Agenda item

Planning Reference – 140924

The documents associated with this application can be found at:

http://planning.aberdeencity.gov.uk/PlanningDetail.asp?ref=140924

Planning Officer – Daniel Lewis

With reference to article 3 of the minute of meeting of 18 June 2015, the Committee had before it a report by the Head of Planning and Sustainable Development which outlined that, following the Members decision of 18 June 2015 of a willingness to approve the development subject to the completion of legal agreement, the applicants agent has approached the planning authority to highlight the following:-

• their difficulties in obtaining an end-user for a large supermarket due to the current economic climate; and
• the fact that they had been approached by IKEA with an offer to occupy a 4,274 square metres of the area the applicant previously proposed as a supermarket

That, in the light of the changed circumstances, an amended proposal was being referred back to Committee by the Convenor in consultation with the Head of Service as follows:-

• Retain the Makro (wholesale warehouse) store (as proposed in the original application submission) at 4502 square metres (reduced from the current overall premises level of 10,252 square metres;
• Reduce the extent of Class 1(Retail) Supermarket to 1476 square metres from 5750 sqm at present;
• Provide a store / warehouse of, for a new concept order and collect unit for IKEA.  External alterations to include a third entrance feature and associated cladding alterations; and,
• A drop in the number of car parking spaces provided overall from 500 down to 482.

The report recommended:-

that the Committee reiterate its decision of 18 June 2015 to approve the application conditionally for alterations to the existing wholesale Cash and Carry of 10,252 square metres (inclusive of mezzanine level) to form two separate units with one of 4,502 square metres being retained for wholesale use, and a larger (southern) unit of 5,750 square metres being used for Supermarket (Class 1) retail purposes (70% convenience / 30% comparison retailing), but to withhold the issue of the consent document until the applicant has entered into a legal agreement with the Council to address the following matters:-

1.         Developer contributions towards the Strategic Transport Fund; and,

2.         Developer contributions towards mitigation on the local roads network together with the provision of infrastructure.

It was therefore recommended that approval is granted subject to the following conditions:-

(1)  That no development shall take place unless a scheme detailing all external finishing materials to the roof and walls of the development 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 - in the interests of visual amenity.

(2)  That no development shall take place unless a scheme of all drainage works designed to meet the requirements of Sustainable Urban Drainage Systems has been submitted to and approved in writing by the Planning Authority and thereafter no part of the development shall be occupied unless the drainage has been installed in complete accordance with the said scheme - in order to safeguard water qualities in adjacent watercourses and to ensure that the development can be adequately drained.

(3)  That the use hereby granted planning permission shall not be occupied unless a scheme detailing cycle storage provision has been submitted to, and approved in writing by the planning authority, and thereafter implemented in full accordance with said scheme - in the interests of encouraging more sustainable modes of travel.

(4)  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 landscaping for the site, 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 - in the interests of the amenity of the area.

(5)  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.

(6)  That the development hereby approved shall not be occupied unless the car parking areas hereby granted planning permission have been constructed, drained, laid-out and demarcated in accordance with drawing No. Proposed Site Plan A5128/P(--) 06 Rev D of the plans hereby approved or such other drawing as may subsequently be submitted and approved in writing by the planning authority. Such areas shall not thereafter be used for any other purpose other than the purpose of the parking of cars ancillary to the development and use thereby granted approval - in the interests of public safety and the free flow of traffic.

(7)  That no other development in connection with the permission hereby approved shall take place and the access / egress hereby approved shall not be brought into use unless visibility of 60 metres in both directions along the public road has been provided from a point 4.5 metres measured at right angles from the existing carriageway surface along the centre line of the approved new access.  Once formed, the visibility splays shall be permanently retained thereafter and no visual obstruction of any kind shall be permitted within the visibility splays so formed - To enable drivers of vehicles using the access to have a clear view of other road users and pedestrians in the interests of road safety.

(8)  That the use hereby granted planning permission shall not take place unless the recycling facility has been provided in complete accordance with drawing no. Proposed Site Plan A5128/P(--) 06 Rev D of the plans hereby approved or such other drawing as may subsequently be submitted and approved in writing by the planning authority. Such areas shall not thereafter be used for any other purpose other than the purpose of recycling - in order to ensure the appropriate provision of recycling facilities in an accessible location across the City.

(9)  The floorspace of the proposed development hereby permitted shall be restricted to 5750 square metres (GFA) of Class 1 Retail for the sale of 70% convenience, and 30% comparison goods, and shall be used for no other purpose - in order to prevent the sale of goods that would have a potentially unacceptable level of impact on the vitality and viability of the city centre as the regional shopping focus.

The Committee decided to approve the application in line with the amendments proposed by the applicant and associated amendments to conditions (6), (8) and (9) of those previously agreed (above) as follows:-

(6)  That the development hereby approved shall not be occupied unless the car parking areas hereby granted planning permission have been constructed, drained, laid-out and demarcated in accordance with drawing No. Proposed Site Plan A5128/P(--) 16 of the plans hereby approved or such other drawing as may subsequently be submitted and approved in writing by the planning authority. Such areas shall not thereafter be used for any other purpose other than the purpose of the parking of cars ancillary to the development and use thereby granted approval - in the interests of public safety and the free flow of traffic.

(8)  That the use hereby granted planning permission shall not take place unless the recycling facility has been provided in complete accordance with drawing no. Proposed Site Plan A5128/P(--) 16 of the plans hereby approved or such other drawing as may subsequently be submitted and approved in writing by the planning authority. Such areas shall not thereafter be used for any other purpose other than the purpose of recycling - in order to ensure the appropriate provision of recycling facilities in an accessible location across the City.

(9)  The floorspace of the proposed smaller Class 1 Retail Unit of 1476 square metres hereby permitted shall be restricted to convenience retailing only, and shall be used for no other purpose - in order to retain an element of convenience goods shopping on the site to serve the local community and prevent the sale of goods that would have a potentially unacceptable level of impact on the vitality and viability of the city centre as the regional shopping focus.

The Committee resolved:-

to note the recommendation contained in the report and approve the amended conditions outlined at (6), (8) and (9) above.