Agenda item

The report considered two outline planning applications that had been received for the re-development of St. George’s Hospital, Suttons Lane, Hornchurch. The site had been vacant since 2012 and was now surplus to requirements. Both applications were submitted with all matters reserved except for access although the proposals set development parameters and a scale threshold for development. An illustrative master-plan for the overall development of the site had also been submitted.

P0459.16 was a re-submitted and revised application for the partial demolition and re-development of 10.11 hectares of the St George’s Hospital site to provide up to 279 dwellings including the retention and conversion of some of the existing buildings, new build residential housing and apartments, together with the creation and retention of areas of open space, a linear park and swale gardens and play space areas.

P0323.15 was for the re-development of 1.64 ha of the St. Georges Hospital site located to the north west of the site for the purposes of providing up to 3,000 sq m of new healthcare development together with a new vehicular access, plus car parking, infrastructure and landscaping.

During the debate Members discussed the proposed density of the site and the parking provision that was proposed.

Several Members commented that the new re-submitted application improved the original proposal.

Members also discussed the possibility of introducing restricted parking on the site of the medical centre to deter commuter parking.

P0459.15 – Residential Re-development

The Committee noted that as an outline planning application the development proposed would be liable for the Mayor’s Community Infrastructure Levy (CIL) which would be calculated and levied at Reserved Matters stage and RESOLVED that the proposal was unacceptable as it stood but would be acceptable subject to

A:        No direction to the contrary from the Mayor for London (under the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008); and

B:        The Head of Regulatory Services being authorised to negotiate and agree a planning obligation under S106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended), to secure the following:

• The provision on site of 15% of the units within the development as affordable housing (with a tenure split of 50% social rent to 50% intermediate housing) or alternatively 15% affordable provision on site (with a tenure split of 50% social rent to 50% intermediate housing) or greater than 15% overall affordable provision by providing suitable commuted sum for off-site provision of social rented housing.  Alternatively affordable housing provision to be determined should it be concluded that Vacant Building Credit was applicable.

• Payment of £1,504,000 to the Council to be used for educational purposes

• Payment of £150,000 to the Council for improvements to Hornchurch Country Park

• Payment of £20,000 to Transport for London for improvements to cycle storage facilities at Hornchurch Station.

• To provide training and recruitment scheme for the local workforce during construction period.

• Landscaping and management of all public open space within the development in perpetuity in accordance with an agreed management scheme and the final delivery of public open space with unfettered access to the public prior to first occupation of no more than 250 dwellings.

• All contribution sums should include interest to the due date of expenditure and all contribution sums should be subject to indexation from the date of completion of the Section 106 agreement to the date of receipt by the Council

• The Developer/Owner shall pay the Council’s reasonable legal costs in association with the preparation of the legal agreement, prior to the completion of the agreement, irrespective of whether the legal agreement was completed.

• The Developer/Owner shall pay the appropriate planning obligations monitoring fee prior to completion of the agreement.

The planning obligations recommended in the report have been subject to the statutory tests set out in Regulation 122 of the Community Infrastructure Levy Regulations 2010 and the obligations were considered to have satisfied the following criteria:-

(a)          Necessary to make the development acceptable in planning terms;

(b)          Directly related to the development; and

(c)          Fairly and reasonably related in scale and kind to the development.

Subject to recommendations A) and B) above that planning permission be granted subject to the conditions as set out in the report.

P0323.15 – Healthcare Facility

That the proposal was unacceptable as it stood but would be acceptable subject to

A:                         No direction to the contrary from the Mayor for London (under the Town and Country Planning (Mayor of London) Order 2008); and that the proposal be approved subject to the following conditions.

Subject to recommendation A) above that planning permission be granted subject to the conditions as set out in the report.