/3427/FUL)

In the discussion the following points were made:

·         The applicant was encouraged to apply for local initiative funding.

RESOLVED:

That planning permission be granted subject to the conditions and informatives set out in Appendix 1 of the officer report.

Proposal for demolition of the existing vacant buildings (previously used as storage/workshop) and construction of 2x2 bedroom two storey dwellings with associated amenity space, lowering of land levels plus installation of bike and refuse storage.

(Planning application number: P2015/3034/FUL)

In the discussion the following points were made:

·         An update was provided by the planning officer confirming that additional responses had been received since the publication of the report, but that no new issues were raised that were not already addressed.

·         The planning officer explained that the application had been due to be considered by a planning sub-committee in March 2017. However issues had come to light which required more investigation. Since then further documents had been received and some minor amendments had been made to the proposed scheme and the application was now ready to be considered.

·         The planning officer was asked by members to identify on the plans the non-compliant (undersized and those with a lack of sunlight) private amenity spaces and the kitchen/living/dining room that failed the sunlight and daylight requirements.

·         It was considered by members that the proposal provided poor quality accommodation.

·         Concern was raised that the lack of amenity space breached policy as did the daylight/sunlight levels and the design was considered defective.

·         It was noted that should the dressing rooms be used as bedrooms, then the amenity space provision would be further below the minimum standard stipulated by policy.

·         It was noted that the design was harmful to future occupiers as opposed to adjoining occupiers, where it was felt the scheme demonstrated an acceptable relationship.

·         The recommendation was not considered to be finely balanced but clearly unacceptable on the above grounds.

Councillor Khan proposed a motion to refuse the application as it breached policies CS12, DM2.1, DM3.4 and DM3.5. This was seconded by Councillor Kay and carried.

RESOLVED:

That planning permission be refused for the reasons outlined above.

REASON: The proposed residential units would fail to provide a good standard of accommodation for future occupiers, by virtue of inadequate levels of internal light, with poor levels of outlook, an oppressive sense of enclosure and undersized private amenity space together with inadequate degree of sunlight receipt to both private amenity spaces. The development failed to make efficient use of the site and buildings and failed to accord with policy DM2.1 and the residential units were considered not to comply with policies CS12 of the Islington Core Strategy (2011) and policies DM2.1. DM3.4 and DM3.5 of the Development Management Policies (2013).