Agenda item

Report of the Head of Green City & Infrastructure recommending that planning permission be refused in respect of an application for a proposed development at the above address.

The Panel considered the report of the Head of Green City and Infrastructure recommending that conditional planning permission be refused in respect of an application for a proposed development at the above address.

Re-development of the site to provide a four-storey 34 bedroom apart hotel including flexible cafe/function space, private gym/studio, secure cycle parking, eight associated on site car parking spaces, landscaping and space for public e-scooter/e-bike docking station (amended description).

Andy Hetherton, June Vear, (Local residents/objecting), Simon Reynier (City of Southampton Society), David Johnson (Old Bassett Residents' Association) (OBRA) (objecting), David Jobbins, Director, Luken Beck (architect) and Councillor Cllr Richard Blackman, Liberal Democrat Councillor for Bassett (ward councillor) were present and with the consent of the Chair, addressed the meeting.

Statements received from local residents Susan and David Crampton-Barden, Gill Escott, and Anthony L Rice, had been circulated to the Panel and published prior to the meeting.

The presenting officer apologised to OBRA for not having informed them of the amended ground floor plan. The officer reported the following amendments to the Panel: (i) paragraph 2.2 Staffing - 1 full time on site managing building and café, 1 full time working remotely and 2 part time cleaners. (ii) paragraph 6.3.2 Parking Standards - included a better understanding of the café offer (applicant confirmed café will be publicly accessible); and finally (iii) the addition of 5 parking spaces to the meet maximum, should have read 31 (previously stated 26).

The Panel then considered the recommendation to refuse to grant planning permission. Upon being put to the vote the recommendation was carried unanimously.

A further motion to refuse the application for the reason set out below was then proposed by Councillor Mrs Blatchford and seconded by Councillor Savage. This was carried unanimously.

RESOLVED that the Panel refused Planning permission subject to the report recommendations and the condition outlined by the Panel at the meeting,  delegated to officers to draft the condition as set out below.

Changes to recommendation (By Panel):

Electric Vehicle and low emission vehicle charging.

The applicant has failed to provide adequate supporting information to sufficiently demonstrate that the charging of plug-in and other ultra-low emission vehicles can be achieved on site in a safe, accessible and convenient location. The development would therefore fail to take the opportunity to help improve air quality and would be contrary to the provisions of paragraphs 112 (e) and 186 of the National Planning Policy Framework (2021).