Committee Date: 07/03/2013 Application Number: 2013/00181/PA Accepted: 10/01/2013 Application Type: Reserved Matters Target Date: 11/04/2013 Development Ward: Edgbaston Birmingham University, Pritchatts Road, Adjacent to Gisbert Kapp Building, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 Reserved matters application for the erection of a multi storey car park (element 1a) associated with hybrid planning application 2012/02047/PA for all outstanding reserved matters and consisting of 496 spaces Applicant: Agent: Recommendation Approve Subject To Conditions University of Birmingham Estates West, Edgbaston, Birmingham, B15 2TT Associated Architects 1 Severn Street Place, The Mailbox, Birmingham, B1 1SE 1. Proposal 1.1. This application seeks reserved matters consent for the erection of a multi-storey car park located adjacent to Gisbert Kapp Building on Pritchatts Road (of 12,110sqm Gross External Area (GEA)). The car park would accommodate 496 car parking spaces and 24 cycle spaces. 1.2. This application is made to provide the outstanding details associated with this phase of the Hybrid planning application approved by Committee in August 2012 and which was subject to a S106 Agreement. That application proposed a range of projects, some in full detail and others seeking varying degrees of outline consent. The Hybrid approval consisted of 21 separate projects. The multi-storey scheme, the subject of this consent, was annotated as Project 19 on the approved master-plan. This represented part of the Hybrid application (element 1a), which sought outline consent with all elements reserved apart from access. Access details were agreed, from Pritchatts Road, using an existing access point. This application seeks consent for the remaining matters, being; appearance, landscaping, layout and scale. 1.3. The building would be rectilinear with its short end facing towards Pritchatts Road. The building would be set back from the road by 12 m. Vehicular access would be gained from an existing access point that serves another car park in front of Gisbert Kapp and the current car park on site. The proposed 6 deck multi-storey car park would be 16.4m high with a stair core, at both the north and west corners, being 17.4m high. 52 Pritchatts Road (partially in front of Gisbert Kapp) to the west and is 23.5m high (at 6 storeys) and 54 Pritchatts Road to the east is 9.5m to ridge (at 2 storeys). The design of the building is driven by its function with the majority of the building consisting of concrete decks clad with expanded metal panels to clad the edges of the concrete floors. The stair towers would be clad in thin vertical terracotta panels (colour to match those used on the recently refurbished Gisbert Kapp Page 1 of 6
Building) arranged in a vertical bar-code system. The base would use engineering blue brick to enclose planters. 1.4. A mature Oak tree is located in front of the site. This would be retained and supplemented with further planting. The proposed landscaping scheme consists of two new trees (scots pine) being located in front of the building adjacent to Pritchatts Road and structured hedging and other pockets of shrubs and bushes to the side and rear of the building. Some boundary hedging, to the eastern boundary, would be removed but six significant firs would be retained on the boundary to no. 54 Pritchatts Road. 1.5. The application has been submitted with a Design and Access Statement and addendum to the previously submitted Transport Assessment and Travel Plan. The Transport Assessment has been updated to reflect the fact that the University has reconfigured how they intend to distribute car parking across the campus resulting in more parking being provided on the multi-storey car park than originally assumed within the approved hybrid planning application. 1.6. Site area 0.47ha. 2. Site & Surroundings 2.1. The site is located between 52 and 54 Pritchatts Road and within the University of Birmingham campus. Gisbert Kapp Building and 52 Pritchatts Road are located to the west of the site and ranges from 6 to 7 storeys. To the east is 54 Pritchatts Road, a former two storey house now converted to education use. 2.2. The site is a former tennis courts converted, in the past, to a surface level car park. The site is flat and hard-surfaced, devoid of any trees or plant structure. There are groups of trees beyond the south and northern boundaries of the site. 2.3. Site is to the immediate south of Edgbaston Conservation Area. 3. Planning History 3.1. 29/10/12. Pa no. 2012/02047/PA Redevelopment of elements of the University Campus buildings and infrastructure including: Outline application for a multi-storey car park, erection of student residences and sports pavilion, erection of new library and Full details for the erection of a new sports centre and the construction of a new pedestrian/cycle route to the Vale, Demolition of various buildings associated landscaping and car parking. Approved with section 106 to secure funding for off site car parking surveys and mitigation if necessary. 3.2. Other current projects within the Hybrid application 3.3. PENDING pa no. 2013/00523/PA. Reserved Matters Application for the undertaking of library enabling works (Element 1c) associated with hybrid planning application 2012/02047/PA for all outstanding reserved matters. 3.4. PENDING pa no. 2013/00524/PA. Reserved Matters Application for the erection of new library (Element 1c) associated with hybrid planning application 2012/02047/PA for all outstanding reserved matters. Page 2 of 6
4. Consultation/PP Responses 4.1. MP, Councillors, Residents, and Resident Associations consulted. Site notice erected and press notice made. 4.2. Edgbaston Resident s Association - The Association is primarily interested in environmental, infrastructure and parking issues and does not intend making representations on the design of this car park. We are however concerned about the overall quantum of on-site parking provided by the University and the application appears to be missing an opportunity to address this. It suggests that the capacity of Pritchatts Road surface car park is to be reduced from the number given in the Hybrid Planning Application, simply because more spaces are now to be provided in the proposed Gisbert Kapp car park. Our members will find this difficult to accept as it is an opportunity to address, albeit in a small way, the on-street parking issue. 4.3. David Lock Associates, on behalf of Calthorpe Estates raise concerns in regard to the following issues; 4.4. The increase in parking here and the reduction at the Prichatts Road surface car park is not fully explained. The Hybrid Planning Permission is predicated on the University s assertion that there will be no additional floor-space and therefore no need for additional car parking spaces. However that application also demonstrated the potential for additional parking spaces on the Prichatts Road car park, presumably to replace those lost elsewhere on the Campus. CE is fearful that this capacity is to be held in reserve for future development while the University and the City Council fail to address properly the parking that is already displaced into surrounding streets. 4.5. The lack of information about how the car parking provision is to be managed, in the use Prichatts Road surface car park, is unclear. The main points of my recent letter on the subject of the BioMedical Innovation Hub (BMIH) relate to this application also because the proposals are inter-linked. 4.6. The appropriateness in design. A setback and generous planting as a foil to the building is not a good substitute for an active street frontage; this is not ideal in urban design/place making terms. However CE acknowledges that the principle of this location for the MSCP has already been established by the Hybrid Planning Permission. 4.7. A concern about the implications, shared with the Residents' Association, for the future of Prichatts Road. There are statements about reducing the speed limit and changing its physical form but no detail is contained in this application, therefore the judgment of this application cannot rely on those suggestions. The Transport Statement Addendum submitted by Arup in support of this application does not assuage the concerns previously expressed. 4.8. Transportation no objection, the scheme accords with the agreed principles of the approved hybrid Masterplan. 4.9. West Midlands Police No objection. There have been a number of pre-consultation meetings between Agent and West Midlands Police in relation to this application. This proposal is also the subject of a Secured by Design application and a proposal for this car park to achieve Park Mark status and is on target to achieve these awards. Page 3 of 6
4.10. West Midlands Fire Service no comments received. 4.11. National Grid no comments received. 5. Policy Context 5.1. Birmingham UDP (2005), Draft Birmingham Development Plan (2010), Places for All (2001)- SPG, Car Parking Guidelines (2012), NPPF (2012), Conservation Strategy (1997). 6. Planning Considerations 6.1. Background - The Hybrid planning application included the creation of a range of car parking opportunities to rationalise on site parking including new car parks within the new Sports Centre (270 spaces), at Grange Road (78 spaces), at expanding Pritchatts Road surface car park (456 spaces) and within the multi-storey car park (up to 400 spaces). This car parking strategy also included the removal of some pockets of ad hoc parking and sought to rationalise the total provision. In total this strategy will result in the identification of 3,500 parking spaces located in strategic areas; with new areas principally located adjacent to Pritchatts Road and Edgbaston Park Road enabling easy access to Bristol Road. A condition of the Hybrid application requires a quantum of 3,400 parking spaces to be maintained on site at all times and a further condition requires that each phase can only be implemented once the University have shown compliance with this condition through the submission of a car parking management strategy. Another condition requires that the multi storey car park, the subject of this application, be in use before the south car park (behind the Gun Barrels Public House) is closed. These conditions work in concert to ensure that the car parking status quo is maintained at all times. 6.2. Within the Hybrid application the multi storey car park was proposed to contain up to 400 parking spaces and be between 4 and 5 storeys. However, The University have since re-evaluated where they locate new car parking opportunities and have decided that there are operational benefits to focus new parking on the site of the Multi-storey car park and to no longer expand Pritchatts Road surface car park. The current reserved matters submission has varied, from the previously submitted details, indicating a multi-storey car park of 6 storeys and now containing 496 parking spaces and only a minor increase on the Pritchatts Road surface car park by a further 6 spaces. 6.3. This element of the Hybrid application sought details of access only to be considered. However, scale was defined by two height parameters to provide an adequate bearing for consideration of this element. As such a maximum height parameter of 158.935 AOD (5 storeys) was set and required by condition to control its impact on the street-scene and conservation area. The proposed multi-storey car park still complies with this height even though it now includes an additional floor. Only the two stair towers would be over this agreed height, by one metre (at 159.935m AOD). Therefore, it is considered that the building complies with the agreed scale parameters of the Hybrid. 6.4. Transportation - Alterations to the existing surface car park site show the removal of the security barrier which are replaced within the car park structure to still effectively manage the use of this facility. The use of these spaces will accord with the Car Park Management Strategy which is currently a draft document, but the framework of which has been seen and is judged to be acceptable. It is noted this has already Page 4 of 6
been developed across the campus since the start of 2012, but there was no ability through Planning to have any involvement with this as it related to existing car parks on the University s land. 6.5. I note the objection from David Lock Associates, on behalf of Calthorpe Estates, which refers to issues on additional parking provision, car parking management and wider issues that relate to current parking concerns that have existed in the area, raised previously by them and residents. I consider that the Transport Assessment is robust in its assessment of parking provision across the site and it is based on the consented master-plan application and associated assumptions. 6.6. All parking needs generated by the hybrid application developments and the Research Park development is accounted for by commensurate and consented extra parking also within the hybrid application and this current multi-storey application. As such, Transportation Officers have raised no objection to the scheme. 6.7. I also note that the objection from David Lock asks questions in regard to the changes to Pritchatts Road. The hybrid application included changes to Pritchatts Road, but all details were reserved for later consideration. The university would like to explore a number of ways to attempt to stitch together both parts of the campus on either side of the road in this location. No details have been considered or explored by officers to date. Any changes to the speed limit, or surface treatment of the road, would need to be agreed by the Highway Authority and would require the specific approval of relevant reserved matters. It is acknowledged that local councillors and residents have previously expressed great concern for any scheme that would seek to reduce speed or capacity of the road. 6.8. Design The design is driven by the functional nature of the scheme and has resulted in a building that has a simple finish with vertical terracotta panels (colour to match those used on the recently refurbished Gisbert Kapp Building) arranged in a vertical bar-code system on the stair towers and would use expanded metal panels to clad the edges of the concrete floors. The base would use engineering blue brick to enclose planters. The stair tower adjacent to Pritchatts Road would act as a focal point and add interest to the façade. The remainder of the facade would be treated with simple materials and would be of limited visibility due to the presence of frontage planting including a mature Oak tree. I consider that the design of the building is appropriate for the setting and would make a positive contribution to the street-scene. 6.9. Trees - The positioning of the car park next to the hedgerow group would not cause a significant impact. The group is relatively low and consequently structural issues would not arise and the group will regenerate on the open side. Other trees are set away or given protection by existing earthworks (i.e. ditch at east end) to avoid being affected by the proposal. I note that a tree protection and details of any tree works are required by condition 17 and 21 respectively of the Hybrid planning approval. 6.10. Conservation The impact upon the conservation area was considered during the hybrid application. The scale parameters, shown for this scheme, were considered to have an acceptable impact upon the conservation area. This view is partly to the presence of a deep woodland located to the rear of the site obscuring any views in or out of the conservation area at this location. Your conservation officer has raised no objection. Page 5 of 6
6.11. Ecology The Hybrid application identified that a pond with Great Crested Newts was located to the rear of the site and it was considered that this and other ecological interests could be suitably mitigated with conditions attached at the time. 7. Conclusion 7.1. The proposed multi-storey car park complies with the principles established by the hybrid application and the defined scale parameters. 8. Recommendation 8.1. That planning permission be approved subject to the following condition. 1 Requires the scheme to be in accordance with the listed approved plans Reason for Approval 1 Birmingham City Council grants Planning Permission subject to the condition(s) listed below (if appropriate). The reason for granting permission is because the development is in accordance with: Policies 3.8, 3.10 and 3.14 of the Birmingham Unitary Development Plan 2005; Places for All (2001); and the National Planning Policy Framework. Case Officer: Ben Plenty Page 6 of 6
63 APPENDIX N Tennis Courts 52 144.2m 54 56 PRITCHATTS ROAD 137.5m FB This map is reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Material with the permission of Ordnance Surveyon behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.birmingham City Council. Licence No.100021326, 2009 SCALE 1:1250 AD Birmingham University Pritchatts Road Adjacent to Gisbert Kapp Building Birmingham B15 2013/00181/PA This map is reproduced from the Ordnance Survey Material with the permission of Ordnance Surveyon behalf of the Controller of Her Majesty's Stationery Office Crown Copyright. Unauthorised reproduction infringes Crown Copyright and may lead to prosecution or civil proceedings.birmingham City Council. Licence No.100021326, 2009 Statutory Listed Building Locally Listed Buildings Conservation Area Neighbourhood Offices Site Boundary Site Location Development Directorate 1 Lancaster Circus Queensway Birmingham B2 2JE. Date:25/9/2007 SCALE 1:5000 Birmingham City Council