PLANNING COMMITTEE
4 SEPTEMBER 2008
08/00397/FUL
ITEM 04
LA FITNESS SPORTS CLUB, BANSTEAD ROAD, EWELL
Change of use of part of car park to use as car wash. PLANS AVAILABLE HERE
Nonsuch
13th August 2008
Notes
RECOMMENDATION (S)
PERMIT subject to the following condition:(1) The development to which this permission relates must
be begun not later than the expiration of three years
beginning from the date of this decision notice.
Reason: To comply with the provisions of Section 91(1)(a) of
the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 and Section 51 of the
Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
(2)
Before the commencement of development details of
waste water disposal through the foul water sewage
system should be submitted to and approved in writing
by the Local Planning Authority and any drainage works
as approved shall be implemented and maintained
thereafter.
Reason: To ensure safe disposal of waste water as required
by Policy CS6 Sustainability of New Development of the
Epsom and Ewell Core Strategy (2007)
Summary
This application is only for the consideration of the partial change of use of the subject car park.
No building works or erections of any structures are proposed with this application. As such, the
only material planning consideration is the impact of the proposed use on the use of the car
park.
CONSULTATIONS
A press advert has been posted and a site notice was sent to the applicant who has confirmed
that it had been erected at a prominent location on the premises. The public consultation of the
application expired on 19th August 2008; however it is the Council’s practice to continue to
consider representations made up until the date of a decision. To date, 21st August 2008, no
comments have been received by the Council
FURTHER RELEVANT INFORMATION
Site Details
The site is the car park to LA Fitness sports club; the proposal concerns a small section of this
car park which is a small access/delivery route to the rear of the club house. To access the
subject site you have to drive through the car park, passing the clubhouse, and around to the
rear of it. A site visit has confirmed that the subject site does not appear to be used.
Relevant Planning History
01/00460/FUL
(Permitted 6th June 2002) Re-use of existing
land and buildings for sports and leisure
Page 1 of 3
PLANNING COMMITTEE
4 SEPTEMBER 2008
08/00397/FUL
ITEM 04
purposes.
(Refused 15th August 2002) Single storey
extension to form plant room, raising of roof of
single storey part of building to form consistent
flat roof height and alterations to elevations
(Permitted 31st October 2002) Raising of roof
of single storey part of building to form
consistent flat roof and alterations to
elevations
(Permitted 18th February 2003) Construction
of four compounds abutting building and
installation of air handling and condensing
units
(Permitted 27th March 2003) Lights on walls
on building and bollard lights on the access
road. (Drawing Nos. 02/C211/E.01D and E.06,
)
(Refused 25th February 2003) 15m high
monpole with 3 dual band dual polar
antennae, 10 cabinets and 1.8m high palisade
fence
(Permitted 16th April 2003) Installation of
externally illuminated pole sign and two
illuminated signs
on building (Drawing
Nos.0107-13G and 08M)
02/00466/FUL
02/00807/FUL
02/01196/FUL
02/01286/FUL
02/01335/T56
02/01522/ADV
The Proposal
Change of use of part of car park to be used as car wash
Planning Policy
Surrey Structure Plan 2004
Policy LO4
Policy DN3
The Countryside and Green Belt
Parking Provision
Epsom and Ewell Core Strategy 2007
Policy CS2
Conserving and Enhancing Open Space and
Landscape Character
Sustainability of New Development
Managing Transport and Travel
Policy CS6
Policy CS16
Epsom and Ewell District-wide Local Plan 2000
N/A
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
Change of Use
There are no specific policies to prevent the loss of parking areas in car parks, indeed National,
Regional and Local policies are advocating for less use of the private car. However, the
assumption would always be to prevent the obstruction and encourage a safe and attractive
environment of any area that would be used for traffic and/or pedestrians.
Page 2 of 3
PLANNING COMMITTEE
4 SEPTEMBER 2008
08/00397/FUL
ITEM 04
In this case, the area that would be turned over is used as an access/delivery route to the rear
lower ground of the club house. The access is narrow and will only allow for one car to travel
up/down it at any one time. The ‘loading’ area at the bottom of the access allows for a car to
turn around. A shed sits next to the entrance. It is in this ‘loading’ area that the car washing
would take place and any cleaning equipment would be stored in the existing shed. The
cleaning equipment will constitute a portable high pressure wash and other handheld
implements such as buckets and sponges. Custom would be would be pulled in by personally
approaching people that are visiting the gym.
Again, the applicant has confirmed verbally that a foul water sewage drain would be installed to
ensure safe disposal of waste water. It is considered that this is a vital part for the acceptability
of the proposal and a condition should be attached requiring the details of foul water disposal to
be submitted to and approved by the Local Planning Authority.
The area that would be used for the proposal is small and uses an underutilised access/delivery
route. No parking will be lost as a result of the proposal, no structures will be erected and no
additional hard standing will be laid down. A condition will ensure that appropriate drainage
takes place. As such, it is considered that the proposed change of use would not create any
unacceptable loss of car parking and would not significantly alter the appearance or use of the
land.
Impact on Green Belt
The proposal does not involve the erection of any structures, laying down of any additional hard
standing or the incorporation of any heavy machinery. The Design and Access statement states
that no signage/advertising hoarding will be erected. As such, it is considered that the impact of
the proposal on the green belt would be very limited and no objection is raised on this ground.
Highway/Traffic Impact
As mentioned, the applicant has confirmed that custom will be pulled in by approaching people
that are visiting the gym as such it is considered that no significant additional traffic would be
caused by the proposal. The access already exists and has got good visibility at its
entrance/exit point (no structures, shrubs or other objects are located near it). The level of traffic
entering/exiting would be no higher that an actively used delivery route for which the
access/delivery route was designed for. As such, it is considered that the proposal would not
contribute to creating an unsafe traffic or pedestrian environment. Further, the Highways and
Transport team were consulted as part of the application; they raise no objection to the
proposal.
Contact:
Sarah Edman-Taylor
Page 3 of 3