Issue - meetings

Marc Dorfman, Assistant Director, Planning, Regeneration and Economy, introduced the way in which the applications would be presented. Resolutions for the three reports would be passed at the end of proceedings, after full discussion and deliberation of each item. An addendum sheet had been circulated, which outlined that a new appendix 1 to agenda item 6 had been tabled, and also set out a proposed additional condition to agenda item 8 in respect of the provision of details for disabled access and advised of a correction to agenda item 9, Table 1 Row 3, column 3 where the figure should read 733m² instead of 15,000m² as stated in the original report.

Mr Dorfman gave a brief presentation on the details of the site and its location, the existing consented scheme and of the proposed changes represented by the reports before the Committee at this meeting. An outline of the three reports was presented. Mr Dorfman emphasised that the planning authority was obligated to consider issues of viability; that an independent assessment had been undertaken on behalf of the Council in respect of viability of the scheme, and a range of proposals had been brought forward to address the overall viability and deliverability of the scheme. The officer recommendation for all three reports was to grant consent.

Terry Knibbs gave a presentation on the proposed revisions to the s106 agreement for the Northumberland Development Project, and advised that these revisions formed a key element of the viability of the scheme overall. It was the officer view that key impacts (identified as highway capacity and parking, improved access to stations, reducing the impact on buses and achieving a mode share target of 77% of journeys not being made by car, the impact of match day crowds and TV reception) would continue to be addressed; alternative funding arrangements would relieve some of the previous funding obligations, non-funding obligations remained in place and were in parts strengthened under the revised agreement.

It was proposed that the requirement for 50% affordable homes in the development be deleted. As a result of funding regime changes for affordable housing, the provision of affordable housing would have a negative impact on the viability of the scheme. The Council’s planning policy permitted flexibility in respect of affordable housing provision, subject to viability, and also encouraged developing a broad housing mix. It was noted that Northumberland Park currently had a high proportion of social housing, and that the creation of open market homes in the area would broaden the mix of housing locally.

In respect of school place funding, it was recommended that the requirement for this funding be deleted in the revised s106 agreement. On the basis that the homes to be provided under the new outline planning application would all be open market, and the likelihood that the majority of these would be 1 and 2 bedroom units, it was anticipated that the number of children occupying the development would be reduced. It was further reported that separate  ...  view the full minutes text for item 115