Agenda item

Report of the Planning and Development Manager, recommending conditional approval in respect of the application for a proposed development at the above address, attached.

Change of use of first floor from office (class B1 (a) to education centre (Class D1) (Departure from Local Plan) (Retrospective)

Ms Long was present and with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE AMENDMENT TO THE OFFICER RECOMMENDATION TO GRANT TEMPORARY CONDITIONAL PLANNING PERMISSION WAS CARRIED

RECORDED VOTE:

FOR:  Councillors Jones, Letts, Slade, Samuels and Thomas

ABSTAINED:  Councillor Fitzhenry and Osmond

UPON BEING PUT TO THE VOTE THE SUBSTANTIVE MOTION INCORPORATING THE AMENDMENT REFERRED TO ABOVE TO GRANT PERMANENT CONDITIONAL PLANNING PERMISSION WAS CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY

RESOLVED that permanent planning approval be granted subject to the conditions in the report and the amended and additional conditions set out below. 

Amended Conditions

Condition 1 deleted – subsequent conditions re-numbered

Additional Conditions:

3 - Sign (Time bound performance condition)

Details of a non-illuminated, but reflective road sign, to alert drivers and users of the access into the Mountbatten Business Centre of the presence of children on site, shall be submitted to the local planning authority within 28 days of the date of this decision. The sign shall be a minimum size of 60cm by 30 cm and be placed a minimum of 1m above the prevailing ground level at the entrance of the Business Centre at its junction with Millbrook Road East.  Once agreed in writing by the local planning authority, the sign must be in place within 14 days of it being agreed in writing.  Once in place, that sign shall continue to be displayed and maintained in a legible form for as long as the use hereby approved is operating.

REASON:

In the interests of highway safety.

4 - Age limit 

The use hereby permitted shall be provided for children and young adults up to the age of 18 years only.

REASON:

To limit the potential number of car journeys to the premises in the interests of pedestrian and highway safety.

REASONS FOR DECISION

The application constitutes a departure form the Development Plan ('saved' Policy REI 11 (vii) of the City of Southampton Local Plan March 2006 and CS7 of the Core Strategy January 2010) but is compliant with the other relevant Policies of the Development Plan set out below.  However, on the basis of the low demand for B1 use within this centre at this present time, the applicant’s original wish of the applicant to have full consent and the particular nature of this D1 use being appropriate to this location and securing the future of the business it is considered appropriate for full consent to be granted.

In addition, other material considerations, namely the skills training offered which serves economic potential of future labour supply, the previous vacancy of the unit and the importance of retaining employment within the City, outweigh compliance with this policy and are not judged to have sufficient weight to justify a refusal of the application, and where applicable conditions have been applied in order to satisfy these matters.  The scheme is therefore judged to be in accordance with Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 and thus planning permission should therefore be granted.

City of Southampton Core Strategy (January 2010) - CS6, CS11, CS13, CS18 and CS19.

City of Southampton Local Plan Review (March 2006) - SDP1, SDP5, SDP7, SDP10, SDP11 and SDP16.