Agenda item

Report of the Cabinet Member Built Environment

The Cabinet Member Built Environment introduced the report. The report explained that on 27 July 2010 Cabinet had approved a consultation exercise on the proposed revisions of the North Place and Portland Street Development Brief and its associated technical appendix; the Cheltenham Civic Pride Urban Design Framework Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). These revisions were considered necessary by the Cheltenham Development Task Force in order to reflect current market conditions and enable greater flexibility in the type and mix of uses that could be accommodated on the site.

He stressed that whilst the SPD was far more flexible than before, there would still be high standards set for the quality of the development.

Consultation formally took place between 23^rd August and 1^st October 2010 and the comments have now been considered and the documents revised accordingly. The key changes are set out under paragraph 4.3 of this report. A full schedule of the comments received and the proposed changes to each document is provided at Appendix A (for the SPD) and Appendix B (for the Development Brief).

This consultation had been key to the development of the brief and a wide range of comments had been received. He was pleased that many of the suggestions had now been incorporated. He thanked the Strategic Land Use Team for their work in carrying out the consultation and drafting responses.

He referred to the proposed amendments to the recommendations which had been circulated at the start of the meeting.  The first one related to car parking where he said it was important to maintain a stated minimum of public car parking spaces. The reference to underground car parking as an option had also been reinstated.  The second amendment was in response to comments from the Civic Society that Portland Street may not be the best site for the 6-bay bus node as it could impair the vision for this street becoming a green gateway into the town. The amendment gave flexibility to the developers by suggesting that the bus node could be located anywhere in the North Place/Portland Street site and potentially in North Place.

Members of Cabinet supported the Development brief and SPD. They welcomed the flexibility but emphasised that quality must not be compromised and good design was essential if the vision was to be achieved. 

RESOLVED THAT:

1.                        That the revisions to the Cheltenham Civic Pride Urban Design Framework Supplementary Planning Document and the North Place and Portland Street Development Brief be approved, subject to the additional amendments set out at (2) and (3) below, and that it be recommended that Council adopts them as amended

2.                        That the proposed wording at 3.39(ii) of the Supplementary Planning Document, “About 300 public car parking spaces” is not approved and that the previous wording be reinstated, namely:

“A minimum of 300 public car parking spaces.  Developers are likely to be asked to consider two different options for the public car park: one underground and the other over-ground.”

with consequent changes being made wherever the number of car park spaces is referred to in the Development Brief.

3.                        That the proposed wording of the Development Brief in Design Principle D, sub-section e. be amended as follows:

“A 6-bay bus node for local and national services, to include appropriate interchange and support facilities, will be accommodated at the southern end of the North Place/Portland Street site, potentially in North Place.

with a consequent change being made to Design Principle E, sub-section h(i) to delete the words “including the bus node”.