Part-demolition of existing retail units,car park and service areas, demolition and rebuild of car park ramp, and construction ofa residential-led, mixed-use development fronting QueensWalk andDusseldorf Way, including all necessary enabling and alteration works required.

The Committee considered a report on the above application, consideration of which had been deferred at the meeting on 2 April 2025 to seek further information on matters raised by the Committee.  The report set out further information on: affordable housing; open space and leisure; and disabled person’s parking and Electric Vehicle charging.  Copies of the original report and update report submitted to the 2 April 2025 meeting were appended to the report.

The legal adviser reported at the meeting that a new Planning Code of Conduct had been adopted by the Council’s Standards Committee on 22 April 2025 and one change in the new code of conduct was the advice to members of the Committee to not vote on an application where consideration had been deferred from a previous meeting, if they had not been present for the consideration of the matter at that original meeting.  The legal adviser noted that such Councillors were advised against voting on the deferred application unless the individual Councillor was satisfied that they had been able to receive all the relevant information needed to involve themselves in the decision.  The new Planning Code of Conduct would be included in the Council’s Constitution and a copy of the code would be sent to all Councillors.

Comments and objections were received and considered.

Members of the Committee queried whether the Discounted Market Rent level for the affordable housing units would be calculated relative to the market rent for other similar units or to the average market rent for the whole building and whether the rent would actually be affordable compared to prevailing local rents.  It was requested that the wording used in S106 agreements for other Buy to Rent schemes be examined and officers come up with suitable wording for the relevant S106 agreement Heads of Terms to ensure that the units would affordable.

The Committee also requested that the wording for the Heads of Terms relating to the study into a feasibility scheme for bridging and/or environmental improvements over the IDR from the BSM development/Minster Quarter area be written to ensure that such a study would be independent and unbiased.

Resolved –

(1)       That the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection Services be authorised to grant planning permission for application PL/24/0173 (FUL), subject to the completion of a Section 106 legal agreement by 4 August 2025 (unless a later date be agreed by the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection Services) to secure the Heads of Terms set out in the original report submitted to the meeting held on 2 April 2025, as amended by the update report tabled at the meeting held on 2 April 2025 and the report to 30 April 2025, and with any necessary amendments to ensure the affordability of the rent of the affordable housing units and to ensure that the study into a feasibility scheme for bridging over the IDR would be independent and unbiased;

(2)       That the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection Services be authorised to make such minor changes to the conditions, Heads of Terms and details of the legal agreement as may reasonably be required to issue the permission;

(3)       That, in the event of the requirements set out not being met, the Assistant Director of Planning, Transport and Public Protection Services be authorised to refuse permission;

(4)       That planning permission be subject to the conditions and informatives as recommended in the original report to 2 April 2025, with the amendments to conditions set out in the report to 30 April 2025;

(5)       That a copy of the new Planning Code of Conduct be sent to all Councillors. 

(Councillors Gavin and Moore declared that they had not been present at the meeting on 2 April 2025 when the above application had originally been considered.  They took part in the discussion on the application but abstained from voting.)