Agenda item

(Service Manager – Development Management) To consider the attached report for a proposed new four-storey office building and associated parking (EFSAC case held in abeyance, now progressing).

The Service Manager for Development Management, A Marx, presented a report for a proposed new four-storey office building and associated parking. The site was located within the Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate and was currently a scaffold yard with ad hoc storage structures and portacabins located behind a palisade fence. The site backed onto the TfL underground railway line and was not in either the Metropolitan Green Belt or a conservation area. The proposed building would be 13.3 metres in height  and finished with a cladding; there would be provision for 22 parking spaces within the site.

 

A Marx advised the Committee that condition 5 required amending to remove the reference to cooking operations. In addition, there were two new conditions to be attached to the application if approved: nothing to be installed on the roof of the building without prior permission from the Council; and details of any roof mounted solar panels to be agreed by the Council before installation.

 

Planning Officers had concluded that the proposed development would not have an adverse impact on the Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation (EF SAC) subject to the imposition of relevant planning conditions including a workplace Travel Plan as well as the provision of electric vehicle charging points, and the application was considered to be acceptable. The Committee noted the summary of representations that had been received in relation to this application, which included an objection from Loughton Town Council, before proceeding to debate the application.

 

The Committee debated the main issues of the application, including: the principle of the development; the design of the proposed building; the impact of the proposed building on amenity; parking and highways issues; and the impact of the proposal on the EF SAC.

 

Cllr C C Pond proposed the following three amendments to the planning conditions for the application, seconded by Cllr H Kauffman, but these were lost when put to the vote by the Committee:

 

·       The submission of details of landscaping to include the west facing wall;

·       The Construction Method Statement to include an additional point to minimise the use of vehicles with internal combustion engines during the construction of the building; and

·       Six electric vehicle parking bays to be provided, not four.

 

Cllr C C Pond, seconded by Cllr H Kauffman, proposed an additional condition to remove the permitted development rights for the site to prevent future conversion of the proposed office block to residential premises, and this was agreed by the Committee.

 

Decision:

 

(1)        That planning application EPF/0935/20 for Unit 20 on Oakwood Hill Industrial Estate in Loughton be granted planning permission subject to the following planning conditions:

 

1…The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than three years from the date of this decision.

 

2…The development hereby permitted shall be carried out and retained strictly in accordance with the following approved plans:

1991/01 Rev F

1991/02 Rev F

1991/03 Rev E

1991/04

 

3…No development shall take place, including any works of demolition, until a Construction Method Statement has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. The approved Statement shall be adhered to throughout the construction period. The Statement shall provide for:

1. The parking of vehicles of site operatives and visitors.

2. Loading and unloading of plant and materials.

3. Storage of plant and materials used in constructing the development.

4. The erection and maintenance of security hoarding including decorative displays and facilities for public viewing, where appropriate.

5. Measures to control the emission of dust and dirt during construction, including wheel washing. With regards to dust control measures and wheel washing, reference shall be made to the Institute of Air Quality Management (IAQM) best practice Guidance on air quality monitoring in the vicinity of demolition and construction sites and Guidance on the assessment of dust from demolition and construction.

6. A scheme for recycling/disposing of waste resulting from demolition and construction works.

7. Tree protection measures.

 

4…No deliveries, external running of plant and equipment or demolition and construction works, other than internal works not audible outside the site boundary, shall take place on the site other than between the hours of 07:30 to 18:00 on Monday to Friday and 08:00 to 13:00 on Saturday and not at all on Sundays, Public or Bank Holidays.

 

5…No development shall take place until details of the arrangements for internal air extraction, odour control measures, noise levels, and discharge to atmosphere, including the location, appearance and finish of any external ducting and flues and associated screening have been submitted to and been approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved details shall be installed before the use hereby permitted commences and so retained. The equipment shall thereafter be maintained in accordance with the manufacturer's instructions for the lifetime of the development and operated at all times when cooking is being carried out.

 

6…Prior to any above ground works, documentary and photographic details of the type and colours of the external finishes of the development have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details.

 

7…Prior to first occupation of the development herby permitted a plan indicating the position, design, materials and type of boundary treatment to be erected, shall have been submitted to an approved by the Local Planning Authority. The approved boundary treatment shall be implemented prior to the occupation of the development and thereafter permanently retained.

 

8…Prior to first occupation of the development, measures shall be incorporated within the development to ensure a water efficiency standard of 110 litres (or less) per person per day.

 

9…Wheel washing or other cleaning facilities for vehicles leaving the site during construction works shall be installed and utilised to clean vehicles immediately before leaving the site. Any mud or other material deposited on nearby roads as a result of the development shall be removed.

 

10…The premises shall be used solely for office use and for no other purpose (including any other purpose in Class E(g) of the Schedule to the Town & Country Planning (Use Classes) Order 1987 (as amended), or in any provision equivalent to that Class in any Statutory Instrument revoking or re-enacting that Order.

 

11…The use hereby permitted shall only be open to tenants between the hours of 07.00 to 20.00 on Monday to Friday and 08.00 to 17.00 on Saturdays, Sundays and Bank Holidays.

 

12…A) No work on any phase of the development (with the exception of demolition works where this is for the reason of making areas of the site available for site investigation), shall commence until an assessment of the risks posed by any contamination within that phase shall have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. This assessment must be undertaken by a suitably qualified contaminated land practitioner, in accordance with British Standard BS 10175: Investigation of Potentially Contaminated Sites - Code of Practice and the Environment Agency's Guidelines for the Land Contamination: Risk Management (LCRM 2020) (or equivalent if replaced), and shall assess any contamination on the site, whether or not it originates on the site. The development shall only be carried out in accordance with the approved details unless the Local Planning Authority gives its written consent to any variation. The assessment shall include:

(1) A survey of the extent, scale and nature of contamination and

(2) An assessment of the potential risks to: human health; property (existing or proposed) including buildings, crops, livestock, pets, woodland, service lines and pipes; adjoining land; groundwater and surface waters; ecological systems; and archaeological sites and ancient monuments.

 

12…B) If following the risk assessment unacceptable risks are identified from land affected by contamination in that phase, no work on any phase of the development shall take place, until a detailed land remediation scheme has been completed. The scheme will be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall include an appraisal of remediation options, identification of the preferred option(s), the proposed remediation objectives and remediation criteria, and a description and programme of the works to be undertaken including the verification plan. (The remediation scheme shall be sufficiently detailed and thorough to ensure that after remediation, as a minimum, land should not be capable of being determined as contaminated land under Part IIA of the Environmental Protection Act 1990). The development shall only be carried out in accordance with the approved scheme. Following the completion of the remediation works and prior to the first occupation of the development, a verification report by a suitably qualified contaminated land practitioner shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority.

 

13…Prior to any above groundworks, details and location of the active electric vehicle parking spaces for all proposed parking spaces shall have been submitted to and approved in writing with the Local Planning Authority (LPA). The installation of EVCP shall be completed in accordance with the approved details and made operational prior to first occupation. The details shall include:

- Location of active charging infrastructure;

- Specification of charging equipment; and

- Operation/management strategy. The council will expect that a management plan for the charging points is set out clearly. This will address:

a) How charging point usage will be charged amongst users; and

b) Electricity supply availability. The electricity supply should be already confirmed by the Network Provider so that the supply does not need to be upgraded at a later date.

 

14…Prior to any above groundworks, details shall be submitted to the Local Planning Authority, to be approved in writing, for appropriate cycle parking for the proposal. The approved facility shall be secure, convenient, covered, and provided prior to the first occupation and shall be retained as such at all times.

 

15…Tree protection shall be installed as shown on agb Environmental Ltd 'Tree Protection Plan' drawing number ‘P3343.1 002 Rev A' (dated 30th May 2019) prior to the commencement of development activities (including any demolition). The methodology for development (including Arboricultural supervision) shall be undertaken in accordance with the submitted Tree Survey/Arboricultural Method Statement reports.

 

16…Prior to the first occupation of the development the access arrangements, vehicle parking and turning areas as indicated on the approved plans shall be provided, hard surfaced, sealed and marked out. The access, parking and turning areas shall be retained in perpetuity for their intended purpose.

 

17…Prior to preliminary ground works taking place, details of surface water disposal shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The development shall be implemented in accordance with the approved details and shall be provided on site prior to the first occupation and shall be retained for the lifetime of the development.

 

18…The development shall be carried out in accordance with the flood risk assessment (Flood Risk Assessment, Ref P3343.3.0, 28th April 2020) and drainage strategy submitted with the application unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority.

 

19…The development hereby permitted shall not be commenced until detailed design and method statements (in consultation with London Underground) for each stage of the development, have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority which:

• provide demolition details

• provide details for all of the foundations, basement and ground floor structures, or for any other structures below ground level, including piling (temporary and permanent) and superstructure

• provide details on the use of tall plant/scaffolding and lifting equipment

• there should be no opening windows or balconies facing the LU elevation

• demonstrate access to elevations of the building adjacent to the property boundary with London Underground can be undertaken without recourse to entering our land

• demonstrate that there will at no time be any potential security risk to our railway, property or structures.

• accommodate ground movement arising from the construction thereof

• mitigate the effects of noise and vibration arising from the adjoining operations within the structures.

 

The development shall thereafter be carried out in all respects in accordance with the

approved design and method statements, and all structures and works comprised within the development hereby permitted which are required by the approved design statements in order to procure the matters mentioned in paragraphs of this condition shall be completed, in their entirety, before any part of the building hereby permitted is occupied.

 

20…Prior to any above ground works, details of levels shall have been submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority showing cross-sections and elevations of the levels of the site prior to development and the proposed levels of all ground floor slabs of buildings, roadways and accessways and landscaped areas. The development shall be carried out in accordance with those approved details.

 

21…A Workplace Travel Plan is to be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to the occupation of the development, which shall include the following details:

· travel plan co-ordinator;

· travel surveys;

· measures to be taken to encourage walking, cycling, use of public transport and reduce car travel by staff;

· monitoring and review; and

· programme for implementation.

 

22…No lift overrun, roof top plant or roof located paraphernalia (including communications antennae) to be installed without the prior written permission from the Local Planning Authority.

 

23…Prior to any above ground works, details of the roof mounted solar panels shall be submitted and approved before installation. The development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details and the solar panels installed prior to first

occupation.

 

24…The building hereby permitted shall at no time be converted in part or otherwise to residential use.