Agenda item

Application Number: 20/1048: 22-30 Sturt Road, Frimley Green, Camberley, Surrey, GU16 6HY

Minutes:

The application was for the erection of a residential development of 160 dwellings, including the conversion of the pumphouse building into residential dwellings, to provide 36 no one bedroom and 48 no two bedroom flats; 30 no two bedroom, 37 no three bedroom and 9 no four bedroom houses, along with associated estate roads and accesses onto Sturt Road, car parking, bin and cycle storage, local area of play and external landscaping following the demolition of all other buildings.

 

Members were advised of the following updates on the application:

 

UPDATE 

 

In the second recommendation set out in the update report (Page 21 of the Agenda report), the satisfactory legal agreement needs to be completed by 28 October 2021.

 

The infrastructure payment through CIL, discounting SANG, is £498,520.

 

The Council’s Drainage Engineer has raised no objections.

 

The Council’s Viability Advisers, the DixonSearle Partnership, have provided a summary on viability which is provided as an Annex to this Update.

 

The County Highway Authority have advised further on the lack of need for controlled crossings across Sturt Road as follows:

“Controlled crossings were not required as the likely level of pedestrian use throughout the day would be insufficient to meet the criteria for controlled crossings. It is considered that crossings will only operate correctly if they are used on a regular basis throughout the day. If there are too few pedestrians for most of the day drivers may tend to ignore the crossing and put pedestrians at risk on the occasions when they are using the facility.”

Correction

 

Para 7.4.25 of the original report: The nearby church is the Church of St Andrew.”

 

Following the introduction of the Officer’s report and recommendation, Nick Molyneux of the DixonSearle Partnership (DSP), as the Council’s Viability Advisors, presented the viability position.

 

As the application had triggered the Council’s public speaking scheme, Mr David Gilchrist spoke on behalf of the applicant. Mr David Whitcroft, on behalf of the Mytchett, Frimley Green & Deepcut Society, and Mr Alister Mogford spoke in objection to the application.

 

It was noted that some Members had concerns in respect of the proposed affordable housing provision (15 affordable dwellings (discount market sales), with a review procedure mechanism). Reservations focussed in on how this figure fell short of the 40% affordable housing requirement in The Core Strategy and Development Management Policies Development Plan (CSDMP) and the associated viability assessment. It was reaffirmed that the affordable housing would not go below the 9.4% provision (indicated in the officer update report) and that the provision would be the subject of a secured in perpetuity if the application was approved.

 

Members expressed reservations in respect of the overall parking layout of the scheme, but also in particular respect of the flatted developments and in particular plots 86, 87 and 88. The Committee felt they needed more information on the proposal’s features relating to sustainability including the provision solar panels and ground source heat pumps.

 

The Committee also had unanswered questions in respect of whether the elements of the scheme would be in accordance with the Council’s Residential Design Guide. This was in respect of the requirement for parking arrangements to be softened by soft landscaping; and the levels of amenity space provided for the flatted units.

 

As a result of the need for further clarity on these elements of the application, a proposal to defer the application for investigation into these matters was proposed by Councillor Helen Whitcroft, seconded by Councillor Edward Hawkins and put to the vote and carried.

 

RESOLVED that application 20/1048 be deferred in order to receive further information on the following matters:

·         Amenity space in regard to compliance with the Residential Design Guide

·         Parking layout

·         Sustainable energy features

·         Landscaping.

 

Note 1

It was noted for the record that Councillor Helen Whitcroft declared that her father was attending the Committee meeting as a public speaker, but she had come to the meeting with an open mind.

 

Note 2

In accordance with Part 4, Section D, paragraph 18 of the Constitution, the voting in relation to the application was as follows:

 

Voting in favour of the alternative proposal to defer the determination of the application:

 

Councillors Graham Alleway, Cliff Betton, Edward Hawkins,  Mark Gordon, David Lewis, David Mansfield, Charlotte Morley, Robin Perry, Darryl Ratiram, John Skipper, Graham Tapper, Victoria Wheeler, Helen Whitcroft and Valerie White.

 

 

Supporting documents: