Issue - meetings

DUNBRITTON HOUSING ASSOCIATION: ERECTION OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT COMPRISING OF 49 UNITS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING (2 THREE STOREY FLATS - BLOCKS INCORPORATING 36 UNITS AND 12 TWO STOREY SEMI-DETACHED HOUSES AND ONE BUNGALOW): FORMER HERMITAGE ACADEMY

Meeting: 27/08/2012 - Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee (Item 3)

3 DUNBRITTON HOUSING ASSOCIATION: ERECTION OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT COMPRISING OF 49 UNITS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING (2 THREE STOREY FLATS - BLOCKS INCORPORATING 36 UNITS AND 12 TWO STOREY SEMI-DETACHED HOUSES AND ONE BUNGALOW): FORMER HERMITAGE ACADEMY, CAMPBELL DRIVE, HELENSBURGH (REF: 12/00833/PP) pdf icon PDF 60 KB

Report by Head of Planning and Regulatory Services

:

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting and introductions were made.

 

Iain Jackson, Governance Officer, outlined the hearing procedure and the Chair invited anyone who wished to speak at the meeting to identify themselves.  Once that process had been completed the Chair invited the Planning Department to set out their recommendations.

 

PLANNING AUTHORITY

 

Sandra Davies, Senior Planning Officer, spoke to the terms of the report, referring to a number of presentation slides.  She advised that the application was for the erection of 49 affordable housing units at the site of the former Hermitage Academy in Helensburgh.  The make-up of the development is 2 blocks of three storey flats providing 36 units, 12 two storey semi-detached houses and one single storey wheelchair accessible bungalow. 

 

This application follows on from a planning application approved in May 2008 for a housing proposal for the whole redevelopment of the site.  This scheme comprised 166 dwellings including 43 affordable homes but was never implemented because the developer went into liquidation and the sale of the ground did not proceed.  In that application the affordable housing was spread more evenly across the site although there was a concentration surrounding the children’s play area. 

 

The application site is at the eastern end of the town within the settlement boundary and forms part of Housing Allocation 3/4.   The Local Plan notes that this allocation has the capacity for 160 units with a minimum requirement of 25% affordability.  Dunbritton Housing Association is a Registered Social Landlord (RSL) and housing provided by RSLs fall within the definition of affordable housing in terms of Planning Policy.  The principle of having affordable housing on the site is therefore considered to be acceptable in terms of Local Plan Policy. 

 

The site fronts on the main A814 and permission has already been granted for a roundabout which would open up the access to the site.

 

In addition to the supportive Local Plan Policy, there is also a Masterplan for the site which was approved by the Council’s Executive in February 2012 following public consultation and this represents a material consideration in the determination of this application.  While the Masterplan is an indicative document, the location and layout of the affordable housing element closely resembles that of the current planning application, the main difference being that the open space area is now adjacent to the flats.

 

Reference was made to a slide showing the layout proposed by Dunbritton.  The link road is included within the proposal because this is an outstanding requirement from the time when the school relocated to its current edge of town site.  When the school was developed on its new site there were a number of alterations to residential roads in the vicinity of the school in the interests of road and pedestrian safety.  In particular part of Drumfork Road next to the school was stopped up which gave those from the north eastern end of the residential area a much more protracted route to get to the main road.  A condition was therefore placed on the school planning permission to address this connectivity problem by requiring a new link through the former school site.  This was set to be provided as part of the Dickie development, however, they went into liquidation and the development did not proceed.  It is therefore considered important to ensure that this link is retained in any development proposed for the site.

 

The proposal has been supported by a landscape plan and reference was made to a slide showing all the planting and grassed areas proposed for the development.  Reference was also made to a series of photographs of the site which showed views of the surrounding area. 

 

As already mentioned the site is within a housing allocation and that the principle of 49 housing units would be acceptable in terms of development plan policy.  All other policies within the plan which are relevant to the proposal also require consideration along with any points of representation made and other material considerations.  The design is now considered to be acceptable and the three storey flats are considered to be appropriate in the location proposed.  They will cause no overshadowing or privacy problems and sit within their own landscape setting.  At the front of the site they will address the roundabout and dual carriageway and add visual interest to the streetscape.  Housing greenspace and children’s play areas will be provided in accordance with Local Plan policy and drainage and roads issues have received no objections from statutory consultees.  Just over 200 objections have been received in connection with the application and one letter of support has also been received.  The main points of objection were highlighted but notwithstanding these it is considered that the proposal would accord with the development plan and there are no material considerations of sufficient weight which would indicate otherwise and it is therefore recommended that the proposal be approved subject to conditions. 

 

Reference was made to Supplementary Planning Report number 1 which detailed a couple of late representations and also recommended that condition 10 be deleted from the list of conditions contained within the main Report of Handling should Members be minded to approve this application as this is a repeat condition and duplicated in error.

 

APPLICANT

 

Michael Jarvis of MAST Architects, presented his case on behalf of the Applicant.  He advised that Dunbritton Housing Association secured funding for the affordable housing at the former hermitage Academy site bordering Cardross Road in Helensburgh through a successful bid to the Scottish Government investment fund, for which Dunbritton Housing Association submitted their application in May 2011.  The full funding grant of £2 m was awarded in September 2011.

 

The application was submitted by Dunbritton Housing Association to secure funding to deliver affordable housing in the Helensburgh area in order to address the high demand for affordable housing in the area.  Currently there are 491 applications on the HOME Argyll register (Argyll and Bute’s common housing register for all local housing associations) who are seeking  ...  view the full minutes text for item 3

:


Meeting: 15/08/2012 - Planning, Protective Services and Licensing Committee (Item 10)

10 DUNBRITTON HOUSING ASSOCIATION: ERECTION OF RESIDENTIAL DEVELOPMENT COMPRISING OF 49 UNITS FOR AFFORDABLE HOUSING (2 THREE STOREY FLATS - BLOCKS INCORPORATING 36 UNITS AND 12 TWO STOREY SEMI-DETACHED HOUSES AND ONE BUNGALOW): FORMER HERMITAGE ACADEMY, CAMPBELL DRIVE, HELENSBURGH (REF: 12/00833/PP) pdf icon PDF 388 KB

Report by Head of Planning and Regulatory Services

:

Additional documents:

Minutes:

The Principal Planning Officer spoke to the terms of the report advising that this application is for the erection of a residential development comprising 36 flatted units within 2 no. 3 storey blocks and 13 no houses located in the south east part of the former Hermitage Academy site.  The application site forms part of a Housing Allocation (H-AL 3/1) identified within the adopted Local Plan for 160 units, including a minimum of 25% affordability.  The site also forms part of an area covered by an approved Masterplan covering the whole of the former Hermitage site.  Given the substantial number of objections received in connection with this application it is recommended that a discretionary hearing be conducted prior to the determination of the planning application.

 

Decision

 

Agreed to hold a discretionary hearing in Helensburgh at the earliest opportunity.

 

(Reference: Report by Head of Planning and Regulatory Services dated 20 July 2012, submitted)

: