Agenda, decisions and minutes

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jonathan Andrews and Christine Harris and Councillors Kira Gabbert and Mark Brock attended as their respective substitutes.  Apologies for absence were also received from Councillor Keith Onslow.

Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Jonathan Andrews and Christine Harris and Councillors Kira Gabbert and Mark Brock attended as their respective substitutes.  Apologies for absence were also received from Councillor Keith Onslow.

There were no additional declarations of interest.

There were no additional declarations of interest.

In accordance with the Council’s Constitution, members of the public may submit one question each on matters relating to the work of the Committee. Questions must have been received in writing 10 working days before the date of the meeting - by 5.00pm on Thursday 21 September 2023. 

Questions seeking clarification of the details of a report on the agenda may be accepted within two working days of the normal publication date of the agenda – by 5.00pm on Friday 29 September 2023. 

One oral and one written question were received from members of the public.

One oral and one written question were received from members of the public and are attached at Appendix A.

APPROVED.

RESOLVED: That the minutes of the meeting held on 18 July 2023 be agreed and signed as a correct record.

APPROVED..

Description of Application: Demolition of the existing buildings on the site and the construction of a food store (Use Class E), alongside the provision of a surface level car park, associated access and landscaping works.

The Planning Officer gave a brief presentation providing an overview of the application and update on the report.

Oral representations in support of the application were received from the applicant who gave the following responses to Members’ questions:

·  It was intended that the store would remain on-site for a minimum of 20-years with regular maintenance and refurbishment.  Aldi had experience of building on sites with a range of challenges, including the removal of underground tanks, and a Construction Management Plan would limit the hours during which any disruptive or noisy construction works could be undertaken.  Existing landscaping would be retained and improved with a mix of semi-mature and mature plants and trees and this amenity would be maintained throughout the life of the store.

·  The most common mode of transport for supermarket users in the UK was private car followed by travel on foot.  The number of customers travelling by bicycle was low and this was the same for public transport.  It was anticipated that the Farnborough store would employ 10 full-time and 30 part-time members of staff from the local area with up to 12 staff on site during the busiest periods.  Aldi offered permanent contracts to all its staff who would be encouraged to walk, cycle or take public transport to work.  Car park usage would be monitored during the lifetime of the store’s operation and a complaints procedure was in place should any issues arise from staff parking in local roads. 

·  The opening hours of the store would be 8.00am-10.00pm on Monday to Saturday and 10.00am-6.00pm on Sunday, although there would be some on-site operations outside of these hours which would primarily take place inside the store.  While an assessment had determined that the light and noise impact of the store was acceptable, additional measures would be taken to mitigate any disruption, including a fence line with acoustic properties.  Restrictions would also be placed on deliveries including controlling the times and number of deliveries to the site and using pedestrian marshals in place of reversing alarms.  Councillor Colin Hitchins queried whether Saturday opening hours could be reduced in line with those of Sunday to reduce background noise, but this would not be feasible. 

·  While the transport assessment had indicated that there could be a waiting time of up to 150 seconds for cars waiting to right turn from the Aldi car park onto the A21, this was for the busiest 15-minute time segment modelled with shorter or no waiting times in other periods.  Transport for London’s preferred junction access option was Option 2, a single access entrance/egress point with a pedestrian/cyclist refuge located in the middle, but the applicant considered that Option 1, an all-movement junction, was sufficient bearing in mind the anticipated level of vehicle movement.  The store would have an  ...  view the full minutes text for item 21.

APPROVED.

Description of Application: Demolition of a garage and associated buildings including a substation at No. 2 Station Road, redevelopment of the Bromley North Station Road car park to provide 75 residential units with 261sq.m(GIA) commercial floor space (Use Class Order Class E), provision of disabled parking spaces with electric vehicle charging points, cycle parking, a landscaped outdoor space and associated works.

The Planning Officer gave a brief presentation providing an overview of the application and update on the report.  Members were advised that the affordable housing provision would all be social rental units as the development was subject to funding from the Greater London Authority. The proposal would also provide attractive affordable housing for households on low incomes.

Oral representations in support of the application were received from the architect who gave the following responses to Members’ questions:

·  Should the Committee approve the planning application, it was anticipated that initial works would commence on site in March 2024 prior to the commencement of the main works in May 2024 for an approximate 18-month construction period.

·  A total of eight wheelchair units were proposed and would be serviced by three disabled parking spaces with capacity for four additional disabled car parking spaces if required.  No standard car spaces were planned in line with the London Plan requirements, and residents would be notified of this prior to taking up residence.  Residents would also not qualify for parking permits for the surrounding streets as these were fully subscribed.  Councillor Shaun Slator suggested that the seven disabled parking spaces that could be accommodated on site be included in the development from the start. 

·  The proposed design for the development included balcony provision for some of the residential units and these were within the site footprint and did not overhang the public footpath.

Oral representations supporting the application were received from Councillor Julie Ireland, Ward Member who confirmed that all Bromley Town Ward Members supported the development but suggested it could be useful to undertake a review of parking in the local area, particularly in light of the recent closure of the Hill Car Park.

In opening the discussion, Councillor Kevin Kennedy-Brooks observed that Bromley Mencap was located near to the site.  It would be important to ensure that the Construction Management Plan took account of vulnerable service users in close proximity to the works.  Councillor Kira Gabbert added that the operational needs of Northside House Cataract Clinic should also be considered and that a nearby car park could be used to manage parking demand during the construction period. 

With regard to the car-free development, Councillor Charles Joel highlighted that some residents would have private and commercial vehicles and that this was likely to add to parking pressure in the surrounding area.  Councillor Simon Fawthrop was similarly concerned about the lack of parking provision and stated that the application should be refused on this basis.

Councillor Simon Fawthrop moved that the planning application be refused.  The motion was not seconded and FELL.

Councillor Tony McPartlan  ...  view the full minutes text for item 22.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

·  Adopt the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document as a local development document, subject to further minor changes (e.g. – related to formatting or mapping) prior to adoption; and,

·  Authorise officers to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request that the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan is revoked, as per the provisions of section 25 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

Report HPR2023/053

The report proposed the adoption of the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document which provided guidance to assist with the determination of planning applications in the Bromley Town Centre area, including on design requirements.  The final draft SPD included a number of amendments made as a result of a public consultation undertaken between 28 October 2022 to 27 January 2023.  This report had also been considered by the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Committee at its meeting on 6 September 2023 and would be considered for approval by the Council’s Executive at its meeting on 18 October 2023.

The Chairman invited Councillor Julie Ireland, visiting Ward Member for Bromley Town to open the discussion.  Councillor Julie Ireland advised that it had recently come to light that the response of the Bromley Town Ward Councillors to the consultation draft had not been received by the Local Authority due to technical issues.  The Committee agreed that these comments be provided to the meeting of the Council’s Executive on 18 October 2023 as an addendum to the final draft Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document which was being presented for approval.

The Committee went on to discuss the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document.  The Chairman moved that the following changes be recommended for approval by the Council’s Executive, and this was put to the vote and CARRIED UNANIMOUSLY:

-  Paragraph 5.25: Change to ‘Kentish Way causes various severance issues, especially in terms of facilitating east-west movement to the current Civic Centre site’.

-  Paragraph 5.26: Change to ‘This could help to address accessibility issues in the south of the town centre, particularly from/towards Masons Hill and Bromley Common (which is the busiest junction in the borough). These improvements could be particularly important given the development proposals coming forward in this area as well as the new Civic Centre site which is due to fully open in 2024’.

-  SPD Guidance Note 12: Change to ‘Development proposals should link with existing pedestrian and cycling key routes, and should seek to improve these routes or create investigate new routes where appropriate’.

RESOLVED: That the Council’s Executive be recommended to:

·  Adopt the Bromley Town Centre Supplementary Planning Document as a local development document, subject to the proposed above amendments and any further minor changes (e.g. – related to formatting or mapping) prior to adoption; and,

·  Authorise officers to write to the Secretary of State for Levelling Up, Housing and Communities to request that the Bromley Town Centre Area Action Plan is revoked, as per the provisions of section 25 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

NOTED.

Report HPR2023/055

The report provided an update on the progress of current enforcement cases and had also been considered by the Renewal, Recreation and Housing Committee at its meeting on 6 September 2023.

In response to a question, the Assistant Director: Planning explained that enforcement matters marked as ‘notice pending’ indicated that a notice had been authorised in relation to an enforcement matter but had not yet been served.  The length of time between a notice being authorised and served varied depending on the complexity of the case, the reasons for enforcement and other factors such as appeals.  The Chairman queried the frequency with which Direct Action was taken by the Local Authority and this information would be provided to Members following the meeting.  A Member observed that a number of ongoing enforcement cases were marked as located in wards that no longer existed following a recent boundary change and was advised that this would resolve itself over time.  The Member further requested that the date of the original complaint be included in future reporting, and this was supported by the Committee.  Another Member suggested that the Chairman and the Leader write to the relevant Government minister to ask that Gareth Bacon M.P.’s Unauthorised Development (Offences) Private Members’ Bill which would have made unauthorised development without planning permission a criminal offence be reconsidered as a means of assisting the enforcement process.

A Member asked that his thanks be conveyed to the Tree Team for their excellent response in relation to a recent enforcement case on the felling of protected trees.

RESOLVED: that the report be noted.

NOTED.

The Committee considered the performance of the Planning Service against various Key Performance Indicators as at June 2023.

RESOLVED: that the update be noted.