Agenda item

(22/00063/FULL1) - National Westminster Sports Ground, Copers Cope Road, Beckenham, BR3 1NZ

Decision:

PERMISSION.

Minutes:

Description of Application: Maintenance vehicle site access from Worsley Bridge Road.

 

This application had been called in by a Councillor. The recommendation of the Planning Officers was that the application should be permitted subject to conditions. It was noted that the application sat in Metropolitan Open Land and in the Copers Cope Ward.

 

A brief description of the application was provided by the Principal Planner. It was noted that this was a revised application following a previous refusal. Since the previous application had been refused, the proposed materials for the turning and unloading area had been revised. The new materials would help to mitigate impact on the MOL. Four car parking spaces on Worsley Bridge Road would be lost—however this was an improvement on the previous plans when 13 car parking spaces would have been lost. The applicant had offered to provide a qualified Traffic Marshall to assist with vehicle manoeuvres on the public highway and the Principal Planner recommended that a condition be applied to secure this.

 

The Principal Planner informed Members that there was an existing tree that would need to be removed to allow construction of the vehicle access. She said that if permission was granted then an informative would be required which would notify the applicant that arrangements for the removal and replacement of the tree would need to be agreed with the Council’s Neighbourhood Management Team. The applicant would need to meet the cost of this.

 

Oral representations in objection and in support of the application were heard at the meeting. It was mentioned that late notice had been received concerning this application and that the way in which notice for planning applications was provided should be looked at to maintain the integrity of the democratic process.

 

Oral representations broadly in favour of the application were received from Ward Councillor Stephen Wells. He said that he noted the merits of the application and the timescales involved in what the applicant was attempting to do. He said that currently there were two traffic control schemes that were ongoing for the northern end of Copers Cope Road which was adjacent to the Crystal Palace Sports Ground. One of these was a 20 mph advisory speed limit. More significantly, there had been a scheme introduced which had brought about a complete change in the parking and loading restrictions in that area. He expressed the view that this would mean that coaches conveying young people for matches would no longer be parking in the northern part of Copers Cope Road but would be parking in other residential areas for up to two hours and often with their engines running to maintain their air conditioning. Councillor Wells felt that it would be appropriate to take the coach parking off Copers Cope Road and move it to a specialised off road parking setting.

 

Cllr Wells said that there was now an opportunity to establish a relevant condition, or to set a very short deferral. He felt that the matter of coach parking should be just as much a priority as works access to the site. 

 

The Principal Planner advised that the issues relating to coach parking were not relevant to the planning application. This would be a matter for a separate planning application. She expressed the view that a deferral was inadvisable and also that adding a condition would be inappropriate. Informatives could be added regarding the tree and with respect to the issue of coach parking.

 

Councillor Michael said that she was happy to move for permission with the relevant conditions. 

 

The Principal Planner said that she would be recommending pre-commencement conditions to seek details of the type of paving to be used, its method of installation and maintenance regime, details to be submitted of the grass species.

 

The Chairman raised the issue of how residents were notified about planning applications coming to committee as there had been a complaint that local residents had not been informed. The Principal Planner said that there was not a formal process for doing that. The Council relied on the public getting in touch and on them looking at the website. The Chairman referenced the parking survey that had taken place recently and asked if this had been taken into consideration. The PP answered and said that the proposals for the controlled parking zone were recent and so she was not aware of them and it was also the case that the Highways Department did not see the need for these to be taken into account. It was felt that parking stress would not increase to an unacceptable level. 

 

The Chairman seconded Cllr Michael’s motion for approval. 

 

Members, having considered the report, objections and representations, RESOLVED THAT PERMISSION BE GRANTED, subject to the conditions outlined in the report and the following amended/additional informatives:

 

1.  Any repositioning, alteration and/ or adjustment to street furniture (including trees) or Statutory Undertaker's apparatus, considered necessary and practical to help with the modification of vehicular crossover hereby permitted, shall be undertaken at the cost of the applicant. The applicant is advised that this planning permission does not give any approval to any works to street trees adjacent to the application site. You are advised to contact the Council's 'Street Tree Officer: Neighbourhood Management' regarding the removal and replacement of the street tree on Worsley Bridge Road. You should contact the Council's Highway Area Manager on 020 8313 4909 or Daniel.Gordon@bromley.gov.uk prior to any work being carried out.

 

4.  With regard to the laying out of the crossover(s) and or reinstatement of the existing crossover(s) a Vehicle Crossover Application will need to be made to the Highway's Department. The application fee is a non-refundable £100 pounds and the forms can be found through the webpage:

https:/?/?www.bromley.gov.uk/?info/?200083/?roads_highways_and_pavements/?279/?access_to_your_drive_crossovers_dropped_kerbs/?2

 

5.  This permission allows use of the approved maintenance vehicle site access from Worsley Bridge Road by maintenance vehicles only. Use of the approved access for any other vehicles, including the parking of coaches, would require separate planning permission.


 

 

 

 

Supporting documents: