Decision details

With reference to Article 5 of the minute of meeting of the Planning Development Management Committee of 24 April 2014, wherein it had been agreed to visit Kingswells Primary School in relation to the application, the Committee had before it a report by the Head of Planning and Sustainable Development which recommended:-

That the Committee express a willingness to approve the application in respect of planning permission for the construction of 7 detached units, 28 semi-detached units and 11 terraced houses with associated access roads, drainage and Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems (SUDS), but to withhold the issue of the consent document until the applicant had entered into a legal agreement with the Council to secure (1) onsite affordable housing provision; (2) Strategic Transport Fund contributions; (3) developer contributions towards affordable housing, education facilities, community facilities and recreation and healthcare; and (4) the provision of a footpath along the western boundary of the application site on Fairley Road; and subject to the following conditions:-

(1)  That no more than 21 dwellinghouses (i.e. Phases 1 and 2 as shown on Drawing No AOL_208 rev. C) hereby granted permission shall be occupied unless (a) the new pedestrian footpath along the east side of Fairley Road has been provided and is available for use; (b) an RCC compliant road link and pedestrian footpath has been provided up to the eastern legal boundary of the application site as per Drawing No APL_205 rev H; and (c) the open space provision to the south of the access road (as shown on Drawing No APL_205 rev H) is completed and laid out in accordance with drawing no APL_301 rev I, and the Fairley Road planting schedule Rev A (unless otherwords agreed in writing by the planning authority).  The approved ‘public open space’ shall not thereafter be used for any purpose other than as public open space; (2)  that no more than 40 dwellinghouses hereby granted permission shall be occupied unless all pedestrian footpaths shown on Drawing No APL_205 rev H have been constructed up to the legal boundary of the application site and are available for use; (3)  that plots 22-34 inclusive hereby approved shall not be occupied unless the car parking areas relative to those houses have been constructed, drained, laid-out and demarcated in accordance with Drawing No APL_205 rev H, or such other drawing as may subsequently be submitted and approved in writing by Aberdeen City Council as planning authority.  Such areas shall not thereafter be used for any other purpose other than the parking of cars ancillary to the development; (4)  that no development shall take place within the application site until the applicant has secured the implementation of a programme of archaeological work which shall include post-excavation and publication work in accordance with a written scheme of investigation, such a programme shall be submitted in advance for the written approval of Aberdeen City Council as planning authority; (5)  that no development shall take place unless a bird hazard management plan has been submitted to and approved in writing by Aberdeen City Council as planning authority (in consultation with Aberdeen International Airport).  The submitted plan shall include details of the developer's commitment to managing the risk of attracting birds to the site during excavation activities, measures put in place for the safe dispersal of birds, and thereafter the such approved measures shall be implemented in full; (6)  that no development shall take place unless a scheme of all drainage works designed to meet the requirements of SUDS has been submitted to and approved in writing by Aberdeen City Council as planning authority and thereafter no individual house shall be occupied unless the drainage required for that house has been installed in complete accordance with such an approved scheme; (7)  that no development shall take place unless a site specific Environmental Management Plan (EMP) has been submitted for the written approval of Aberdeen City Council as planning authority (in consultation with SEPA and other agencies such as SNH as appropriate) and all work shall be carried out in accordance with such approved plan.  Such plan must address the following: surface water management and pollution prevention; soils management; site waste management; and noise and dust management; (8)  that no development shall take place unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority, a detailed scheme of the site boundary enclosure along the western side of the development hereby granted planning permission.  The scheme shall include details of the 'drystane gateway' to the site.  None of the buildings along the Fairley Road elevation (plots 1-9 inclusive) hereby granted planning permission shall be occupied unless the said scheme has been implemented in its entirety; (9)  that no development shall take place unless further details of the render finshes to the walls of the dwellinghouses hereby approved has been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the planning authority and thereafter the development shall be carried out in accordance with the details so agreed; (10)  that no development shall take place unless the mitigation measures as identified in the Northern Ecological Services report (dated July 2012) have been implemented in their entirety;  (11)  that no development shall take place unless there has been submitted and approved in writing a detailed Residential Transport Pack which outlines sustainable measures to deter the use of the private car, in particular single occupant trips and provides detailed monitoring arrangements, modal split targets and associated penalties for not meeting targets; and (12)  that any tree work which appears to become necessary during the implementation of the development shall not be undertaken without the prior written consent of Aberdeen City Council as planning authority; any damage caused to trees growing on the site shall be remedied in accordance with British Standard 3998: 2010 "Recommendations for Tree Work" as soon as practicable.

The Committee also had before it a report by Mr Euan Couperwhite, Infrastructure and Assets Programme Manager - Education, Culture and Sport, which provided information on the accommodation available within Kingswells Primary School in light of recent planning applications.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee -

(a)          note the fact that the increase in pupil numbers at Kingswells Primary School is forecasted to increase before taking account of the Dandara development;

(b)          note that this increase and the impact on the school’s capacity are temporary as the pupil roll is projected to return to 2013/14 levels by 2021/22;

(c)          note that accommodation within Kingswells Primary School could be restructured to accommodate the required number of classes when the pupil roll reaches its peak in 2017/18; and

(d)          note that should the school ever become unable to accommodate new children, the authority would require to provide education provision at the next nearest school.

The Committee visited Kingswells Primary School accompanied by Mr Couperwhite, who showed members round the school and advised how many pupils were currently taught in each area.  Mr Couperwhite explained that the current library and additional support needs areas could be redesigned to create space for the eighteenth classroom which would be needed in 2017/18 when the pupil roll was expected to peak at 490 pupils, although it was emphasised that this redesign would require to take place irrespective of the planning application under consideration.

The Committee also heard from planning officials in relation to the application, following which members asked various questions of the officers in attendance.  The Committee agreed that there was no requirement to visit the housing site in question.

The Committee resolved:-

(i)           to approve the recommendation contained within the report by the Head of Planning and Sustainable Development; and

(ii)          to note the report by Mr Couperwhite and thank him for his attendance and tour of the school.

- RAMSAY MILNE, Convener.