[Report of the Director of Housing, Regeneration and Planning. To be introduced by the Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability.]
This report seeks approval for the making of the new Article 4 directions for Noel Park, Peabody Cottages, Rookfield Estate and Tower Gardens.
Minutes:
The Cabinet Member for Climate Change and Sustainability introduced this report which sought approval for the making of the new Article 4 directions for Noel Park, Peabody Cottages, Rookfield Estate and Tower Gardens.
The Cabinet Member noted that the Council currently restricted permitted development rights in four Conservation Areas via Article 4 directions. The proposed revision of the Article 4 directions would make them easier to understand and operate and help ensure that the Council’s planning objectives for the borough were achieved by giving it greater ability to control development.
The Cabinet Member closed by informing that the report had been approved by the Regulatory Committee.
RESOLVED
Reasons for decision
The cancellation of the existing Article 4 directions for Noel Park, Peabody Cottages, Rookfield Estate and Tower Gardens and their replacement with four new Article 4 directions will result in the following benefits:
Alternative Options Considered
The alternative options available to the Council are: to cancel the current Article 4 directions and not replace them; to leave the existing Article 4 directions in place (i.e. the ‘do nothing’ option); or, to replace the existing Article 4 directions with immediate Article 4 directions.
The Council’s evidence indicates that the existing Article 4 directions have, and continue to be, important tools for protecting the special interest and special qualities of the Noel Park, Peabody Cottages, Rookfield Estate and Tower Gardens Conservation Areas. The option of cancelling the current directions and not replacing them is dismissed for this reason.
The Council’s evidence base has identified considerable harm in some of the Conservation Areas that are currently subject to Article 4 directions. In order to prevent unsympathetic alterations, the evidence recommends that the Council reviews the existing Article 4 directions and assess the extent to which they are effective. Officers have carried out a review and found that modifying the existing directions would generate significant benefits. In these circumstances, the ‘do nothing’ approach has been dismissed.
As set out in earlier sections, there is the possibility that the Council would be liable for compensation if immediate Article 4 directions are pursued, so this approach has been dismissed for this reason.
Supporting documents: