Agenda item

(Director of Communities) To consider the attached report (CHB-018-2015/16).

(1)    That the garage site at Hillyfields, Loughton to the rear of 80-98 and 100-112 Hillyfields be sold on the open market, in the most effective way to maximise the income to the Council (including consideration of the use of overage clauses and offers being subject to the receipt of planning permission) with any receipt being recycled back into the Council House-building Programme;

(2)    That the garage site at Whitehills, Loughton adjacent to Oak View School be redesigned to incorporate 3 bungalows and a new planning application be submitted subject to:

(a)          The revised scheme providing the ability for vehicles to turn around within the site;

(b)          Cabinet Committee Members (including substitutes) and Ward Members receiving a copy of the revised proposal; and

(c)          A further report being submitted to a future meeting if the provision of a turning point within the site is not possible, in order to determine the future use of the site;

(3)    That the garage site at Ladyfields, Loughton opposite 39-45 Ladyfields be redesigned to remove the 3-bed detached house, create an area of unallocated off street parking in compensation for the loss of the garages and a new planning application be submitted; and

(4)        That if planning permission is not granted for the garage site at Ladyfields, Loughton, the site be sold on the open market, in the most effective way to maximise the income to the Council (including consideration of the use of overage clauses and offers being subject to the receipt of planning permission) with any receipt being recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

The Director of Communities presented a report to the Cabinet Committee regarding

three sites that have either been identified as being unsuitable for development or the Cabinet Committee’s original proposals for the sites had been refused planning permission by the relevant Area Plans Sub-Committee, as follows:

Hillyfields, Loughton

The Cabinet Committee agreed, at its meeting in November 2014, that this site was viable to go forward for detailed planning permission. However, Planning Officers could not agree this site was viable as they considered the access road to be too narrow and there were significant overlooking issues. It was recommended therefore that this site should be sold on the open market. The Cabinet Committee was anxious that the site was sold in a way that maximised the income to the Council.

Whitehills, Loughton

The Cabinet Committee agreed at its meeting in October 2014, that this site was viable to go forward for detailed planning permission. The site would provide 3 x 3-bedroom houses. This application was refused at a meeting of the Area Planning Sub-Committee (South) due to the proximity to neighbouring properties and poor driver visibility at the junction with Whitehills Road. This scheme had now been referred back to the Cabinet Committee with a suggestion that a revised planning application be submitted to reduce the scale of the dwellings to 3 bungalows, which would meet with the objections regarding their overbearing effect on the adjacent properties.

There was also concern that vehicles did not have a turning point in the development and this would mean that larger vehicles would have to back out onto a busy road where there was a school for children with severe learning disabilities. It was therefore suggested that a redesigned scheme be pursued to incorporate a turning point.

Ladyfields, Loughton

The Cabinet Committee agreed at its meeting in October 2014 that this site was viable to go forward for detailed planning permission. The site would provide 6 x 2-bedroom houses and 1 x 3 bedroom house. However the application was refused at a meeting of the Area Planning Sub-Committee (South) on the grounds of a lack of compensatory parking for displaced garage tenants.

It was suggested by officers that, by removing the detached 3-bed house from the scheme and providing a number of unallocated off street parking spaces it was likely this development would meet with the objections over a lack of compensatory parking for displaced garage tenants. Therefore it was recommended that revised plans be prepared for 6 x 2-bed houses and a number of off-street parking spaces on the site and a new planning application be submitted.

In supporting this proposal, the Cabinet Committee agreed that, if planning permission is not granted for the revised scheme, the site should be sold on the open market, in the most effective way to maximise the income to the Council, with any receipt being recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

Decision:

(1)    That the garage site at Hillyfields, Loughton to the rear of 80-98 and 100-112 Hillyfields be sold on the open market, in the most effective way to maximise the income to the Council (including consideration of the use of overage clauses and offers being subject to the receipt of planning permission) with any receipt being recycled back into the Council House-building Programme;

(2)    That the garage site at Whitehills, Loughton adjacent to Oak View School be redesigned to incorporate 3 bungalows and a new planning application be submitted subject to:

(a)          The revised scheme providing the ability for vehicles to turn around within the site;

(b)          Cabinet Committee Members (including substitutes) and Ward Members receiving a copy of the revised proposal; and

(c)          A further report being submitted to a future meeting if the provision of a turning point within the site is not possible, in order to determine the future use of the site;

(3)    That the garage site at Ladyfields, Loughton opposite 39-45 Ladyfields be redesigned to remove the 3-bed detached house, create an area of unallocated off street parking in compensation for the loss of the garages and a new planning application be submitted; and

(4)        That if planning permission is not granted for the garage site at Ladyfields, Loughton, the site be sold on the open market, in the most effective way to maximise the income to the Council (including consideration of the use of overage clauses and offers being subject to the receipt of planning permission) with any receipt being recycled back into the Council House-building Programme.

Reasons for Decision:

The Cabinet Committee is required to decide on the future use of garage sites unsuitable for development in line with the Council’s Policy.

Other Options Considered and Rejected:

To adopt any of the other options within the existing Policy on the future use of undevelopable sites, as set out in the body of the report.