Agenda item

Report of the Assistant Director (Planning).

Report of the Assistant Director (Planning) on the redevelopment of Salisbury Square.

This application is presented to the Development Management Committee because the Council has a land ownership interest in the application site. The proposal is for the partial redevelopment of Salisbury Square in Old Hatfield, following the demolition of the existing 1970s shopping parade and maisonettes above.

It is notable that the site lies entirely within the Old Hatfield conservation area and many surrounding buildings of historical interest, including several listed buildings.

The proposed scheme would include the erection of a terrace of 5 dwellings and a central building which comprises a retail unit and 11 commercial units and 3 flats. The scheme would reconfigure the existing parking arrangement to include a shared surface area, alongside the retained, existing open space and soft landscaping which lies outside of the application site.

It’s notable that planning permission was granted in 2013 for a similar scheme, albeit a larger scale of development, however, this scheme has not progressed on grounds of economic viability. Nevertheless, the principle of demolishing the existing buildings and redeveloping the site has previously been accepted with the loss of the existing buildings not considered to be harmful to the significance of the conservation area. The proposed new building would be three storeys in height and comparable to existing buildings which front on Salisbury Square.

On the ground floor, the proposed building would be characterised by traditional timber shop frontages and would be used as retail and commercial units. Traditional materials are offset against high quality contemporary cladding in the link element which provides a sense of architectural evolution within the historic environment. The proposed terrace houses would face the existing terrace of similar design on the opposite side of Arm and Sword Lane.

Overall, the proposals would not harm the significance of any nearby listed buildings. The long views from Hatfield House will be preserved. Subject to the recommended conditions, the proposals are considered to enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area and preserve the special interest of listed buildings, in line with Sections 72 and 66 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 and Chapter 16 the NPPF..

Late representations have been circulated, and section 8 of the report summarises the representations received prior to publication. In total 12 representations have been received comprising four objections, together with six comments and two responses in support of the proposal. No objections remain outstanding from consultees and Hatfield Town Council strongly support the application.

Officers drew Members' attention to an error in the report at paragraph 11.42 and 11.43 regarding access to Hatfield Park. It was clarified that since publication, the applicant has noted that tenants of Gascoigne Estates are entitled to access are park free of charge, but residents of the parish of Bishop's Hatfield can apply to become a member, however there is a charge for this. Nevertheless, officers are satisfied that the proposal provides suitable access to either private or public outdoor amenity space for future residents.

It is notable that the balance in favour of sustainable development would apply, and the proposal would deliver a net increase of one residential unit where a shortfall of housing has been identified. Short term economic benefits would arise from the construction and development, and further economic benefit would arise from the new commercial floorspace, as well as the enhanced vitality and viability of the area. Social and environmental benefits arising from the development would include the provision of comfortable and energy efficient, new homes within walking, distance of facilities and services.

The report demonstrates that the development has been assessed against local and national policy and no significant harm or policy conflict has been identified. As such, the proposed development is considered to accord with the development plan, having regard to all factors described in detail within the report. Officers recommend that the Committee resolves to grant planning permission subject to the suggested conditions.

Mr Anthony Downs, Applicant, stated:

Gascogne Estates support your officer's recommendation of approval. The proposed redevelopment of Salisbury Square is one of several local initiatives promoted by Hatfield Park Estate and other local stakeholders to regenerate Old Hatfield. As you'll see from our submitted Heritage Statement, improvements have taken place in Old Hatfield over the last 10 years since the 2008 Old Hatfield Charrette. Examples include the redevelopment of Hatfield railway station, new traditionally designed homes at Church Lane, Arm and Sword Lane, and Dunham Mews. Bringing new enterprise and business is at the heart of the proposals and aim to ensure that Old Hatfield remains a vibrant mixed-use community. We first discussed the regeneration of Salisbury Square with the local community some time ago at the Old Hatfield Charrette and some of you may recall the previous application in 2013. Following the positive outcome from committee, the proposal proved too costly to construct and unfortunately could not be constructed. The current proposals seek to overcome those difficulties simplifying the scheme whilst retaining the objective to bring about wider regeneration benefits. The scheme still takes design cues from the traditional vernacular of Old Hatfield and takes reference from the published design guidance within the building code for Hatfield. Reversing the damage caused by the pedestrianised version of the Square in the 1960s and 70s requires encouraging more active uses and opportunities for sustainable travel. We believe this is to be achieved by introducing new multipurpose paved space at the centre of the square, and in doing so this increased activity will assist existing businesses as well as creating new jobs and homes. The scheme proposes parking spaces which are equal to current provision and subject to the proposals gaining consent this evening, a parking strategy will be developed to ensure the vitality of the Square. We've spent some time working with your officers and other statutory consultees to fine tune the scheme, this has influenced features such as cycle and bin stores, positioning and the quantum of electric vehicle charging points. Regeneration of a brownfield site is never without its challenges; balance must be sought between creating places for the future whilst ensuring they remain at the heart of an existing local community. We're very keen to press on and complete the Salisbury Square redevelopment, which we believe is also eagerly awaited by the local community.

Councillor Jackie Brennan, Town Council, stated:

As Members will have seen in the Officer’s report the Town Council strongly supported this planning application. This site is in need of rejuvenation, and we are confident that the proposed development provides a much-needed boost for this currently neglected part of Old Hatfield. Part of the reason we supported the development is because we saw that the developers were sensitive to the style and traditions of this part of Hatfield and have incorporated those themes into their design. In fact, we would hope all developers were as sympathetic to Hatfield’s architectural heritage when they propose their ideas for the town and surrounding areas. However, any change brings with it a certain level of disruption and anxiety. And it is our belief that successful and sustainable developments are those that work with the community they reside in. On that note, we recognise there are genuine concerns of the local residents with regards to parking provisions and parking management.  Some of the new dwellings in the immediate area have no access to parking permits or allocated spaces for parking. It is clear that they will be impacted by the increased need for parking for this development. Whilst we support the aspirations of planning policies in place for more sustainable and car free living, the lack of adequate public and sustainable transport options (especially East/West and at evening and weekends) will result in continued car ownership by residents, which is not accommodated in the current proposal. We do not believe this should be a barrier to the development going ahead and believe suitable arrangements could and should be agreed with all relevant parties. We would therefore like to see some assurance that going forward that there is a commitment from the developers to consult and engage constructively with the local residents who will be affected. This development has been 14 years in the planning and residents of Old Hatfield hope that the construction of the new homes and businesses will be swift and trouble free.

Dr Jonathan Fisher, Supporter, stated:

I am speaking in the light of the comments that I made to the application and also those of colleagues Mary Lowe and John Penny. I'm pleased to report that we and the Old Hatfield Residents Association and virtually all residents of Old Hatfield want the development of Salisbury Square to go ahead as soon as possible. We've waited a long time for this and we’re desperate for it to go ahead. We strongly support and agree with the officer’s recommendation to approve the application subject to conditions. On behalf of the Old Residents' Association, we have had good, constructive, and positive discussions with Gascoigne Cecil Estates regarding the development to clarify and sought specific points regarding the development, including some that Councillor Brennan has just raised. They have agreed with us to have ongoing discussions so that this beneficial development can go ahead smoothly in the interests and the best way possible of all.

Members discussed the application and a summary of the main points raised are shown below:

The existing car park provides 65 parking spaces and is proposed to re-provide the same number of spaces plus an additional 36 cycle parking spaces. The existing car park operates on a permit scheme and the permits are free of charge. 58 permits have been issued to local businesses at present and only two to residents. Any person's displaced could apply for parking permits in the local area, and officers have discussed with the Parking Services team, and they have advised there is capacity and that they would monitor the number of parking permits allocated to businesses to ensure that residents are not adversely impacted.

The scheme is policy compliant, and officers feel it is a very well-designed scheme and would bring a lot of benefits in terms of the economic viability and vitality of the Square, bringing more footfall into the area.

Members noted how good it was to see so many people supportive of the application and thought it was a well-designed sympathetic proposal.

Officers said there is one retail unit proposed and 11 business commercial units within class E. The one large retail unit may lend itself to a more traditional retailer, the other units are designed for more office-based businesses such as an architect's practice or accountants for example.

Members requested some reassurance about the cladding mentioned in the report. Officers confirmed that the cladding is the link section between the two main parts of the building so only makes up a small area of the building. In terms of planning considerations, it doesn't fall within the scope of where additional information is needed in terms of fire safety but given the scale of development this would be covered under Building Regulations.

Following discussion, it was proposed by Councillor J. Broach and seconded by Councillor S. Thusu to approve the application.

            RESOLVED:

            (13 in favour, UNANIMOUS)

That planning permission be approved subject to the conditions set out in the report.