Agenda and minutes

Councillor Surti as Chair welcomed those present and led on introductions.

Apologies had been received by Councillor Kennedy-Lount.

Members are asked to declare any interests they may have in the business to be discussed on the Agenda.

Members will be aware of the Code of Practice for Member involvement in Development Control decisions. They are also asked to declare any interest they might have in any matter on the committee agenda and/or contact with applicants, agents or third parties. The Chair, acting on advice from the Monitoring Officer, will then determine whether the interest disclosed is such to require the Member to withdraw from the committee during consideration of the relevant officer report.

Members who are not on the committee but who are attending to make representations in accordance with the Code of Practice are also required to declare any interest.  The Chair, acting on advice from the Monitoring Officer, will determine whether the interest disclosed is such that the Member is not able to make representations.  Members requiring guidance should contact the Monitoring Officer or the Committee's legal adviser prior to the committee meeting.

Members were asked to declare any interests they had in the business on the agenda.

Councillor Kitterick declared an interest in that he had received a call by a member of the public concerning Item 1, Belgrave Gate, and had informed them that he cannot discuss the application and maintains an open mind. Furthermore he had made a representation on Item 2, Granby Street.

Members are asked to confirm that the minutes of the meeting of the Planning and Development Control Committee held on 22^nd January 2025 are a correct record.

RESOLVED:

That the minutes of the meeting of the Planning and Development Control Committee held 22^nd January 2025 be confirmed as a correct record.

The Committee is asked to consider the recommendations of the Director, Planning, Development and Transportation contained in the attached reports, within the categories identified in the index appended with the reports.

The Chair informed the Committee that according to the recommendations of officers in the supplementary addendum, Item 2, 107 Granby Street be removed from the agenda.

20231011 - 122-132 Belgrave Gate & 1 Garden Street

Ward: Castle

Proposal: Demolition of existing buildings; construction of a single, four & five storey building (with basement) for a storage unit that is ancillary to the printing workshop at 37 Orchard Street, 2 x retail units (Class E) and 14 flats (9 x 1bed & 5 x 2bed) (Class C3) (amended plans) (S106 Agreement)

Applicant: Mr Raj Patel

The Planning Officer presented the report.

Members of the Committee considered the application and Officers responded to questions and queries raised by the Committee.

Councillor Kitterick suggested that section 106 refresher training be held for Members of the Committee, which the Head of Planning, Grant Butterworth noted.

The Chair summarised the application and points raised by Committee Members and moved that in accordance with the Officer recommendation, the application be approved. This was seconded by Councillor Aldred, and upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED.

RESOLVED: That subject to the completion of the s106 Agreement as detailed in the report, permission be granted subject to the following conditions

          CONDITIONS

1.       The development shall be begun within three years from the date of this permission. (To comply with Section 91 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990.)

2.       Prior to the commencement of any new build development, the site shall be investigated for the presence of land contamination, and a Site Investigation Report incorporating a risk assessment and, if required, scheme of remedial works to render the site suitable and safe for the development, shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. The approved remediation scheme shall be implemented, and a completion report shall be submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to the occupation of any part of the development. Any parts of the site where contamination was previously unidentified and found during the development process shall be subject to remediation works carried out and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority prior to the occupation of any part of the development. The report of the findings shall include: (i) a survey of the extent, scale and nature of contamination; (ii) an assessment of the potential risks to: human health, property (existing or proposed) including buildings, crops, livestock, pets, woodland and service lines and pipes, adjoining land, ground waters and surface waters, ecological systems, archaeological sites and ancient monuments; (iii) an appraisal of remedial options, and proposal of the preferred option(s). This shall be conducted in accordance with current UK guidance as outlined in Land Contamination Risk Management (LCRM) from the Environment Agency. (To ensure that risks from land contamination to the future users of the land and neighbouring land are minimised, together with those to controlled waters, property and ecological systems, and to ensure that the development can be carried out safely without unacceptable risks to workers, neighbours and other offsite receptors in accordance with saved policy PS11 of the City of Leicester Local Plan.)

3.       The development shall be  ...  view the full minutes text for item 5.

20241710 - Claremont Methodist Church, Claremont Street

Ward: Belgrave

Proposal: Installation of external ventilation flue to roof of a Place of Worship (Class F1)

Applicant: Mr Mukund Narshi

The Planning Officer presented the report.

Members of the Committee considered the report and Officers responded to the comments and queries raised.

The Chair summarised the application and the points raised by Members of the Committee and moved that in accordance with the Officers recommendation, the application be approved subject to the conditions set out in the report. This was seconded by Councillor Moore and upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED.

RESOLVED: That the application be APPROVED subject to conditions:

CONDITIONS

1.       The development shall be begun within three years from the date of this permission. (To comply with Section 91 of the Town & Country Planning Act 1990.)

2.       The use authorised by this permission shall not commence until the ventilation system to control the emission of fumes and smell from the premises has been installed as shown on the approved plans and it shall be maintained and operated thereafter in accordance with the manufacturer’s instructions, submitted in the Design and Access Statement. (In the interests of the amenities of nearby occupiers, and in accordance with policies          PS10 and PS11 of the City of Leicester Local Plan.)

3.       Development shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:

RPD_CLAREMONT_200924_01 Rev A - Existing/Proposed Floor and Roof Plans - Received 24/01/2025

RPD_CLAREMONT_200924_02 Rev A - Existing/Proposed Elevation Plans - Received 24/01/2025

RPD_CLAREMONT_200924_03 Rev A - Location Plan and Existing/Proposed Site Plan Received 24/01/2025

          (For the avoidance of doubt).

          NOTES FOR APPLICANT

1.       There are statutory exemptions and transitional arrangements which mean that the biodiversity gain condition does not always apply.

Based on the information available, this permission is considered to be one which will not require the approval of a biodiversity gain plan before development is begun because the following statutory exemption/transitional arrangement is considered to apply:

Development below the de minimis threshold, meaning development which:

i) does not impact an onsite priority habitat (a habitat specified in a list published under section 41 of the Natural Environment and Rural Communities Act 2006); and

ii) impacts less than 25 square metres of onsite habitat that has biodiversity value greater than zero and less than 5 metres in length of onsite linear habitat (as defined in the statutory metric).

2.       The property may be suitable for roosting bats, which are protected by law from harm. The applicant should ensure that all contractors and individuals working on the property are aware of this possibility, as works must cease if bats are found during the course of the works whilst expert advice form a bat ecologist is obtained. Bats are particularly associated with the roof structure of buildings, including lofts, rafters, beams, gables, eaves, soffits, flashing, ridge-tile, chimneys, the under-tile area, etc. but may also be present in crevices in stone or brickwork and in cavity walls.  Further information on  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.

There being no other urgent business, the meeting closed at pm.

There being no other urgent business, the meeting closed at 6pm.