Issue - meetings

11/0796-DK - Redevelopment of exiting residential institution within Class C2, to provide 58 dementia/memory loss units (Use Class C2) - in outline form: Demolition of extensions to The Uplands and out-buildings in connection with the former resident

 

 

Meeting: 06/02/2012 - Planning Committee (Item 111)

111 11/0796-DK - Redevelopment of existing residential institution within Class C2, to provide 58 dementia/memory loss units (Use Class C2) (outline); Demolition of extensions and out-buildings to The Uplands and alterations to original building to provide 5 no. apartments and a dwelling within the coach house (use Class C3) (full) Alterations to the existing accesses and additional car parking - The Uplands, 33 Greenhill, Burcot, Bromsgrove, B60 1BL - Mr. and Mrs. Bales pdf icon PDF 146 KB

Minutes:

The Head of Planning and Regeneration Services reported the receipt of a supporting email from the applicant's agent.

 

At the invitation of the Chairman, Mr. M. Bales addressed the Committee and spoke in support of his application.

 

Consideration was then given to the application which had been recommended for refusal by the Head of Planning and Regeneration Services.  However, on the matter being put to the vote, Members considered that:

 

§         the need for specialist housing to meet the needs of the vulnerable suffering from dementia and memory loss;

§         the fact that the lawful use of the site is a Class C2 Residential Institution;

§         the synergy between the proposal and the existing and proposed facilities at Burcot Grange enabling a self-contained development with public transport availability;

§         the advantage of returning The Uplands to its original form in keeping with the locality; and

§         the advantages of securing an improvement to the existing access to Burcot Grange and the removal of the residential institution use of the existing access at The Uplands -

 

constituted very special circumstances to outweigh the harm that would be caused to the openness of the Green Belt and the purposes of including land within the Green Belt.

 

The Head of Planning and Regeneration Services stated that, in the event of the Committee being minded to approve the application, it would be necessary for it to be referred to the National Planning Casework Unit (formerly, the Government Office for the West Midlands), pursuant to the requirements of the Department for Communities and Local Government Circular 02/2009.

 

RESOLVED:

(1)       that the application be referred to the National Planning Casework Unit (formerly, the Government Office for the West Midlands) under the "departure" procedure; and

(2)       that, in the event that the application is not "called-in" by the National Planning Casework Unit, permission to approve the application be delegated to the Head of Planning and Regeneration Services subject to:

(a)       the applicant entering into an appropriate legal mechanism to secure monetary contributions in respect of:

(i)         education;

(ii)        play space provision; and

(b)       the imposition of any reasonable conditions and notes as considered necessary by the Head of Planning and Regeneration Services, with specific reference to a Construction Environmental Management Plan (CEMP); that is, formal assurance that site works are progressed sympathetically and to agreed good practice to ensure that the potential, adverse impacts of the construction period, albeit temporary, are minimised as much as possible.