Planning@coperscope.org.uk

Casebook Notes (Area Updated 3rd. September 2010)

125 Park Road
A fresh application for a mixed residential and commercial development was lodged week ending 22 August 2010.  This follows an earlier application which was withdrawn back in September 2008.

Land rear of 91-117 Copers Cope Road
A revised application to an already approved scheme, on behalf of Castlefort Properties Ltd, was lodged in mid-August for the erection of 39 dwellings and estate road together with improvements to Grangewood Road, to provide vehicular access for the development.  The revision will enable 103 and 105 Copers Cope Road to be retained on the frontage.

80 High Street
Consent has been given for change of use of the first and second floors from a private members’ club to a restaurant with associated store room and offices on the second floor and staff accommodation on the third floor. This was formerly the Constitutional Club that apparently closed last autumn after membership had declined and the remaining users were in no position to renew their business tenancy. In view of Bromley Council’s policy relating to loss of community facilities, it seems that change to the premises is required to provide for similar usage.

Building to the Rear of 80 High Street
An application was submitted in early May and subsequently approved for reinstatement of commercial and leisure accommodation previously occupied by and under lease to First Glass and The Dance Studio and damaged as a result of fire at the adjacent former carpet warehouse. Insurers for the owners, the Diocese of Rochester, have agreed settlement and the Rochester Diocesan Society and their Board of Finance are now obliged to prepare the premises for re-occupation by former users.

108/110 High Street
At the end of June a change of use of the ground floor premises from retail to restaurant involving the former Zenith Windows double fronted shop close to the traffic lights opposite The Beckenham public house was lodged with the local authority and refused permission in mid-August 2010.

94 High Street
In the week ending 4th July a change of use from shop to shop/café was lodged.

St Clare Court, Foxgrove Avenue
On 21st January Bromley Council gave permission for conversion of existing basements into 2 one-bedroom flats and it is understood that the basement areas were then sold at auction. Subsequently the new owner submitted a proposal to use a larger area of the basement for conversion into 2 two-bedroom flats, formation of a communal store room and new cycle and bin storage. This larger scheme received consent at Plans Committee on 20th May.
A further revised scheme also for two two bedroom flats was submitted for planning approval in the week ending 27th June and received consent at the end of July.

68 Park Road
An Appeal was lodged on 5th October 2009 against refusal of planning permission for a three storey block plus some accommodation in the roofspace to provide nine two bedroom flats. The appeal has been decided by written representation and the report dated 12th April dismisses the appeal. The Inspector found that:

• Bulk and mass of the proposed development would be greater than that of an extant permitted scheme for six town houses, so appearing cramped on the plot, overbearing and intrusive in the street scene and detrimental to the character and appearance of the area

• This would be emphasised by provision for car parking in front of the building leaving little room for planting to break up the large area of hard standing.
  Refuse storage close to the footway would further detract from the visual quality of the area.

• The density proposed would be higher than for the permitted scheme, resulting in an over-large building with poor and cramped layout and this would amount to overdevelopment of the site. Whilst there is flatted development in the wider area, this is set in spacious plots or on corner sites or adjoins other flats and does not have car-dominated frontage.

• The additional height would result in overshadowing and appear overbearing from the adjacent property thus detracting from living conditions of the residents.

• The proposal for close-boarded fencing to replace the existing brick boundary wall (an integral feature of the garden landscaping) would also detract from the visual amenity of neighbours.

To bring the matter up to date a fresh application for the provision of seven two bedroom flats with underground and forecourt parking for 8 cars and associated cycle and refuse stores was lodged in June.

66 Park Road
An application for a three storey block of nine flats registered early in January 2010 was refused consent by delegated authority on 25th February.

135-137 Albemarle Road
An Appeal Hearing, attended by the Association's representative,  took place on 17th June against refusal of the demolition of 135 and 137 to be replaced with a four storey block of eighteen flats and a rear two storey block of two flats. The CCARA had earlier written to the Inspectorate to support the Council in contesting the Appeal. We expressed the view that the proposal would be detrimental to the character of the surrounding area and that the layout of the proposed buildings would constitute a cramped form of backland development.  Furthermore, access arrangements would trigger concerns for traffic and pedestrian safety and movement within the site was likely to be unsafe and inconvenient for those who would occupy the new dwellings.  On the 25 August the Inspector decided that the appeal should be allowed and permission granted subject to conditions.  This should mean that the development will be of a high quality and will reflect and complement the qualities of the surrounding area.  The Inspector reached the conclusion that the proposal would not create undue risk to the safety of users of the highway or access road within the site.  Furthermore, although in principle the proposal was in conflict with the intention of the Bromley Unitary Development Plan 2006 to deter development on back land, the Inspector took the view that the particular setting of the appeal site meant that there would, in practice, be no significant harm caused by the flats over garages (at the back of the site) to the character and appearance of the area or to the living conditions of neighbours.

Bromley Park Nursing Home
A Hearing date has been fixed for 2 November 2010 for the Appeal against the London Borough of Bromley's decision to refuse a 2 storey detached building at the rear of the Home at 75 Bromley Road, Beckenham, to provide 6 bed-sitting rooms for employees.  The CCARA supports the Council in contesting this Appeal on the grounds that the proposal would be an over-intensive use of the site, it would remove amenity garden land and detract from the character and appearance of the area.

Garden Grabbing
It was announced on 9th June that Decentralisation Minister, Greg Clark, is giving local councils immediate power to prevent building of new homes in back gardens. For some years gardens ("previously residential land") have been classified as brownfield sites, placing them in the same group as derelict factories or disused railway line! This change means that local Councils will now have more discretion to stop unwanted backland development and to refuse applications for new housing and blocks of flats in gardens adjacent to or at the rear of existing property. In recent times "the concrete jungle" has been encroaching further into pleasant residential areas as the brownfield designation has forced local planning authorities to ignore the wishes of local people. The result has been destruction of gardens and loss of the green space that fosters wildlife with wider concern for the amenities of immediate neighbours and unwanted change to character of the local area. Proposals for home extensions such as the addition of a conservatory are not to be affected by this new ruling.

In a July Development Control Committee Meeting of the Bromley Council it was noted that two changes had been made to Planning Policy Statement 3 (PPS3) Housing.  Firstly, the exclusion of private residential gardens from the definition of previously developed land enables local authorities to manage development in residential areas by considering applications on an individual basis and to refuse inappropriate development.  Secondly, the removal of the minimum density of 30 dwellings per hectare enables a better mix of homes to be built for the community and encourages the development of more family homes.

The London Plan
The Consultation Draft Replacement Plan detailing spatial development strategy for Greater London was published by the GLA in late October and comments from interested parties including local authorities and the public are now being considered.  The Plan can be found at: www.london.gov.uk/shaping-london/london-plan

Green Light for Greener Development
In early August Government published a consultation document on the consolidation and amendment of the Environmental Impact Assessment Regulations, the intention of which is to enable Councils and businessmen to benefit from a simpler system for assessing the impact of development on the local environment.

Future of Building Regulations
The Government has also recently launched an initiative to ensure that the Building Regulations are proportionate and remain fit for purpose.