Agenda Item No.

Committee: / Regulatory
Planning Committee
Date: / 16 November 2011
Report by: / Director of Economy, Transport and Environment
Proposal: / Installation of temporary mobile library building until October 2013, with ramped access and steps, the provision of thirteen car park spaces (including two disabled parking bays), a lorry loading area and new vehicular access gates.
Site Address: / Elm Court, Blatchington Road, Seaford, BN25 2AD.
Applicant: / Director of Governance and Community Services
Application No. / LW/3011/CC
Key Issues: / 1.  Need
2.  Siting, Design and Layout
3.  Highways and Accessibility
4.  Archaeology
Contact Officer: / David Vickers, Tel. 01273 481629
Local Member:
/ Councillor Jon Freeman

SUMMARY OF RECOMMENDATIONS

1. To grant planning permission subject to conditions as indicated in paragraph 8.1 of this report.

CONSIDERATION BY DIRECTOR OF ECONOMY, TRANSPORT AND ENVIRONMENT.

1. The Site and Surroundings

1.1 This is a triangular shaped site, covering approximately 2350 m² in area at the junction of Blatchington Road with Glebe Drive in Seaford. The site is approximately 350 metres to the north west of the edge of the town centre, and from the existing main library at the junction of Sutton Park Road with Warwick Road. The site is bounded on its north-western side by Glebe Drive, a private road, and by Blatchington Road which wraps around the curved south eastern boundary of the site and has a footway on its south side only. To the west of the site is a bowling green.

1.2 The site lies in a hollow with its main road frontage defined by a flint wall, 1 metre high. The north west part of the site is banked with trees and the western end contains a fenced tennis / basketball court, which appears not to have been used for some time. The majority of the site is level and formerly contained the Elm Court Centre, a Youth Centre, which was demolished in April this year.

1.3 The surroundings are characteristically residential to the north, east and south whereas along Blatchington Road, to the west, there is a mix of commercial, leisure, recreation as well as residential uses.

1.4 The site is adjacent to the Blatchington Road Conservation Area and the north western part of the site lies within the East Blatchington Road Area of Established Character defined in the Lewes District Local Plan.

2. The Proposal

2.1 The proposal is to erect a temporary ‘Portakabin’ type building on the site to provide library premises during redevelopment of the main library at Warwick House.

2.2 Eleven car parking spaces will be provided on the tennis court and another two spaces for drivers with disabilities, will be marked close to the library. The existing vehicular access to the site, off Blatchington Road, is to be used as will a separate pedestrian access. The kerb opposite the pedestrian access will also be dropped. The proposed temporary library building will be positioned towards the eastern end of the site in the area formerly occupied by Elm Court.

2.3 The library building will be of a modular type, measuring 23.5 metres long, 8.5 metres wide and 3.2 metres high including the floor level raised 0.45 metres above ground level. Ramped access will be provided to the main entrance at the western end of the building with an emergency escape at the eastern end. 85% of the floor area will be devoted to public library space with the remainder for staff and a lobby.

2.4 The building will have pale green coloured walls, white pvc framed windows with security grilles and a shallow pitched metal roof.

2.5 The library will be open 9 a.m. – 6 p.m. Monday – Saturday with up to four staff based at the premises. The current library service offered will be reduced owing to the limited space available compared to the existing premises.

3. Site History

3.1 2009 – Granted (by Lewes District Council) – LW/09/0092. Outline planning permission for demolition of the existing building and erection of 9 dwellings and associated parking

3.2 1983 – Granted – LW/765/CC. Provision of an open air paved and floodlit recreation area for Youth Centre including 3.6m high chain link fence.

4. Consultations and Representations

4.1  Lewes District Council; The District Council has no objection to a temporary consent. A more central location for this important community facility may have been preferred although the site applied for is well connected and prominent in the area.

4.2 Seaford Town Council; The Town Council object on the grounds that it is difficult for the elderly and in particular for the disabled to access the site. Other empty buildings in the town could be utilised instead. Traffic and parking in the area would be adversely affected. Proposed access by bus service 12A may not resolve access issues for residents due to difficulty in crossing the road at the bottom of Blatchington Hill.
4.3 Highway Authority; The Highway Authority raises no objection.

4.4 Southern Water; Southern Water requests a condition be attached to any consent requiring details of the means of surface water disposal to be agreed and that the applicant’s attention is drawn to the need for Southern Water’s approval to make a new connection to the public sewerage system.

4.4 Local Representations; None received

5. The Development Plan policies of relevance to this decision are:

5.1 The South East Plan 2009; There are no policies of particular relevance to this proposal in the Plan.

5.2 Lewes District Local Plan 2003; Policy ST3 (design, form and setting of development), ST6 (access for people with limited mobility), H5 (development affecting Conservation Areas), T14 (parking), H12 (Areas of Established Character)

6. Considerations

Need

6.1 There is a related planning application, LW/3043/CC, currently under consideration, to redevelop the current library premises in Warwick House at the junction of Sutton Park Road and Warwick Road on the edge of the town centre. If planning permission is granted for this there is a need for alternative temporary premises in order to provide a library service during redevelopment

6.2 If some form of public library facility is to continue in Seaford it is considered the principle of the need for temporary premises is demonstrated.

Siting, Design and Layout

6.3 Policy ST3 of the Lewes District Local Plan expects development requiring planning permission to comply with a wide range of criteria including the impact on its surroundings, neighbouring properties and the highway network. Policy ST6 expects new buildings open to the public to provide external ground surfaces and approach routes which facilitate easy accessibility to the building by wheelchair users. Policy H5 states planning permission will be granted for development near to Conservation Areas provided it does not detract from the special architectural or historic character of the area. There are a number of areas which do not have the necessary historic or architectural value to enable them to be designated Conservation Areas, and so lack statutory protection. Nonetheless these areas are considered of sufficient merit to justify particular care when development proposals are assessed. These are known as Areas of Established Character and Policy H12 advises that special attention will be paid in these areas to the need to retain the existing character.

6.4 The design and appearance of the proposed temporary building is utilitarian being essentially a large functional green box-like structure, punctuated by square window openings at regular intervals. It will not enhance the nearby Blatchington Road Conservation Area or the East Blatchington Road Area of Established Character but neither does the application site in its current state and nor did Elm Court prior to its demolition. Whilst the proposed building has little visual merit, as it is for a short temporary period its impact on the character and appearance of the nearby Conservation Area and Area of Established Character is neutral. It is therefore in accordance with Policies H5 and H12 in the Lewes District Local Plan. Moreover the proposal does not affect those features of the site that do make a positive contribution to the surroundings (including the Conservation Area and the Area of Established Character) such as the flint boundary wall and the significant trees along the northern boundary.

6.5 The proposal could include some enhancements such as planting to help integrate the proposal into the wider area, however it is for a temporary period of two years linked to the redevelopment of the main library. Further planting is premature and may prejudice the longer term redevelopment of the site for housing for which outline planning permission is in place.

6.6 There are not anticipated to be any adverse impacts on the amenities of the area or on those of nearby residents from the temporary library building as a result of noise, disturbance or loss of light. The opening hours are restricted to between 9 am and 6 pm Monday – Saturday. Notwithstanding its basic appearance the scale of the building is appropriate for the site and the wider area. The proposal is therefore considered to accord with Policy ST3 in the Lewes District Local Plan.

6.7 The site lies at the edge of Flood Zones defined by the Environment Agency and there is a risk of localised flooding from surface water, sewer overflow and a nearby pond as well as from tidal events. The risk is assessed as ‘Low’ in the applicant’s Flood Risk Assessment. As the library is considered to be a less vulnerable type of use as well as being for a temporary period; the floor of the proposed building is 0.45 metres above the site ground level and there is an escape route to higher ground to the north in the event of a flood, the proposal is considered acceptable in terms of flood risk management.

6.8 The layout includes two parking spaces for drivers with disabilities and the approaches to the building within the site are smooth surfaced and level or include ramped access from the tarmac hardstanding to the building. The internal layout of the building is arranged to allow wheelchair users to circulate. It is therefore in accordance with Policy ST6 in the Lewes District Local Plan.

Highways and Accessibility

6.9 Policy T14 in the Lewes District Local Plan requires all new development to limit parking provision in relation to its location.

6.10 The site layout includes a total of thirteen spaces including two parking spaces for drivers with disabilities. These will be located near to the library but in such a position as to avoid impeding the daily van delivering books to turn within the site or to impede library users on foot. The number of spaces is considered appropriate for such a use in this location and should help minimise the number of library users who choose to drive, from parking in Blatchington Road or the surrounding area.

6.11 An existing separate pedestrian access to the site is to be used and the kerb opposite dropped. Pedestrians will therefore be able to circulate on site separately from vehicles.

6.12 The site location has attracted objection by the Town Council (see paragraph 4.2) which prefers a more central location. This is a preference expressed by the District Council although it does not object, commenting that the Elm Court site is well connected and prominent in the area.

6.13 The application site is approximately 350 metres north-west of the existing library, approximately 5 minutes walk along Avondale Road albeit that there is a gradient between the two sites meaning a walk downhill from the town centre.

6.14 The applicant states that many alternatives were considered, some in the town centre comprising vacant premises, and other edge of centre locations more suitable for temporary premises. The vacant premises of suitable size that were available tended to have access difficulties either due to internal changes of level, complicated layouts or stepped approaches from the street. All of these can be addressed with sufficient resources however the applicant could not justify such expenditure for temporary premises. Other edge of centre sites considered were at Seaford Head Community College for example, however this option was rejected due to potential conflict with the operation of the College, being further from the existing library and also not being on a bus route unlike the site applied for. Additionally the Elm Court site will have parking.

6.15 The applicant also points out that currently there is a mobile library service with 3 stops in Seaford as well as a home service where volunteers deliver books to readers in their homes. These services will be available to those who cannot or choose not to use the temporary site at Blatchington Road.

6.16 Clearly the Elm Court site is not ideal for a public service use such as this on a permanent basis. However, the proposed use is for a temporary period during which it is intended to develop a modern library within the Town Centre. The site layout will successfully separate vehicles from pedestrians and will be accessible for all users. Elm Court does present some locational difficulties in terms of its accessibility from the town centre and a gradient is involved for non-car users. The applicant will though provide a library service for those unable or unwilling to use Elm Court as it does with regard to the current site.

6.17 On balance I feel that in the circumstances of the current proposal the development can be considered to be acceptable in terms of Policies ST6 and T14 in the Lewes District Local Plan recognising that this would be for a temporary period.