Agenda item

20250994 - 538 Saffron Lane

Ward: Saffron

Proposal: Change of use from house (Class C3) to a residential family assessment centre (Sui Generis)

Applicant: Nexus Family Ltd

Councillor Singh-Patel re-entered the meeting after withdrawing from the previous 20250285 – 252-258 Knighton Lane East item.

Councillor Cole entered the meeting and declared he had no interests.

The Planning Officer presented the report.

Sam Merry and Nicola Odom addressed the Committee and spoke in support of the application.

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 the application be approved in accordance with Officer’s recommendation.

This was seconded by Councillor Dr Moore and upon being put to the vote, the motion was CARRIED

RESOLVED: permission was granted 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 premises shall not be used to accommodate any more than 2 families in care at any one time, unless otherwise approved in writing by the local planning authority. (To enable consideration of the amenity of residents and parking impacts of a more intensive use, in accordance with Policy CS14 of the Leicester Core Strategy (2014) and saved Policy PS10 of the Local Plan (2006).

3.         Prior to the commencement of the use approved under this application, the following works shall be completed in accordance with the details contained in the approved plans:

            - New stud walls not connected to any existing party walls

            - A cavity of at least 75mm between stud and party walls

            - At least 25mm acoustic insulation quilt within the cavity

            - At least 2 layers of 15mm acoustic plasterboard

            (To reduce noise levels and protect the residential amenity of the occupiers of numbers 540 Saffron Lane and in accordance with saved City of Leicester Local Plan policy PS10).

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

             - 25/52/01, Proposed Floor Plans, Rev. A, Received on 11 September 2025

             - 25/52/04, Party Wall Sound Insulation, Received on 11 September 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.         Leicester Street Design Guide (First Edition) has now replaced the 6Cs Design Guide (v2017) for street design and new development in Leicester. It provides design guidance on a wide range of highway related matters including access, parking, cycle storage. It also applies to Highways Act S38/278 applications and technical approval for the Leicester City highway authority area. The guide can be found at:

            https://www.leicester.gov.uk/your-council/city-mayor-peter-soulsby/key-strategy-documents/

3.         The City Council, as local planning authority has acted positively and proactively in determining this application by assessing the proposal against all material considerations, including planning policies and any representations that may have been received. This planning application has been the subject of positive and proactive discussions with the applicant during the process (and/or pre-application).

            The decision to grant planning permission with appropriate conditions taking account of those material considerations in accordance with the presumption in favour of sustainable development as set out in the NPPF 2024 is considered to be a positive outcome of these discussions.