Agenda item

Report of Head of Planning

(copy herewith)

Ward: Rushmills

The Head of Planning submitted a report in respect of application no. N/2012/1211, elaborated thereon and referred to the Addendum that set out further correspondence on behalf of the Applicant, the Officer’s response thereto and an amended proposed condition 4.

Councillor Larratt, as the Ward Councillor commented that he supported the objections of Great Houghton Parish Council and the residents. Their main concern was noise especially as the building had been turned to face Great Houghton. He was aware that Environmental Health were already investigating late night lorry noise issues relating to other units. He concurred with the views of Environmental Health set out in the report. Councillor Larratt considered that the proposed wording of condition 4 set out in the Addendum was not as robust as the original set out in the report. Councillor Larratt asked that if the Committee were minded to approve the application that the ongoing maintenance of the noise attenuation works be made to be in perpetuity.

Mr Rawlings, as Agent on behalf of the applicant commented that Dascher would, if the application were approved, be able to relocate from three existing sites on Brackmills to this one. This proposal represented a £25m investment by Dascher together with the creation of additional jobs and would release 100,000sq foot of space on Brackmills to other potential users. The site would become Dascher’s UK headquarters. This application was for a building a third smaller, in terms of square footage, than the proposal granted outline consent. It was also lower and the office element had been doubled in size to 20,000sq foot. Mr Rawlings commented that Great Houghton Parish Council and residents had been consulted including from the outline consent stage and noted that the NPPF provided support for sustainable economic development. If approved, the applicant intended to start work onsite in June or July 2013. Mr Rawlings hoped that the Committee would approve the application. In answer to questions Mr Rawlings commented that the applicant intended to maintain the noise attenuation measures together with the bunding and native planting; that the dual aspect of the main building was necessary as its main function was as a goods transmission centre; that the colour blue to be used was the applicant’s corporate colours; that the applicant’s business plan provided for an increase in jobs of 35% over five years- many of these to be office based; confirmed that the applicants had attended Great Houghton Parish Council meetings at outline stage and since and corresponded with them; and confirmed that he had had experience of similar noise attenuation schemes elsewhere- the design put the operation inwards facing with other measures on the boundary. He noted that Condition 4 regulated this and that ultimately Environmental Health would monitor it.

The Head of Planning noted that proposed condition 3 required the ongoing maintenance of noise mitigation measures and noted that the revised condition 4 set out in the Addendum provided for Environmental Health to agree a Night Noise Management Plan and noted that the condition could be amended to include, in the sixth line, reversing sirens.      

The Committee discussed the application.

RESOLVED:    That the application be approved in principle subject to the conditions set out in the report and amended by the Addendum and above and the matters in paragraph 1.2 below as the details submitted accord with the parameters for the development that were approved at outline stage under application reference (11/0053/OUTWNN).  The appearance of the development was considered to be acceptable and the visual impact of the development could be adequately mitigated through the structural landscaping proposed.  The scale of the building was substantially lower than the maximum parameters agreed at outline stage and tested through the Environmental Impact Assessment.  The layout of the proposal was acceptable in terms of highway safety and, whilst concerns have been expressed regarding the potential for noise and disturbance in relation to residential properties in Great Houghton it was considered that the mitigation measures proposed and the imposition of appropriate conditions would ensure that there would be no adverse impact resulting from the scheme.  Therefore, the details submitted were acceptable in relation to saved policies E1, E6, E9, E14, E20, E40 and T12 of the Northampton Local Plan and the principles of the National Planning Policy Framework.

1.2           As the statutory consultation period did not expire until 12th March 2013, the final decision on the application be delegated to the Head of Planning providing that no material considerations additional to those presented to the Committee were raised within this timescale.