Agenda item

Demolition of the existing (former council) building, alterations to the existing car park and provision for additional car parking spaces.

The Senior Planning Officer presented the application for the demolition of the former council building and creation of additional parking spaces. The committee were made aware of a late representation that had been received, the details of which had been included in an update sheet. The committee were informed of a previous application for the building that had been considered in 2019, since which the building had been unoccupied, resulting in water damage to the building and that the committee were not bound by the decision made in 2019, as this was a new application.

Members were shown a map with the site outlined and the nearby listed buildings, as well as a layout plan showing the footprint of the existing building and the location of the 45 car parking spaces that would be created as part of the application. The Senior Planning Officer explained that, to compensate for the loss of 6 trees, 10 new trees would be planted on the site. Photographs of the building from various angles and the area surrounding the site were shown to members, in addition to photographs of the existing car park.

The Senior Planning Officer summarised the key planning considerations for the application. This included the heritage aspects, archaeological interest, residential amenity, ecological considerations, flood risk, land contamination and highways. All of which, were considered to be acceptable and any concerns had been addressed through condition.

Public representations were received from Mr Johnson, Mr Perry, Mr West and Cllrs Ferrari and Heaton, who spoke in opposition to the application. The speakers noted the environmental impact of the application and challenged the carbon analysis figures provided in the application.

Ms Spiller, the representative of the applicant also spoke in support of the application, emphasising the need for the rejuvenation of the area and the damage the building had suffered from being unoccupied for several years.

In response to questions from members the Senior Planning Officer stated the following:

·       Funding for the development was not a material planning consideration and although funding had been secured for this project, no weight had been attached to that.

·       The retaining walls are not a part of the application, but a demolition plan was included in the report, which considered how the surrounding area would be affected by demolition.

·       Conditioning electric vehicle charging points would be not be appropriate due to the small scale of the development and the limited time scale of the permission.

·       After three years the applicant would either have to reapply for permission or apply for a new application to redevelop the site.

·       A condition could be included to ensure that the retaining walls were safeguarded.

Several members expressed concern over the application, due to the lack of plans around redevelopment of the site and felt that the site could be better used for purposes other than car parking. Other members felt that the building had remained unoccupied for too long and was an eyesore within Weymouth, therefore supported the recommendation to grant permission. Members agreed that a condition protecting the retaining walls adjacent to the application site should be included in the proposal.

Proposed by Cllr O’Leary and seconded by Cllr Cocking.

Decision: That authority be delegated to the Head of Planning or the Service Manager for Development Management and Enforcement to grant subject to the recommended conditions and to a further additional condition to provide measures to protect the sites boundary walls during the demolition/construction process (the latter condition wording to be first agreed with the Committee Chairman).