Agenda item

Planning Reference – 211263

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Link.

Planning Officer:  Aoife Murphy

The Committee had before it a report by the Interim Chief Officer – Strategic Place Planning, which recommended:-

that the application for detailed planning permission for a change of use from class 7 (hotels and hostels) to student accommodation sui generis at 31 St Andrews Street Aberdeen, be approved subject to the following conditions:-

Conditions

1.     Student Accommodation Restrictions/occupancy. The student accommodation hereby granted planning permission shall not be occupied other than by students. In this case students are defined as those persons attending higher educational institutions within the City of Aberdeen.

Reason: The development is not suitable in planning terms for use as permanent residential accommodation due to the absence of provision of affordable housing, amenity areas, and car parking.

2.     Management Plan. The student accommodation hereby granted planning permission shall not be occupied unless it is being operated in full accordance with all measures identified within the Management Plan, hereby approved or any other draft submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority.

Reason - In the interests of ensuring the provision of adequate amenity for occupants of the development and avoiding conflict with nearby uses.

3.     Travel Plan. The building shall not be occupied unless a Travel Plan for the use hereby approved has been submitted to and approved in writing by the planning authority. The Travel Plan shall encourage more sustainable means of travel and shall include mode share targets. It shall identify measures to be implemented, the system of management monitoring review, reporting and duration of the incorporated measures designed to encourage modes other than the private car. The building shall not be occupied unless the measures set out in its approved Travel Plan have been implemented in full.

Reason: In the interests of encouraging a more sustainable means of travel to and from the proposed development.

4.     Car Parking. That the 17 car parking spaces associated with the building shall only be used for purposes relating to the student accommodation hereby granted planning permission and should not be for any other purpose.

Reason: In order to ensure that the spaces are only used for the use hereby approved.

5.     Cycle Parking. The student accommodation hereby granted planning permission shall not be occupied unless the cycle storage provision, as shown on drawing 4035 101 B and subsequent details shown on drawing 4035 105 and 4035 106, has been implemented in full accordance with said scheme, unless otherwise agreed in writing with the planning authority, and retained in perpetuity.

Reason: In the interests of encouraging more sustainable modes of travel.

6.     Communal Facilities. The student accommodation hereby granted planning permission shall not be occupied unless the communal facilities (i.e. cinema, laundry, gym and games area etc.) as shown on the approved basement and ground floors, drawing references 4035 100 B and 4035 101 B or such other facilities as may be approved in writing by the planning authority have been implemented and are thereafter available for use.

Reason: In order to ensure provision of a live street frontage and ensure provision of adequate amenity for occupants.

7.     Waste.  That the building shall not be brought into use unless the communal recycling/food waste/residual waste bin storage area shown on the following drawings, reference 4035 100 B, 4035 101 B, 4035 107 and 4035 108, hereby approved has been provided in accordance with the approved details. Once provided, the communal storage area shall thereafter be permanently retained.

Reason: To ensure that suitable provision is made for the storage of recycling, food waste and residual waste bins.

The Committee heard from Aoife Murphy, Senior Planner, who spoke in furtherance of the application and answered various questions from members.

The Committee resolved:-

to refuse the application unanimously for the following reasons:-

that the application was contrary to Policy H2 of the Aberdeen Local Development Plan and the Technical advice note on student accommodation by virtue of the inadequate size of the student rooms, lack of suitable communal spaces and concerns about security and lack of external amenity space within the development.