Issue - meetings

(19/03545/FULL1) - Old Town Hall Tweedy Road Bromley BR1 3FE

Meeting: 21/05/2020 - Development Control Committee (Item 7)

7 PLANNING APPLICATION (19/03545/FULL1) - OLD TOWN HALL, 30 TWEEDY ROAD, BROMLEY BR1 3FE pdf icon PDF 1 MB

Minutes:

Description of application – Application for planning permission and listed building consent to enable minor demolitions, conversion, restoration and extension of the Old Town Hall (OTH) Building (extensions no greater than 3 storeys in cumulative height) to provide office space (Class B1), ancillary hotel bedrooms (x 24) (Class C1), and a food and drinking establishment within the Old Courthouse (Class A4); and

 

Five storey residential scheme consisting of 53 apartments (18 x 1 bed, 34 x 2 bed and 1 x 3 bed) (Class C3) with basement parking for 26 cars upon the former South Street Car Park Site (SSCP), along with provision of 160 cycle spaces across both sites. (72 spaces - Old Town Hall, and 88 spaces - South Street Car Park), landscaping, public realm improvements and ancillary development.

 

Oral representations from the applicant’s agent in support of the application included the following points:-

 

·  The proposals presented a unique solution for the delivery of strategically significant mixed-use development and would provide overwhelming economic, heritage and regeneration benefits to the Old Town Hall and South Street Car Park sites and for Bromley Town Centre generally.

 

·  The proposals were compliant with national, regional and local planning policy.  Other significant material considerations included:-

 

o  the existence of the recent planning permission for the site.  The residential proposals for the SSCP site remained fundamentally unchanged from the approved scheme;

 

o  the proposed mixed-use was consistent with the aims and objectives of the site-specific policy allocation under Opportunity Site C within the Adopted Area Action Plan;

 

o  the scheme would secure the long-term future and re-use of the Old Town Hall site, thus protecting the existing Grade II Listed Building, which was presently identified as a ‘building at risk’ by Historic England;

 

o  the proposed primary office use of the Old Town Hall site represented a “good fit” in respect of compatible uses resulting in minimal physical intervention and impact upon the fabric of the listed building to facilitate its re-use.

 

o  the proposed mixed-use would add to the diversity of use within the town centre, contributing to its vitality and viability. The office use in particular, would provide significant economic impetus within the town centre by providing a focused and innovative co-working employment hub;

 

o  the proposals for both the Old Town Hall and South Street Car Park sites would be acceptable in terms of its planning, operational and environmental impacts.

 

In summary, the application met the requirements of planning policy in all respects and was worthy of approval.

 

In response to questions  from Members, the applicant’s agent made the following statements:-

 

·  20% of the electric car charging provision would be active, leaving the remaining 80% to allow for adaptation in the future.

 

·  A balance was needed between the security needs of residents and public access to the two listed Council Chambers and the main entrance lobbies.  The Court House would be accessible to members of the public and the Chambers would be designated as a co-working space. The applicant was prepared  ...  view the full minutes text for item 7