Cope House Earls Court Road, London W8

Transcription

1 Cope House Prepared on behalf of Ridgewood Kensington Ltd by Metropolis Planning and Design LLP Planning Application September 2010

2 List of Contents The Site 5 Planning History 5 Proposals 5 Relevant Planning Policy Analysis 7 - Loss of Office Use - Suitability for Residential Use - Parking - Design - Amenity Conclusions 15 Contact Information Matt Bailey Metropolis PD 30 Underwood Street London N1 7JQ

3 The Site The site is located on the eastern side of Earls Court Road, just south of Kensington High Street and between Pater Street and Cope Place. Though not within a Conservation Area, the site lies in close proximity to the nearby Edwardes Square, Scarsdale and Abingdon Conservation Areas. The property is not listed nor is it allocated for any specific development proposal. The property comprises a four storey building with office use at ground floor and residential accommodation above. The application site is surrounded on three sides by residential properties, to the north, south and east. Whilst the upper floors of the property are fully occupied, the ground floor commercial element remains vacant despite continuous marketing of the premises since the construction of the building. Planning History Existing building - Pater Street elevation The existing building, known as Cope House, was originally granted planning permission in 2003 (ref PP/03/01518). The scheme comprised the demolition of an existing petrol station and erection of building providing six self contained residential units and 241 sqm B1 floorspace at ground floor. The scheme was substantially completed in More recently, permission was sought for the retention of low rise housing for soil and vent pipe installation on roof, retention of obscure glass balustrade and handrail to rear elevation and returns to enclose area at second floor roof level and retention of access to second floor roof for emergency access (application ref 09/00255). This application was refused but subsequently allowed on appeal. In terms of similar schemes, a recent decision at Clarendon Cross is considered relevant to the proposals (application ref PP/09/01653). In this case, planning permission was granted in October 2009 for a similar change of use of ground floor B1 office to residential use. Proposal Summary The application hereby submitted seeks planning permission for: " Change of use of ground floor from B1 (a) office to C3 residential and creation of 2 no two bedroom flats" Existing building - Cope Place elevation The application is made following a lengthy period of unsuccessful continuous marketing of the B1 office accommodation since October This report sets out the development plan context and assesses the scheme against relevant planning policies contained within the Kensington and Chelsea UDP. 4 5

4 Planning Considerations Loss of Office Use The property is currently vacant at ground floor level and has been actively marketed since October 2007 during the course of the building's construction and onwards. Despite continuous and extensive marketing of the premises the offices have not been let, and remain vacant to this day. A detailed marketing report by Aitchison Raffety, along with a land availability summary has been submitted with the application which clearly demonstrates the extent to which the building has been marketed, a summary of enquiries and responses, and a list of similar premises available locally. Application Site Based on this lengthy unsuccessful marketing it is clear that, in order to optimise the use of the site, uses other than B1 (a) office should be considered. In line with government policy, the priority should be to provide residential uses on land which has been previously used for employment purposes and is no longer suitable or viable. In terms of local planning policy, no specific protection is afforded to office accommodation. Policy STRA22 of the UDP seeks to retain a range of business premises and uses in the Borough, giving priority to the provision of small business units, in particular small light industrial units. However, this policy does not specifically relate to office use. Furthermore, policies E3 and E20 seek to resist the loss of small business units of 100sqm or less in Principal Shopping Centres and the loss of business uses in Employment Zones. The application site does not fall within either of these allocations and thus there is no specific policy objection to the loss of office floorspace on this site. UDP Proposals Map Extract Policy S6 seeks to maintain and improve the vitality and viability of shopping centres throughout the borough. The existing vitality and viability of Kensington High Street nearby will be unaffected by the proposed change of use. Equally, on the basis that UDP and London Plan policies seek to encourage the creation of additional housing, it is considered that the provision of residential uses in this locality would be supported by UDP policy. Policy H2 seeks to ensure the residential development of land and buildings unless a satisfactory residential environment cannot be achieved; the land is required for community uses; or the where the proposed development is for appropriate replacement commercial uses. On this basis it is considered that the change of use from B1(a) office to C3 residential is appropriate and fully justified. 6 7

5 Planning Considerations Suitability for Residential Use Policy H2 of the UDP sets out the criteria for considering new residential development. Supporting text states that the Council will have regard to site history, amenity issues and positive aspects of existing uses and potential replacement by other uses, and also the vitality of the local economy. It is not considered that there are any positive aspects to the existing ground floor use. Indeed, the offices as approved in 2003, although constructed and fitted out, have never actually been used. Previously, the site had been occupied by a petrol station and therefore it is difficult to consider the existing use as having a beneficial impact upon the local economy. Clearly vacant premises are not useful in terms of encouraging activity in an area, and as such it would be preferable to have ground floor occupancy regardless of the use. The scheme as proposed replaces the existing 241sqm B1 office floorspace with 2 no two bedroom flats, which fully comply with size standards and reflect the existing mix of unit sizes at the property. Clearly the provision of residential accommodation in this location is considered acceptable given the previous approval. Given the lack of interest in office use, it is our view that the provision of ground floor residential uses should be considered acceptable, subject to the careful design of the scheme and elevational treatments proposed. Parking and Access Policies TR36 and TR42 seek to resist development which would result in a material increase in traffic or parking or decrease road safely. The scheme as proposed provides parking at basement level. The basement provides 8 parking spaces, which will equate to 1 space per flat in the overall development. This is compliant with the standards set out in the UDP which state that residential developments should provide up to a maximum of 1 space per dwelling, or up to two spaces for units with 5 or more habitable rooms. Policy TR42 of the plan states that off street parking should be provided in this manner except in locations where services are readily accessible by walking, cycling or public transport, where housing is provided for the elderly, students or single people where car parking demand is low, or where conversion or townscape reasons prevent successful integration of parking into a scheme. The proposed scheme for the site provides access to the existing basement garage via the existing car lift from Cope Place. 8 9

6 Planning Considerations Design Whilst the site lies just outside the Edwardes Square, Scarsdale and Abingdon Conservation Areas, policy CD63 states that any proposed development on adjacent sites should be assessed on their impact on the Conservation Area. The proposed scheme involves very limited alteration to the overall design of Cope House, namely ground floor railings to the new residential windows and recessed bays to the Earls Court Road elevation. It is not considered that the proposed alterations have an adverse impact on the overall architectural language of the building. No external amenity space is provided, however this is consistent with the remainder of the property and it is not considered necessary in this location. The two flats created will make use of the existing refuse and bicycle stores at ground floor level, which are more than adequate in terms of size. This complies with policies TR9 and PU11 of the adopted UDP. Amenity Policies CD35, CD40 and CD46 of the adopted UDP address amenity issues. It is considered that the proposals fully comply with the provisions of these policies. The design of the scheme, through the use of steel railings and recessed windows, protects the privacy of occupiers. Also, due to their positioning at ground floor level there is no possibility of any overlooking issues to surrounding properties

7 Design and Access For the avoidance of doubt the following paragraphs address the requirements for design and access statements, using headings set out in national guidance on preparation of such statements. Use Cope House is currently in mixed use with ground floor B1 accommodation and residential properties above. This proposal replaces the ground floor use to provide 2 no two bedroom flats. No commercial space is re-provided. Amount The proposed extension results in the loss of 241sqm B1 office space and the creation of two no 2 bedroom flats. Layout The proposed layout is complaint with Council standards and fits well with the existing circulation arrangements for flats above in terms of access from the street. Scale The proposed change of use is at ground level and therefore not affect the scale of the host building. Landscaping Minor landscaping in the form of bonded gravel to the new recesses on Earls Court Road will be added to the scheme. Appearance The publicly viewed external appearance of the building has not been altered significantly by the proposals. Alterations to front and side elevations will not distract from the existing appearance of the building. Vehicular Links The application has no impact on transport or traffic levels to the site. Inclusive Access Level access to the property is provided from Cope Place

8 Conclusions In summary the proposed scheme seeks to convert the existing vacant B1 office space at ground floor level of Cope House, to create 2 no. two bedroom flats, with associated minor elevational alterations. The existing office space has been continuously marketed since the construction of the scheme and due to limited interest or prospects of the property being let or sold, the owner wishes to pursue a residential use of the ground floor. Efficient use of land for residential purposes is encouraged by national policy set out in PPS3 and local UDP policy H2. In policy terms, no protection is given to existing B1 office uses in this location. Combined with the lack of interest in the commercial space it is considered that a change of use to residential complies with the provisions of the development plan. Equally, the proposed change of use results in only limited design alterations to the existing building at ground floor level. It is considered that the recessed bays, railings and gravel areas are appropriate to the streetscene and do not affect the overall architectural composition of the building. Sufficient car parking, bicycle storage and waste storage are provided for existing flats above and accommodate the requirements of the two new units. The application proposals are in full compliance with the aims and objectives of relevant UDP policies and national planning guidance and represent an improved situation on the site, for the benefit of the area as a whole. For all of these reasons, we consider the proposals pass the Section 38 test and that planning permission should be granted accordingly