Agenda and minutes

The Chair welcomed everyone to the meeting.

Apologies for absence were received from Cllrs Mahym Bedekova (Vice Chair) and Bektas Ozer.

In the absence of Cllr Bedekova, Cllr Kate Anolue was nominated and agreed as Vice Chair for the meeting.

Members are asked to declare any disclosable pecuniary, other pecuniary or non-pecuniary interests relating to items on the agenda.

Declarations of non-pecuniary interest were received from Cllrs Peter Fallart, Lee Chamberlain and Michael Rye, all of whom are Members of The Enfield Society, who had submitted written representations on item 6, application reference 23/00032/FUL.

To receive and agree the minutes of the meetings held on Tuesday 5 September 2023 and Tuesday 19 September 2023.

The minutes of the Planning Committee meetings held on Tuesday 5 September 2023 and Tuesday 19 September 2023 were AGREED.

To receive and note the covering report of the Head of Planning and Building Control.

Received the report of the Head of Planning and Building Control, which was NOTED.

RECOMMENDATION:

1.That subject to the completion of a S106 Agreement to secure the obligations set out in this report, the Planning Decisions Manager be authorised to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions.

2. That the Planning Decisions Manager be granted delegated authority to agree the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the Recommendation section of this report and the final S106 Agreement to cover the matters identified in the S106 Obligations section of the report.

WARD: Bush Hill Park

Tendai Mutasa, Senior Planning Officer, introduced the report, highlighting the key aspects of the application.

The officer updated/informed Members that comments had been received from the Police that day for a secure by design condition to be added.

Officers responded to Members’ questions and comments regarding trees, advising that of the 38 trees and 8 groups of trees on site, 6 low value trees and 2 groups of trees would be removed; and the 6 trees would be replaced. Officers said they could look to see if additional trees could be accommodated on site with a landscaping condition recommended, and that planting off-site on metropolitan open land could only be secured by a Section 106 agreement and landowner approval. Members asked that officers try work with the applicant to secure an additional 6 trees.

In respect of parking, officers advised that 10 spaces were being provided for 4 rooms and 1 treatment room. Officers said that a balance was needed between landscaping and parking. The existence of a cycle lane was said to make adding a drop off area difficult, but a condition could be added for a review of the layout of parking as well as cycle and bin storage, to see if it could be accommodated.

Officers responded to Members’ enquiries relating to very special circumstances and usage affecting metropolitan open land, advising that the NHS had written specifically to support the application and confirm the need for a medical centre in the area. The Section 106 agreement would control/require that contracts are entered into for the delivery of a medical centre prior to commencement of development. In response to further enquiry, officers confirmed that use of the site for residential purposes would require a separate application and its own very special circumstances to be demonstrated.

The proposal having been put to the vote; Members voted:

9 FOR

0 AGAINST

1 ABSTENTION

and so, it was AGREED:

1. That subject to the completion of a S106 Agreement to secure the obligations set out in this report, the Planning Decisions Manager be authorised to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions. This includes the conditions relating to: parking, trees and secure by design, discussed at the meeting.

2. That the Planning Decisions Manager be granted delegated authority to agree the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the Recommendation section of this report and the final S106 Agreement to cover the matters identified in the S106 Obligations section of the report.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That subject to the finalisation of a S106 to secure the matters covered in this report the Planning Decisions Manager be authorised to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions.

2. The Planning Decisions Manger be granted delegated authority to agree the final wording of the S106 Agreement and the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the Recommendation section of this report.

WARD: Ridgeway

Aaron Hawkins, Senior Planning Officer, introduced the report, highlighting the key aspects of the application.

An update report, including an extra/ additional condition from Thames Water, and information regarding offsite tree planting for the Section 106 Agreement; as well as The Enfield Society objections had been circulated to Members prior to the meeting.

Officers responded to Members’ queries regarding transport, advising that 41 spaces would be provided for the 95 units, up from the 31 spaces originally proposed, and that this was comparable to similar nearby premises. Cycle parking would meet London Plan Standards and there was a nearby bus stop and train station. A parking management plan condition was proposed to be included, and could address any potential visitor parking issues. Addressing the concern raised by the objection from the Enfield Society, officers advised that the extension of the access road beyond providing access to the site was not part of the proposal, and would require a further/separate application if its extension was sought.

In response to Members comments and questions regarding trees, officers advised that 52 trees would be lost in total, the majority of a low quality, 12 of which would be replaced on site, and the other 40 through the Section 106 agreement and planted offsite. The addition of further trees would require S106 agreement of the applicant to increase the financial contribution, but there was no policy requirement for more than 1 for 1 replacement planting.

In respect of heritage, the heritage officer advised that they were not in support of the scheme, that their preference was to retain the significant heritage asset, but that as a non-designated asset of regional/local value; legislation did not exist to protect it, and the harm of losing it must be balanced against the benefits of the proposal.

Officers responded to Members’ enquiries relating to the C2 residential care home use/need, advising that there was a 31% increase in demand for dementia care in London, and that health and adult social care identified a wider need for nursing and dementia care. Officers added that reducing the quantum/ number of units would not necessarily reduce the footprint/impact of the site.

The proposal having been put to the vote; Members voted:

6 FOR

2 AGAINST

2 ABSTENTIONS

and so, it was AGREED:

1. That subject to the finalisation of a S106 to secure the matters covered in this report the Planning Decisions Manager be authorised to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions. This includes the extra condition recommended/ proposed by Thames Water, outlined in the update report to Members.

2. The Planning Decisions Manager be granted delegated authority to agree the final wording of the S106 Agreement and the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the Recommendation section of this report.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That planning permission be GRANTED subject to conditions and the completion of a S106 legal agreement.

2. That the Head of Development Management be granted delegated authority to finalise the wording of the S106 Agreement and agree the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the Recommendation section of this report.

WARD: Ponders End

Josleen Ray, Principal Planning Officer, introduced the report, highlighting the key aspects of the application.

A deputation was received from Bill Dearman, a local resident, who spoke against officers’ recommendation.

The agent, Mark Westcott, spoke in response.

Officers responded to queries and comments regarding transport, advising that 9 spaces were being provided for 19 units, that Census data for the local area showed a similar ratio elsewhere, and that parking surveys had been conducted. The site was said to be well connected by public transport, and there would be a further consultation on the CPZ in the near future and it was likely this would be expanded to cover the area, which would secure it as car free.

In respect of Members questions with regards to sunlight/daylight, officers advised that there would be a marginal impact on some neighbouring windows which had been highlighted, with a maximum loss of 34%. Officers explained that consultants produced daylight/sunlight reports, that they operated within set guidelines and officers were confident in their professional ability. There was a 28-metre distance to nearby gardens which along with the planting/screening alleviated/mitigated concerns of overlooking/ loss of privacy.

In response to Members enquiries relating to changes since the 2018 application, officers advised that the previous proposal had a greater site coverage, did not deal as successfully with transitions in scale, and was higher along the boundary.

In response to Members questions regarding safety consultation, officers advised that health and safety were not a statutory consultee due to the height of the building, but that fire standards and the building regulation process would still need to be followed.

Officers responded to Members queries in relation to crime/anti-social behaviour, advising that the Police had agreed that a secure by design condition would satisfy their concerns.

In response to Members questions regarding assets of community value, officers advised that there was a process a site must go through to become a registered asset of community value, which the public house was not, and the appeal decision clarified the pub had nil use value and was not required to be replaced.

The proposal having been put to the vote; Members voted:

9 FOR

0 AGAINST

1 ABSTENTION

and so, it was AGREED:

1. That planning permission be GRANTED subject to conditions, including the secure by design condition discussed, and the completion of a S106 legal agreement.

2. That the Planning Decisions Manager be granted delegated authority to finalise the wording of the S106 Agreement and agree the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the Recommendation section of this report.

RECOMMENDATION:

1. That the Head of Planning and Building Control be authorised to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions.

2. That the Head of Planning and Building Control be granted delegated authority to agree the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the ‘Recommendation’ section of this report.

WARD: Bush Hill Park

David Maguire, Senior Planning Officer, introduced the report, highlighting the key aspects of the application.

In response to Members questions regarding the issue of a dropped kerb, officers advised that it could not be conditioned as it did not require permission, but that the suggestion had been made to the applicant to contact the Council’s crossovers team as regards a dropped kerb application. Officers added that there were existing enforcement conditions available to the highways team if the kerb were damaged/ crossed illegally.

The proposal having been put to the vote; Members voted:

10 FOR

0 AGAINST

0 ABSTENTIONS

and so, it was AGREED unanimously:

1. That the Planning Decisions Manager be authorised to GRANT planning permission subject to conditions.

2. That the Planning Decisions Manager be granted delegated authority to agree the final wording of the conditions to cover the matters in the ‘Recommendation’ section of this report.

To note that the dates of future meetings are as follows:

Tuesday 19th December 2023

Tuesday 9th January 2024 (provisional)

Tuesday 23rd January 2024

Tuesday 13th February 2024 (provisional)

Tuesday 20th February 2024

Tuesday 5th March 2024 (provisional)

Tuesday 19th March 2024

Tuesday 23rd April 2024

These meetings will commence at 7:00pm and will be held in the Conference Room at the Civic Centre.

Members noted the dates of future meetings as set out in the agenda.

The Chair thanked everyone for their time/contributions, and the meeting ended at 21:19.