Agenda item

Report of Head of Planning

(copy herewith)

Ward: East Hunsbury

Councillor Oldham left the meeting in accordance with his declaration of interest as set out in minute 4 above.

The Head of Planning submitted a report in respect of application no. N/2011/0323 and referred to the addendum that set out an amendment to paragraph 1.1d in respect of the bus service 28, additional comments in paragraph 1.1 concerning pedestrian facilities to the north of the Mereway underpass, clarification that rejection of relocation options of the revised Clannell Road entrance had been made by the Highways Authority (paragraph 2.70), correction of paragraph 2.8 in respect of the distance between recycling facilities and the nearest home in Falconer’s Rise and additional references in paragraph six to the receipt of a petition in favour of the application; representations from a resident of Sandhurst Close and Legal & General on behalf of the Northampton Shopping Partnership; petition and various representations made to WNDC in respect of the original application; additional comments from Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council about the current application; additional correspondence from Councillor Larratt and County Councillor Andre Gonzalez de Savage and amendments to the conditions set out in paragraph 10.

The Head of Planning elaborated upon the context of the site and the scheme details including the impact of the development on other centres, particularly the town centre and noted that the application allowed for controls to be put in place in respect of the amount of the comparison goods sales area which the applicant had agreed to. He also noted that the Highway Authority’s requirements had been met and they were content with the proposal. The residential impact had been mitigated by the suggested conditions.

Councillor Larratt, as Ward Councillor, commented that he did not object to the application per se but had concerns about the boundary treatment in the south-east corner of the site with Sandhurst Close. He was surprised that the Addendum listed representations that had only just come to light and questioned whether the report considered them. He believed that the Highway Authority had felt that they were not in a position to object to the highways aspects and understood that that they had further requirements. Councillor Larratt’s main concerns were in respect of the .com business and the small shops and restaurant being serviced via Sandhurst Close and the effect of the proposed traffic lights at the Clannell Road entrance to the site on the residents of Falconers Rise. He hoped that the Committee would refuse the application on the grounds of loss of amenity and light pollution to the residents of Falconer’s Rise. In answer to questions Councillor Larratt commented that Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council had suggested that the Clannell entrance to the site be relocated further westwards and the car park layout reconfigure so as to avoid the need for a new access off Sandhurst Close; that there had been numerous meetings between the Parish Council and the applicant but no acceptable resolution from the Parish Council’s point of view had been found to the access issues; that the proposed Mereway Forum did not yet exist and that he believed that the applicant was looking for the cheapest highways solution hence the Sandhurst Close proposal.

Ms Houlihan, on behalf of Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council, commented that the Parish Council were not against the application per se. They had met with the applicant, including at a full Parish Council meeting many times throughout 2009 and 2010. The Parish Council had two major areas of concern, the effect of the proposals for the Clannell Road entrance to the site, in terms of noise and pollution, on residents of Falconer’s Rise and traffic turning into Sandhurst Close. The Parish Council believed that a better solution was for the Clannell Road entrance to be further westwards and questioned the need for the Sandhurst Close access. She also noted that school children also walked across the car park. Ms Houlihan also noted that there had been problems accessing the Council’s e-mail address to submit representations. In answer to questions Ms Houlihan commented that the Sandhurst Close residents concerns were about increased traffic in their road and that the Parish Council believed that there was sufficient space further along Clannell Road for a new entrance to the site.

Mr Robeson, Agent for the applicant, commented that they had had extensive discussions with the Parish Council, stakeholders and residents throughout 2009 and 2010. Signalising Clannell Road would include pedestrian phases. Tesco’s own highways consultants and the Highway Authority believed that moving the Clannell Road entrance further westwards would cause problems with visibility splays and be in conflict with pedestrian desire lines. The position of the Highways Authority was clear. Tesco’s had agreed to contribute via a Section 106 agreement to a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) that would place parking restrictions along Sandhurst Close. There were advantages to the residents of Sandhurst Close in moving deliveries from the existing service road adjacent to the street and houses. In answer to questions Mr Robeson confirmed that the proposed TRO had been negotiated with the Highway Authority; that alternative internal site traffic flows had been examined but rejected as creating accesses too close together; that a roundabout option for Clannell Road had been considered and rejected (but did not have the details to hand); that apart from the visibility issues, moving the Clannell Road access westwards, also had implications for the internal car park layout and on traffic flows; that if the proposed TRO were put in place then customers of the Leisure Centre would be able to use the Tesco’s car park for three hours without penalty; that under the new CIL Regulations Tesco’s could only consider mitigations specific to the development proposals and that the Mereway Forum would be a good way of engaging with all stakeholders and working with the community to consider issues and solutions; that exchanges between the applicant and the Parish Council were documented; and that Tesco’s wanted to be a good neighbour.             

Ms King, Community Champion for Tesco’s, commented that she had lived in Delapre for 17 years and worked part-time for Tesco’s as a community champion. Her main concern was that the public had an efficient store. Tesco’s supported local facilities and the extension would provide the opportunity for a wider range of stock and create new job opportunities. A petition of 2,000 signatures had been submitted in support of Tesco’s plans. In answer to questions Ms King commented that the PROPOSED Mereway Forum would comprise all the local land users including Simon de Senlis School, the Abbey Centre, residents associations and individual residents; and that the .com business operated between 07.00 and 22.00 hours.

The Head of Planning commented that in respect of the highways matters that the Committee had to consider the application as it was presented in the report and that the Highway Authority and Highways Agency had no objections to the proposals in the report. He also commented that the circumstances of the recently determined Sainsbury’s application at Gambrel Road and this application were different in that Mereway was a recognised  centre identified in the Northampton Local Plan.

The Committee discussed the application.

Councillor Lynch proposed and Councillor Davies seconded “That consideration of the application be deferred for two months to allow further assessment of the additional information set out in the Addendum and to allow the applicant and Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council to further consider the parking, highways and access issues surrounding the Clannell Road junction and the proposed access via Sandhurst Close.”

RESOLVED:  That consideration of the application be deferred for two  months to allow further assessment of the additional information set out in the Addendum and to allow the applicant and Wootton and East Hunsbury Parish Council to further consider the parking, highways and access issues surrounding the Clannell Road junction and the proposed access via Sandhurst Close.

Councillor Oldham rejoined the meeting.