Agenda item

Description of application - Outline application with all matters reserved except highways access for comprehensive phased regeneration of Crystal Palace Park. This will include: conservation and repair of heritage assets; removal of existing hard surfaces; alterations to ground levels and tree removal; landscaping including planting of new trees; demolition of existing buildings and structures; creation of new pedestrian paths/vehicular access roads / car, coach and cycle parking; changes of use including part of the caravan site to part public open space and part residential; erection of new buildings and structures comprising: up to 2300sqm for a cultural venue (Use Class D2), up to 530sqm of park maintenance facilities (Sui Generis) including the dismantling and reconstruction of existing maintenance depot; up to 150sqm information centre (Use Class D1); up to 670sqm for a community centre (Use Class D1); up to 3779sqm of educational institution at the Capel Manor College Farm Site (Use Class D1) of which 3399sqm comprises educational buildings and 380sqm comprises ancillary shelters/ outbuildings; and up to 16,352 sqm of residential (Use Class C3) accommodation to provide up to 210 residential dwellings, together with associated and ancillary works including utilities and surface water drainage, plant and equipment. Full planning permission is sought for alteration to highways access at Anerley Hill Gate entrance, Penge Gate car park, Old Cople Lane (Rockhills Gate), Sydenham Gate car park and the creation of three additional accesses for the residential development at Rockhills and Sydenham Villas.

Oral representations in objection to the application were received.

Oral representations in support of the application were received from the Interim Assistant Director of Culture and Regeneration who gave the following responses to Member questions:-

·  It was anticipated that £14,275,000 would be funded by various grants and a further £1,500,000 through crowd-funding and Council contributions. The balance of £24,225,000 would need to be generated through enabling the residential element of the proposal.

·  Without the £24,225,000, it would be almost impossible to deliver anything at all.

Oral representations from visiting Ward Member Councillor Angela Wilkins in support of the application were received at the meeting. Councillor Wilkins stated that Crystal Palace Park was a unique place which had suffered over the years from a lack of investment. The Council had invested over £1m to set up the Crystal Palace Park Trust and a huge amount of time and energy had been given to establishing the Regeneration Plan. This application was part of a long-running strategy to secure the future of the park. The Capel Manor College Farm Site application had changed considerably and as a result, no MOL would be lost. While Councillor Wilkins was concerned in regard to the lack of affordable housing, she was convinced that the supply issue was being addressed elsewhere in the borough. If the application were to be refused, the Council would be turning its back on its heritage assets and the site would deteriorate even further.

The Principal Planner, Major Developments reported that this was an outline application and details of each aspect could be considered at a future date. Very Special Circumstances for building on MOL had been established as there were significant benefits in terms of heritage and conservation. Nine trees were to be removed from the Capel Manor College development at the Farm site. An e-mail circulated to Members from the Crystal Palace Park Trust requested that occupants of the proposed housing schemes be subject to an easement requiring the defined level of noise over and above what was normally acceptable to be increased before it was classed as a statutory nuisance. The Principal Planner stated that the request had been considered but did not believe it would meet the six tests in the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) to be applied as a planning condition. There were other measures to control and protect residential amenities from noise, such as good acoustic design which would be required and conditioned. Other Heads of Terms which the Trust recommended were covered in the report. An archaeology condition had been added.

Councillor Brooks acknowledged that the £24m to be accrued from the residential element of the proposal was vital to ensure regeneration of the park and moved that permission be granted. Councillor Fawthrop seconded the motion and requested that an informative be added to ensure particular attention was paid to listed buildings when detailed applications were submitted including the Capel Manor application. The Chairman agreed to add the informative but pointed out that informatives were not legally binding.

Councillor Allen stated that the outline application was entirely appropriate and the benefits of the residential aspect outweighed the harm to the MOL. Further work was necessary to mitigate design.

The Chairman informed Members that if they were minded to approve the outline application, they could not object in principle to the individual applications at a later date. They could only discuss the reserved matters at the detailed application stage, such as design.

Members thanked the officers involved for all their hard work and effort to bring the project to fruition.

Members having considered the report, objections and representations, RESOLVED that PERMISSION BE GRANTED SUBJECT TO THE PRIOR COMPLETION OF A SECTION 106 LEGAL AGREEMENT AND ANY DIRECTION BY THE MAYOR OF LONDON AND THE SECRETARY OF STATE as recommended and subject to the conditions set out in the report of the Assistant Director, Planning with the addition of an archaeology condition and informative as stated abovetogether with any other conditions considered necessary by the Assistant Director, Planning and/or the Director of Corporate Services.