Planning Appraisal Group - TrustNews December 09
It seems there are still staff shortages in the Planning Department. After a great effort to catch up with the backlog of applications needing validation (which resulted in one of our weekly panels having to comment on over 20 applications), things have returned to their previous state, with anything between 3 and 10 applications being listed for the city each week. If the number of presentations we had during October is anything to go by, developer activity seems to be on the move, which will add to their problems.
After a long gap, in October we were asked to have no less than three pre-application presentations, as well as being invited to attend two public exhibitions, of the Cala Homes’ latest scheme for Barton Farm and the resubmission of a development for student accommodation on the corner of Sparkford Road & Sparkford Close.
The first presentation was for land adjacent to Pitt Manor, where it is proposed there should be a residential development and Park & Ride for 200 cars. Local residents are very concerned about this and contacted the Trust to enlist our aid. We share their concern, feeling that to build on this Local Reserve Site would be premature at this time, and that the additional traffic generated by the development would greatly exacerbate the already congested state of Romsey Road. We also question whether it is wise to site Park & Ride so close to a residential area, where its security lighting could be intrusive after dark and its open space could be an invitation for high jinks by local youngsters after office hours, both of which could be disturbing to the residents. As well as these general concerns we were also critical of the outline scheme, feeling that a more sensitive approach was needed for the access and layout than was proposed.
It was good to be able to be enthusiastic for the proposals of our next presentation, alterations to the Guildhall, where a major refurbishment of the interior is proposed, with improved disabled access from The Broadway, new lifts and improved access to the Walton Room on the top floor. It is also proposed that the present Courtyard Café behind the Tourist Office should be moved to replace the Saxon Suite on the north-east corner of the building, where its more prominent position would catch more passing trade than its present secluded site, and that the present Courtyard Café space should become a multi-use venue. The roof covering over King Alfred Hall also needs replacing and we urged that its material should be photovoltaic rather than the copper being considered, since this would be able to generate electricity and so reduce costs, thereby helping to rectify Winchester’s reputation as having one of the worst carbon footprints in the country. It would also be less visually intrusive in the city’s roofscape than the large expanse of green a copper roof of this size would have after it had weathered from its original colour. Let’s hope that our councillors will be prepared to pick up the gauntlet of making this a sustainable conversion, as has been done by Hampshire County Council at Ashburton Court. An application for this scheme has now been submitted.
Our third presentation was of Linden Home’s residential development at 9 Chilblton Avenue following the demolition of the present house. The general response was supportive, because it was felt that retaining the major trees and planting on the road boundary and siting the block of flats to relate to the present building line of the road was a sensitive response to the character of the area and the restrictions of the Local Area Design Statement. We also approved of the underground parking proposed for the 4-house terrace at the rear of the site, but urged that a higher level of sustainability than was proposed should be considered.
Sadly, the ugly new garage block we felt would not benefit Lantern Court, 90 Christchurch Road has been granted; the replacement block at Peter Symond’s College, Owens Road, with an amended description as a temporary building, has also been granted for a period of 5 years only. The application for a 56-bed care home in place of the demolished Stanmore Hotel, 212 Stanmore Lane, has been withdrawn because it was not possible to resolve concerns about its effect on the neighbouring property at No 210 before its determination date; it seems probable that an amended scheme will soon be put forward for consideration. A resubmission of the scheme for student accommodation at 20 Sparkford Close, this time for six students rather than eight, has been granted.
Among the many applications for shop fronts and their signs, conservatories and a variety of extensions seen by the panels, two proposed loft conversions in Canon Street caused considerable concern. The proposals for 27 Canon Street included a greatly enlarged dormer at the front and a ‘dormer’ at the rear that stretched across the whole width of the roof, and those for 26 Canon Street wanted the present inappropriately large rear ‘dormer’ to be replaced by something that would be even bigger and more inappropriate. We objected to these schemes, both of which have been refused.
One of the more interesting new schemes we have seen is the detailed application for the Chilcomb Centre, Chilcomb Lane, a business, enterprise and innovation park that already has outline planning permission. We welcomed the thoughtful and innovative design, with its green roofs and gable planting, but queried the sustainability level that was claimed, feeling its energy centre should be fuelled by waste materials rather than wood, which would have to be supplied from elsewhere and could cause pollution because of particulates in the air. We also regretted that the really innovative approach taken by HCC with the Ashburton Court refurbishment did not seem to have been followed for this brand new development.
Although on a much smaller scale than any of the above, it is encouraging to report that our request to the Enforcement Officers seems to have resulted in the removal of the large dentist’s sign fixed without permission to the front of 33 Southgate Street, a Listed Building.