Agenda and minutes

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

Apologies were received from Councillor Khondoker.

Councillor Poyser substituted for Councillor Khondoker.

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 as per the agenda.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting held on 9 October 2018 be confirmed as an accurate record of proceedings and the Chair be authorised to sign them.

Extensions to the existing building, including an additional storey above existing building and part 4, part 5 storey extension over car park, to provide office, workshop and studio space with an ancillary café, together with hard and soft landscaping.

(Planning application number: P2017/3081/FUL)

In the discussion the following points were made:

·         The planning officer stated that an addendum report had been circulated to members setting out consideration of the Human Rights Act and additional clarification comments from the Design and Conservation Officer in relation to the impact on heritage assets.

·         The planning officer advised that since the committee report was published, the applicant had provided an elevated affordable workspace offer, including a discount market rent for 10% of the net increase for a 10-year period at 75% of the market rent. At least 5% of the uplift in area in the extension would be available to rent on a per desk basis (Club Workspace provision). Condition 13 would be amended accordingly.

·         In response to a member’s question about the BRE figures in relation to daylight, the planning officer advised that the existing buildings received an atypical amount of daylight due to the presence of the open air car park.

·         In response to a member’s question the planning officer advised that in relation to designing out crime, the police had certain standards. If these were met, a certificate was issued. The standard design condition would be added and the certificate would be required as part of this.

·         Concern was raised that it was proposed that the café would be open until 11pm on weekdays. A member suggested an earlier closing time to protect residential amenity.

·         The planning officer drew members’ attention to the Council’s statutory duty to preserve, meaning to do no harm to heritage assets, and advised that officers had been mindful in placing great weight on this in the planning balance.

·         The committee considered the special interest of each of the heritage assets with regard to the statutory duty and also considered the impact the scheme would have on each one. Members agreed with the Design and Conservation Officer’s assessments set out in the addendum report (being that the proposal would cause less than substantial harm to the setting of St Paul’s Church and result in a negligible impact (no harm) on the setting of 178-190 Balls Pond Road and no harm to the character and appearance of the Canonbury Conservation Area).

·         While members acknowledged there would be less than substantial harm to the setting of the church, they noted the fact that any harm being caused meant they must place great weight on this in the planning balance. Members considered that there were also significant public benefits that would be delivered, and that the benefits were such that on balance, members considered that the benefits outweighed the less than substantial harm to the setting of the church.

Councillor Cutler proposed a motion to restrict the closing time of the café to 8pm on weekdays. This was seconded by  ...  view the full minutes text for item 44.

Stopping up of 1 area of existing highway under Section 247 of the Planning Act 1990 to enable redevelopment of the Packington Estate (Phase 6).

(Planning application number: P2018/1395/FUL)

RESOLVED:

That the starting of the stopping up process be approved subject to the applicant entering into an indemnity agreement to pay all the council’s costs in respect of the stopping up.