An apology for absence was received from Cllr Peter Scollard and Cllr Deborah Croxton attended as his substitute. 

The minutes of the Planning Committee meeting held on Wednesday 27 September were signed by the Chair.

To declare any interest members may have in the items contained on this agenda.   When declaring an interest a member must state what their interest is.  Any declared interest will fall into one of the following categories:

A Disclosable Pecuniary Interest which has been or should have been declared to the Monitoring Officer, and in respect of which the member must leave the chamber for the whole of the item in question;

An Other Significant Interest under the Code of Conduct and in respect of which the member must leave the chamber for the whole of the item in question unless exercising the right of public speaking extended to the general public;

A voluntary announcement of another interest not falling into the above categories, made for reasons of transparency.

There were no declarations of interest made.

RESOLVED that the application to be delegated to the Head of Planning in consultation with the Chair and Vice Chair, to grant Planning Permission, subject to finalisation of planning conditions and completion of a deed of variation to the Section 106 agreement attached to 20191122. In the event of the deed of variation not being completed, the planning application will be reported back to Planning Committee for redetermination.

The Committee considered application 20230366 - Clifton Slipways, West Street, Gravesend, Kent.  The application was for variation of condition 2 and 7, attached to planning permission reference no. 20191122 previously granted, for the erection of two buildings to provide residential units (Use Class C3) with associated vehicle parking, cycle storage, highway works, and landscaping. 

Members were informed the application has been submitted as a section 73 application to amend conditions 2 (Approved plans) and 7 (Highways Works).  The changes being sought were primarily due to the previously permitted proposal no longer being viable and to ensure that the scheme met fire regulations brought in by the Government, as a result of the Grenfell disaster.

The Team Leader explained that the Committee were to consider only the proposed changes to the conditions stated and not to reconsider the principle of the development, which had been previously approved by the Committee in 2020.

The Team Leader drew Members attention to sections 1.6 and 1.7 of the report, which outlined the proposed changes to conditions 2 and 7.  The key changed highlighted to the Committee were:

·         External changes to the façade of the top 3 levels of the building to create a more distinct finish.

·         Level 0 car parking would be reduced by 55 spaces enabling 9 new accommodation units.

·         Removal of the basement at the lower ground floor (level -2).

·         Reduction of the building footprint of level -1 meaning a reduction of 23 car parking spaces.

·         Internal changes that would enable the creation of a second staircase to comply with updated fire safety regulations.

The Committee were informed that Kent Highways and Gravesham Highways officers were consulted on the proposed reduction of car parking spaces and there had been no objections from either consultee. It was felt due to the site’s location being in close proximity to Gravesend Town Centre, it was served well by public transport.  No concern in respect of the layout of the car park provision was raised either.

Members were updated that since the most recent permission was granted in 2020 the original proposal was no longer viable.  An independent viability assessment had been undertaken to confirm this, with the findings explained in section 6.57 of the report.  Members were informed that due to the scheme being unviable the financial contribution to improvements of leisure services was no longer being sought.

The Team Leader concluded that the section 73 application complies with the development plan and  subject to the completion of a deed of variation permission is e

Members were invited to ask questions for clarification:

·         Members queried whether planners were content with the overall sizes of the rooms in the new proposed residential units.  The Team Leader advised that all units in the reconfiguration of the scheme were acceptable.

·         Concern was raised regarding fire risk and fire suppression due to the car parking being alongside the development of additional flats on level 0.  It was felt there may have also been greater risk with implementation of electric  ...  view the full minutes text for item 24a

A copy of the schedule has been placed in the democracy web library and also in the Reception, Civic Centre: -

Document library - Gravesham Borough Council