Issue - meetings

PROPOSAL:  development of apartment building comprising residential units (use class C3) and flexible non-residential use to ground floor (Use Class E and/or F1 and/or F2); townhouses (use class C3); landscaping; boundary treatment; parking; bin and cycle stores. Details: apartment building with height ranging from 4 - 7 storeys comprising 29 residential units (21 x 1 bed, 8 x 2 bed) and 10 x 3 storey townhouses (6 x 3 bed and 4 x 4 bed) (as varied by the Addendum and Supplemental Addendum).

The Committee received representation from Ajay Thakure (objector), and Olivia Russell (agent for the applicant), who urged the Committee to refuse and approve the application, respectively.

Councillor Marilyn Ashton proposed refusal for the following reasons:

1)              the block of 29 Shared Ownership flats located on Station Road, by reason of its scale and mass, will be out of keeping along this stretch of Station Road and will be over-bearing in comparison with the height of the buildings abutting the site.  Therefore, it cannot be justified, since this shared ownership element of the proposal comprises nearly three quarters of the overall number of 39 units, contrary to policies CS1 Harrow Core strategy (2012), DM1 and DM24 Harrow Development Management Policies (2013) and D1, GG4, H6 London Plan (2021); and

2)              the overall design of the large tower block on Station Road is unattractive, is of poor-quality design and will not make a positive contribution to the character of the area by reason of its visually obtrusive appearance in the street scene on this side of the road, contrary to CS1 Harrow Core Strategy (2012), DM1 Harrow Development Management Policy (2013) and D1 London Plan (2021).

The proposal was seconded by Councillor Anjana Patel, put to the vote and lost.

The Committee resolved to accept officer recommendation.

RECOMMENDATION A

The Planning Committee was asked to:

1)              agree the reasons for approval as set out in the report; and

2)              grant planning permission subject to the conditions in Appendix 1 of the report, and as varied by the Addendum. The planning obligations as varied by the Addendum and Supplemental Addendum and listed below and authority being delegated to the Interim Chief Planning Officer in consultation with the Director of Legal and Governance Services for the completion of the Section 106 legal agreement and other enabling development and issue of the planning permission, subject to amendments to the conditions, including the insertion or deletion of conditions as deemed fit and appropriate to the development or the amendments to the legal agreement as required.

Affordable Housing

a)              To be provided as per the submitted details (10 x LAR townhouses and 29 x S/O flats) and retained in perpetuity; and

b)              In securing the Shared Ownership tenure of the affordable housing offer, a cascade mechanism is required to offer these units to Harrow residents at Harrow income levels. Following this, it can be released to the West London Alliance boroughs, and then out to London wide (in line with The Mayor of London’s  ...  view the full minutes text for item 467