228 145H Crouch Hill, N8 9QH
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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
Additional documents:
Minutes:
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 ...
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