Agenda item

Planning Reference – 140435

Planning Application documents can be viewed here - http://planning.aberdeencity.gov.uk/PlanningDetail.asp?ref=140435

The Committee had before it a report by the Head of Planning and Sustainable Development which recommended:-

That the Committee approve the application for the provision of infrastructure including access, internal road layout, landscaping and drainage provision for Phase 1 of the residential-led mixed use development at Aberdeen Local Development Plan Site OP58 – Countesswells, West of Hazlehead Park, subject to the following conditions:-

(1) that the roads layout hereby approved shall be constructed, drained, laid-out and demarcated in accordance with drawing No's. 92762/1193 Rev A, 92762/1107, 110342_Ph1a_Infra_X01, 110342_Ph1a_Infra_X02, 92762/1100 Rev B, 92762/1101 Rev B, 92762/1102 Rev B, 92762/1200 Rev A, 92762/1201 Rev A, 92762/1202, 92762/1203 Rev A, and 92762/1204 of the plans hereby approved or such other drawing as may subsequently be submitted and approved in writing by the planning authority - in the interests of public safety and the free flow of traffic; (2) no road gradients within the application site boundary should exceed 1 in 16 (6.25%) - in the interest of road safety; (3) that no development shall take place unless a scheme demonstrating that the roads within the development have been designed to appropriately manage vehicle speeds within the development has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority, and thereafter implemented in full – in the interests of road safety; (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 which has been submitted by the applicant and approved by the planning authority - in the interests of protecting items of historical importance as may exist within the application site; (5) that no development pursuant to the planning permission hereby approved shall be carried out unless there has been submitted to and approved in writing for the purpose by the planning authority a further detailed scheme of hard and soft landscaping for the site (including play areas), which scheme shall include indications of all existing trees and landscaped areas on the land, and details of any to be retained, together with measures for their protection in the course of development, and the proposed areas of tree/shrub planting including details of numbers, densities, locations, species, sizes and stage of maturity at planting, all in accordance with Countesswells Development Framework/Phase 1 Masterplan, and the submitted Design and Access Statement (Dated March 2014) - in the interests of the amenity of the area; (6) that all planting, seeding and turfing comprised in the approved scheme of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting season following the completion of the development and any trees or plants which within a period of 5 years from the completion of the development die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of a size and species similar to those originally required to be planted, or in accordance with such other scheme as may be submitted to and approved in writing for the purpose by the planning authority - in the interests of the amenity of the area; (7) no development shall take place unless it is carried out in full accordance with a scheme to address any significant risks from contamination on the site that has been approved in writing by the planning authority. The scheme shall follow the procedures outlined in "Planning Advice Note 33 Development of Contaminated Land" and shall be conducted by a suitably qualified person in accordance with best practice as detailed in "BS10175 Investigation of Potentially Contaminated Sites - Code of Practice" and other best practice guidance and shall include: (a) an investigation to determine the nature and extent of contamination; (b) a site specific risk assessment; (c) a remediation plan to address any significant risks and ensure the site is fit for the use proposed; and (d) verification protocols to demonstrate compliance with the remediation plan. No building(s) in the respective block shall be occupied unless (a) any long term monitoring and reporting that many be required by the approved scheme of contamination or remediation plan or that otherwise has been required in writing by the planning authority is being undertaken and (b) a report specifically relating to the building(s) has been submitted and approved in writing by the planning authority that verifies that remedial works to fully address contamination issues related to the building(s) have been carried out unless the planning authority has given written consent for a variation – to ensure that the site is suitable for use and fit for human occupation; (8) prior to the commencement of works on site, a detailed scheme for surface water drainage shall be submitted to and agreed by the Planning Authority, in consultation with SEPA.  The scheme shall detail an appropriate level of sustainable drainage SUDS treatment for all areas of the development.  All work shall be carried out in accordance with the approved scheme - to ensure adequate protection of the water environment from surface water run-off; (9) prior to the commencement of any works on site, a site specific Construction Environment Management Plan (CEMP) shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Planning Authority in consultation with SEPA.  The mitigation measures outlined in the CEMP shall be informed by the result of a full ground (water and soil) investigation study.  All works in site must be undertaken in accordance with the approved CEMP unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority - In order to minimise the impacts of necessary demolition/construction works on the environment; (10) prior to the commencement of any work in this development, a detailed scheme for the protection and enhancement of the water environment shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Planning Authority in consultation with SEPA. This shall include: (a) Confirmation of the location of all existing water bodies on site and demonstration of how they have been positively incorporated into the layout of the development, including appropriate buffer zones between the top of the bank of the watercourse and the development; (b) full details relating to the realignment/deculverting of any watercourse on site including the Cults Burn. Any re-designed watercourses shall be designed to accommodate the 1 in 200 year flow from the whole catchment. This shall include a low flow channel designed to accommodate the 1 in 2 year flow set within a wider channel capable of conveying the 1 in 200 year flow. In addition, appropriate buffer zones shall be included between the edge of the wider channel (i.e. the extent of channel utilised during high flows) and the development; (c) full details relating to any other proposed engineering activities in the water environment, including the location and type of any proposed watercourse crossings. Any proposed watercourse crossings shall be designed to accept the 1 in 200 year flow. All works on site must be undertaken in accordance with the approved scheme unless otherwise agreed in writing with the Planning Authority in consultation with SEPA - to protect and improve the water environment and to protect people and property from flood risk; (11) that the development hereby approved shall be connected to the public waste water system in line with PAN 79 Water and Drainage. Any necessary upgrades to the public waste water system should be in place prior to the occupation of the phase of development requiring the upgrade - in order to ensure the appropriate connection is made to ensure satisfactory disposal of sewerage, and thereby maintain and improve standards of environmental quality, public health and amenity; (12) no development of the development hereby approved shall take place unless surveys for protected species (red squirrel / bats / badgers) for that phase have been carried out and submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. Thereafter no development shall take place within the development unless detailed mitigation measures to safeguard any identified protected species have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority. No development shall take place  unless the mitigation measures which have been agreed in writing by the Planning Authority are carried out in accordance with the agreed scheme - to ensure the protection of protected species; (13) no demolition of any traditional farmstead buildings or development shall take place prior to a photographic survey being undertaken by the developer and approved by the planning authority. All elevations, both internal and external, together with the setting of the farmstead, and any unusual feature/s, shall be photographed and clearly annotated on a plan. Photographs, which should be digital on cd, shall be clearly marked with place name for identification, national grid reference and planning reference and deposited in the local Sites and Monuments Record - in order to ensure a historic record of the building; (14) that no development shall take place unless a scheme for external lighting has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority in consultation with Aberdeen Airport, and thereafter implemented in full accordance with said scheme - in the interest of public safety.

Informatives

1) The proposed SUDS have the potential to attract feral geese and waterfowl, therefore details of the pond's profile and its attenuation times are requested from the applicant.  If the pond is to remain dry for the majority of the year and has a rapid drawdown time, it should not be an attractant.  However, should this not be the case, the scheme must outline the measures to avoid endangering the safe operation of aircraft through the attraction of birds.

2) All landscaping plans and plantations should be considered in view of making them unattractive to birds so as not to have an adverse effect on the safety of operations at the Airport by encouraging bird feeding/roosting and thereby presenting a bird strike threat to aircraft operating at the Airport.  Expert advice should be sought on trees and shrubs that discourage bird activity as described above.

The Committee resolved:-

to approve the recommendation.