Additional Committee Report

ADDITIONAL COMMITTEE REPORT

Item Number: 12 Committee Date:26 September 2007

Application Reference: / 07/0843 / Type of Application: / Full Planning Permission
Applicant: / Blackpool Victoria Hospital / Agent : / LOC Associates Ltd
Location: / CLIFTON HOSPITAL, PERSHORE ROAD, ST ANNES, LYTHAM ST ANNES
Proposal: / FORMATION OF EXTENSIONS TO EXISTING CAR PARKING AREAS
Parish/Ward: / Fairhaven / Area Team: / Area Team 2
Weeks on Hand: / 8 / Case Officer: / Mr M Evans
Reason for Delay: / N/A

Summary of Recommended Decision: Grant

This application was considered at the last meeting of the Development Control Committee when Members resolved to grant planning permission subject to the applicant entering into a section 106 agreement to allow free parking for the first hour of any stay. The applicant has written to advise that they are unwilling to enter into such an agreement and their response is attached as an appendix to this report.

As your officers feel that it would be unreasonable to refuse planning permission in the absence of any agreement, the officer recommendation remains unchanged.

Summary of Officer Recommendation
This application proposes the provision of 49 additional parking spaces for use by staff and patients of the hospital. The total number of spaces would increase to a level below the maximum set in the Council's adopted car parking standards. The spaces would occupy landscaped areas within the site and would not impact on the strategic landscaping that softens views into the site. Subject to the provision of improved landscaping areas, the revised scheme is considered acceptable.

Reason for Reporting to Committee

At the request of Councillor Caldwell

Site Description and Location

Clifton Hospital is located on the north side of Clifton Drive and to the east of Pershore Road, a residential estate road serving a number of semi detached dwellings. Beyond the footpath/cycleway and railway line that bound the north of the site, is Royal Lytham St Annes Golf Course. The Hospital grounds are surrounded by an area of sand dunes to the south and east which have been identified as a Biological Heritage Site.

Details of Proposal

The application proposes the formation of 3 additional areas of car parking.

The first is along the access to the parking area situated between the hospital buildings and Pershore Road. This area is currently occupied by an area of lawn and low shrubbery and would provide 16 additional parking spaces.

The second is a further area of lawn in front of the main entrance to the hospital which would provide 17 parking spaces for general use, 6 disabled parking spaces and 6 parent and toddler parking spaces.

The third area is a widening of a service road to the rear of the hospital along side the railway line and would provide 4 general parking spaces along with an area for the storage of bins.

Relevant Planning History

Application No. / Development / Decision / Date
06/0971 / PROPOSED INTERNAL ALTERATIONS TO FORM INFILL EXTENSION, EXTERNAL WORK INCLUDING BLOCKING UP OF EXISTING WINDOWS AND DOORS - TO FORM NEW X-RAY FACILITY. / Granted / 04/12/2006
06/0336 / 2 No. SINGLE STOREY EXTENSIONS & CREATION OF DOORWAY TO FRONT ELEVATION OF EXISTING HOSPITAL. / Granted / 19/06/2006
05/1059 / EXTENSION TO WARD 2 LINK CORRIDOR TO ACCOMMODATE OFFICES/WAITING AREA. / Granted / 12/01/2006
04/1205 / 3 No. SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO EXISTING HOSPITAL / Granted / 27/01/2005
04/1206 / SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION & ALTERATIONS TO EXTERNAL ELEVATION OF EXISTING HOSPITAL / Granted / 28/01/2005
04/0723 / EXTENSION TO RENAL UNIT / Granted / 13/09/2004
04/0679 / SINGLE STOREY EXTENSION TO COURTYARD AREA OF HOSPITAL. / Granted / 05/08/2004
04/0201 / PROPOSED RENAL DIALYSIS UNIT AND PARKING AREA / Granted / 04/05/2004
03/0846 / OUTLINE APPLICATION FOR THE ERECTION OF A RENAL DIALYSIS UNIT / Withdrawn by Applicant / 14/01/2004
97/0736 / TEMPORARY (22 WEEKS) CONTRACTORS ACCESS TO HOSPITAL LAND FROM ROSEBERY AVENUE (RETROSPECTIVE) / Granted / 03/12/1997
97/0287 / ERECTION OF SINGLE STOREY BUILDING TO FORM A YOUNG DISABLED UNIT (9) BEDS WITH LINK TO EXISTING HOSPITAL / Granted / 16/07/1997
96/0750 / OUTLINE APPLICATION TO ERECT SINGLE STOREY 9 BED YOUNG DISABLED UNIT AND LINK CORRIDOR. / Granted / 03/01/1997
93/0812 / CIRCULAR 18/84, ERECTION OF NOTICE/SIGN POSTING / Granted / 02/02/1994

Relevant Planning Appeals History

None.

Parish Council Observations

St Anne's on the Sea Town Council notified on 31 July 2007

Summary of Response

The proposed application is misleading. It does not provide as many car parking spaces as stated. It certainly does not create as many new spaces as specified. Some have been taken away and others added, but the number of new spaces does not add up.

Statutory Consultees

County Highway Authority
Based on the number of beds and consulting rooms present at the hospital, the County Council's adopted car parking standards would allow a maximum of 154 spaces. The proposal shows a total of 135 spaces which falls well within the permissible limits.
The County Highway Authority has concerns that the recent implementation of charges for the use of the car park has resulted in additional on street parking and they would, therefore, prefer to see the parking charges removed.

Observations of Other Interested Parties

None received

Neighbour Observations

Neighbours notified:31 July 2007

No. Of Responses Received:

Relevant Planning Policy

Joint Lancashire Structure Plan:

JS03 / Strategic Locations for Development
JS07 / Parking
JS21 / Lancashire's Natural & Manmade Heritage

Fylde Borough Local Plan:

SP01 / Development within settlements
TR09 / Car parking within new developments
TR10 / Car park design
EP02 / Open spaces within towns & villages
EP17 / Nature conservation
EP23 / Pollution of surface water
CF01 / Provision of community facilities

Other Relevant Policy:

PPS1: Delivering Sustainable Development

Site Constraints

Within urban area

Environmental Impact Assessment

This development does not fall within Schedule I or II of the Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (England and Wales) Regulations 1999 as amended.

Comment and Analysis

This application proposes to introduce three additional areas of parking to provide for staff and patient car parking which would increase the parking provision by 49 spaces from 86 to 135 spaces. The Lancashire Car Parking Standards, which have been adopted by this Council for the purposes of determining planning applications, set a maximum of 154 spaces based on the number of beds and consulting rooms available at this facility. The proposal clearly does not breach this maximum. The spaces themselves, would be situated within existing areas of lawn and low growing shrubbery. As part of the proposal, the applicant has proposed additional planting to help compensate for the areas of landscaping that are to be lost to the additional parking areas. The main landscaping that softens the views of the hospital buildings and screens the existing parking areas would not be effected by this proposal.

The County Highway Authority has requested that the hospital management be requested to cease charging for the use of the car park as this is displacing parking on to the adjacent highway. However, it is not possible to impose a planning condition that would prevent the imposition of car parking charges by the hospital. Even if it were possible, such a condition could only be applied to the additional car parking bays proposed by this application and not to the existing car parking spaces. It will, therefore, be necessary for the highway authority to consider the imposition of waiting restrictions on the adjacent highway if they wish to prevent on street parking.

Conclusions

The capacity of the expanded car park will remain below the maximum level laid down in the Council's adopted car parking standards and will not result in the loss of any significant landscaped areas. As such the proposal is considered to be acceptable and Members are recommended to grant planning permission.

Recommendation

That Planning Permission be GRANTED subject to the following conditions:

1. / The development hereby permitted must be begun not later than the expiration of 3 years commencing upon the date of this permission, and where applicable should be undertaken in strict accordance with the plan(s) comprising all aspects of the approved development accompanying the decision notice.
This standard time limit is required to be imposed pursuant to Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004, while compliance with approved plans is required to ensure the approved standard of development is achieved.
2. / Prior to the parking bays first coming into use, the parking bays and associated manoeuvring areas shall be surfaced to match the existing car park and marked out in accordance with the details indicated on the submitted plan. Thereafter, the parking areas shall be made available for the parking of patient and staff vehicles at all times the premises are open.
In order to ensure a satisfactory form of development.
3. / Landscaping, including hard surface landscaping shall be carried out and preserved in accordance with a scheme and programme which shall be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority before any development is commenced. Specific details shall include finished levels, means of enclosures, hard surfacing materials, minor artifacts and street furniture, refuse receptacles, lighting and services as applicable soft landscape works shall include plans and written specifications noting species, plant size, number and densities and an implementation programme. The scheme and programme shall thereafter be varied only in accordance with proposals submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority and such variations shall be deemed to be incorporated in the approved scheme and programme. The approved landscaping scheme shall be implemented in a timetable of planting to be agreed in writing with the Local Planning Authority but which in any event shall be undertaken no later than the next available planting season. The developer shall advise the Local Planning Authority in writing of the date upon which landscaping works commence on site prior to the commencement of those works.
To enhance the quality of the development in the interests of the amenities of the locality.
4. / The whole of the landscape works, as approved shall be implemented and subsequently maintained for a period of 10 years following the completion of the works. Maintenance shall comprise and include for the replacement of any trees, shrubs or hedges that are removed, dying, being seriously damaged or becoming seriously diseased within the above specified period, which shall be replaced by trees of a similar size and species. The whole of the planted areas shall be kept free of weeds, trees shall be pruned or thinned, at the appropriate times in accordance with current syvicultural practice. All tree stakes, ties, guys, guards and protective fencing shall be maintained in good repair and renewed as necessary. Mulching is required to a minimum layer of 75mm of spent mushroom compost or farm yard manure which should be applied around all tree and shrub planting after the initial watering. Weed growth over the whole of the planted area should be minimised. Any grassed area shall be kept mown to the appropriate height and managed in accordance with the approved scheme and programme.
To ensure a satisfactory standard of development and in the interest of visual amenity in the locality.
SUMMARY OF RELEVANT POLICIES & GUIDANCE
This decision has been made having regard to the policies contained within the adopted Development Plan which comprises:
the Regional Spatial Strategy;
the Fylde Borough Local Plan;
the Joint Lancashire Structure Plan;
and all other relevant planning guidance and in particular policies:
Fylde Borough Local Plan:
CF01 / Provision of community facilities
EP02 / Open spaces within towns & villages
EP17 / Nature conservation
EP23 / Pollution of surface water
SP01 / Development within settlements
TR09 / Car parking within new developments
TR10 / Car park design
Joint Lancashire Structure Plan:
JS03 / Strategic Locations for Development
JS07 / Parking
JS21 / Lancashire's Natural & Manmade Heritage