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The Committee considered a reserved matters (access, appearance, landscaping, layout, scale) application for the construction of a leisure centre pursuant to the outline planning permission granted on 21 March 2006, ref: O/COL/01/1622, at land off United Way, Colchester. The application had been referred to the Committee because it included a Section 106 agreement offered by the Applicant company. The Committee had before it a report in which all the information was set out.
Vincent Pearce, Major Development Manager, presented the report and assisted the Committee in its deliberations. He explained that an additional condition providing for parking facilities at least 39 bicycles, referred to in the report also needed to be added to those proposed on the recommendation.
Members of the Committee acknowledged the substantial development proposed and welcomed the interesting and unobtrusive design of the building. Questions were raised about the retention of hedgerow planting, the use to be put of Tower Lane, a designated bridleway, the proposed composition of the car park surfacing, whether it would be possible to provide multi-storey parking in order to reduce the area of land to be allocated, the lighting arrangements for the Multi Use Games Area (MUGA) and whether it was possible to consider the use of a green roof for the leisure centre building.
Councillor Hayes requested that her regret for the loss of a large section of hedgerow be recorded.
The Major Development Manager explained that the MUGA was intended to be marked out for a whole range of sports to be played, lighting would be switched off at night-time and the facilities would be managed by David Lloyd Ltd on behalf of the Council. He was doubtful that any profit generated would be substantial but it was hoped that it would be sufficient to enable funds to be reinvested such that the MUGA would be adequately maintained for the future. The existing hedgerow would be supplemented with additional planting as the importance of reading the historic landscape was acknowledged. He also provided an explanation of the planned bridleway and footpath network to be created through the North of the town. It was explained that the Sustainable Drainage Scheme had yet to be approved but it would be possible for negotiations to continue to provide for the use of a permeable surface for the car park. In terms car parking land area, the proposals to secure the delivery of a shared multi-storey car parking provision in the North Colchester area were outlined and investigations were continuing to identify whether it was considered possible for a green roof to be provided for the leisure centre building.
RESOLVED (UNANIMOUSLY) that –
(i) Subject to the signing of a legal agreement, under Section 106 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 within six months from the date of the Committee meeting, authority be delegated to the appropriate Head of Service to complete the agreement and to provide the following, as freely offered by the developer/operator within their operational ethos in building links with the community beyond its own membership:-
(a) Delivery of the proposed MUGA for community use at nil cost to the Council on an agreed basis and for this facility to be retained and managed by David Lloyd Ltd (or successors in title) to an agreed standard in the community interest in perpetuity unless otherwise agreed by the Council;
(b) An agreed recruitment scheme which facilitates the Council and the Job Centre being advised of forthcoming suitable job vacancies ahead of the new facility opening;
(c) An agreed user and coaching scheme which allows 200 hours of free court time per annum to nominees being coached by Council coaches
and
(ii) Subject to the receipt of further information showing and/or describing:-
(a) Full external lighting details including light spillage diagrams;
(b) Full external mechanical plant and associated acoustic screening (including dome inflation apparatus);
(c) Full drainage details including calculated flow rates and capacity calculations for the attenuation ponds;
(d) Full external material specification;
(e) Highways England confirming in writing that it had not appreciated the reserved matters nature of the proposal and in the light of this it withdraws its objection;
(f) Full landscaping details
and that information being considered acceptable by the Council as Local Planning Authority (after appropriate discussion with its relevant consultation partners) then:-
(iii) The appropriate Head of Service be authorised to grant planning permission subject to conditions including:-
(a) Condition to ensure that conditions applied to the outline planning permission ref O/COL/01/1622 where relevant continue to apply;
(b) condition to require the implementation of such details as shall have been approved as a result of this approval or as a result of the additional information required above being submitted and found satisfactory prior to the use commencing and thereafter being retained;
(c) Retention of the community MUGA for community use and not to be incorporated into club membership use;
(d) As may be required by consultees where these are, in the view of the Local Planning Authority, appropriate;
(e) Condition providing for cycling parking facilities for at least 39 cycles.