| No. | Condition Text |
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| 1. | The Local Planning Authority considers the proposal as submitted provides inadequate provisions to communal facilities and the layout results in a poor access to the communal facilities proposed. Communal facilities are important aspect in providing a good standard of environment for the occupiers. The majority of the proposed communal facilities are located in the basement which is a significant distance to the occupants of the upper floors and are particularly inaccessible for those occupying the rooms in the second floor. The limited levels of communal facility provision can create an unhealthy environment and will force residents into undertaking more daily tasks within the confines of their room. Lack of access to communal facilities does not provide an adequate standard of accommodation meaning the development does not comply with paragraph 17 of the National Planning Policy Framework which states that the planning system should seek a good standard of amenity for all existing and future occupants of land and buildings. In addition paragraph 9 states that sustainable development includes improving peoples living conditions.
The level of communal facilities is not considered to have overcome the concerns raised at the previous planning appeal. |
| 2. | The Managers accommodation as submitted appears to be disjointed and does not form a coherent unit of accomodation. The rooms which form the managers accomodation are not directly adjoining and are spread throughout the building. The layout of the managers accommodation means that the occupiers of the managers accomodation do not have a good standard of living and will need to move through communal areas to reach certain rooms. Additionally the layout of the managers accomodation adversely affects the living standards of the occupiers of the other rooms as access to the majority of the communal facilities in the basement are through the managers accomodation. This means that access to the communal facilities are limited. The ground floor accommodation appears to be a new unit in its own right creating a separate unit of accommodation within the site positioned amongst a highly intense use. |
| 3. | A previous appeal at the site highlighted that some of the rooms did not provide a suitable standard of accomodation. It is not considered possible to adequately ensure that the rooms deemed too small for living accommodation remain unoccupied for that purpose. Should the inappropriate rooms be occupied a poor standard of living accommodation is created. Any conditions imposed that restrict occupation of inappropriate rooms as well as a condition ensuring retention of communal facility should, in accordance with paragraph 206 of the National Planning Policy Framework be enforceable. However the long term monitoring of the site is not considered feasible. According to the submitted plans these rooms would remain in their existing form and layout with en-suites making them set up for occupation. In addition the access to the community facilities are accessed through the areas marked for managers accomodation. Accordingly the conditions required to improve residential amenity would not be enforceable. |
| 4. | The proposal would result in 4 multiple occupied units in a row with neighbouring properties currently utilised for flats positioned either side. The proposed development would result in a cluster in accordance with saved policy HOU23 criterion D of the Borough Wide Local Plan and this intensive form of development would be contrary to this saved policy. |
| 5. | The proposed change of use has been refused as it fails to comply with paragraph 17 of the National Planning Policy Framework in that it does not provide the good standard of amenity for all existing and future occupants of land and buildings that is required. In addition the proposal does not conform with the provisions of saved policy HOU23 of the Borough Wide Local Plan. |
| 6. | STATEMENT OF POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT: In accordance with the NPPF, in determining this application for planning permission, the Borough Council has approached it in a positive and proactive way and where possible has sought solutions to problems to achieve the aim of approving sustainable development. Unfortunately, despite this, in this particular case the development is not considered to represent sustainable or an acceptable form of development and has been refused for the reasons set out above.
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