Issue - meetings

Conversion of church recording studios to 5.no residential units (C3) (4 x 2 bed and 1 x 3 bed) and 50sqm of commercial/office (B1) space.

RECOMMENDATION: Grant permission subject to conditions and subject to s106 legal agreement

The Committee considered a report, previously circulated, on the planning application for the conversion of church recording studios to 5 residential units and 50sqm of commercial/office space. The report set out details of the site and surroundings, planning history, relevant planning policy, consultation and responses, analysis, planning obligations/CIL, human rights and equalities issues, and recommended that the application be granted, subject to conditions and to a s106 legal agreement. The planning officer gave a presentation outlining key aspects of the report and advised that subsequent to the report being written an additional 5 letters of objection had been received and a petition containing approximately 500 signatures, which was passed around for the Committee’s inspection.

In response to questions from the Committee, the following points were discussed.

• Although the scheme was designated car-free, residents would be entitled to purchase visitor permits; confirmation would need to be sought from the parking department as to the limit on the number of such permits that could be issued. The Committee asked that this be looked into.
• It was confirmed that the e-petition referred to in the report was in objection to the application, and had been submitted via the Council’s website. In response to concerns raised that the neighbouring church had not been consulted, it was confirmed that the church had been consulted, and a response from solicitors acting on behalf of the church was included in the consultation responses on the Council’s website.
• It was confirmed that the nearest parking space for a car club space as specified in the report was across the road, but that there were several possible locations for this space.
• The Committee expressed concerns regarding sound insulation between the flats, particularly if the large stained-glass windows were going to span different units. It was confirmed that all flats would need to comply with building regulations, but that if this were a specific concern, an additional condition could be added in respect of soundproofing.
• With regards to the proposed change of use, it was confirmed that this site did not fall within a town centre location or an employment area, and that as a recording studio the premises was sui generis and not a specific employment use. Change of use was therefore considered acceptable at this location.
• The Committee also expressed concern about the other recording studios and the church within the same building, and how the proposed flats would be soundproofed against these uses without causing disturbance to residents, or incurring costly soundproofing requirements for the tenants of these other organisations. It was suggested that a further condition be applied to provide reassurance on this point.
• The Committee obtained advice from the legal officer that they should give due weight to signatures to the petition from addresses outside of the borough, and to consider such a submission in its totality and on its relevance to planning issues. Marc Dorfman, Assistant Director, Planning, Regeneration and Economy, advised that the key planning issues addressed by the petition were those of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 228