PLANNING COMMITTEE
13 FEBRUARY 2003
02/01221/FUL
ITEM 11
Ewell Grove County First School, West Street, Ewell
Conversion of existing school annexe into 8 residential units and refurbishment of two
existing cottages as amended by plans received 06/01/03. Drawing numbers 1816/3.1,
1816/01F, 1907/01, 1816/4.2A, 1816/4.3A, 1816/4.1A and 1816/5.0A
EWELL
Conservation Area
03.12.02
RECOMMENDATION:
That the Committee resolve to grant planning permission provided that a Section 106
Agreement is first signed requiring a contribution of £4,000 towards the enhancement
of the Grove, prior to the first occupation of any of the units hereby permitted, subject
to the following conditions:1
The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of five
years from the date of this permission. Reason: To comply with the provisions of
Section 91(1) of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.
2
Detailed drawings shall be submitted for the approval of the Borough Council of a
landscaping scheme for the planting of trees and shrubs and showing areas to be
grass seeded or turfed; all landscaping in accordance with the scheme, when
approved, shall be carried out within a period of twelve months from the date on
which the development of the site is commenced or shall be carried out in the first
planting season (and seeding season) following completion of the development and
shall be maintained to the satisfaction of the Borough Council for a period of five
years, such maintenance to include the replacement of any plants which die.
Reason: To ensure the provision and maintenance of landscaping, in the interests
of visual amenity as required by Policies NE7 and DC1 of the Epsom and Ewell
District Wide Local Plan (May 2000).
3
The hard surfaced treatments and erection of railings described on the submitted
plans and accompanying letter dated 19th January 2003 shall be laid and erected
prior to the first occupation of any of the flats or cottages the subject of this
permission in accordance with the details submitted.
Reason. In order to ensure a satisfactory development in terms of visual amenity
and convenience to future occupiers in accordance with policyBE1, BE3 and DC1
of the Epsom and Ewell District Wide Local Plan 2000.
4
(a) No demolition, site clearance or building operations shall commence until
Chestnut pale fencing of a height not less than 1.2 metres shall have been erected
around each tree or tree group to be retained on the site, at a radius from the
trunk or trunks of not less than 4.5 metres or such other radius as the Borough
Council may direct. Such fencing is to be maintained during the course of
development to the satisfaction of the Borough Council.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE
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ITEM 11
(b) The destruction by burning of materials obtained by site clearance shall not
take place within 6.0 metres of the farthest extent of the canopy of any tree or tree
group to be retained on the site or land adjoining.
(c) No trenches, pipe runs for services and drains shall be sited within 4.5 metres
of the trunk of any tree retained on the site.
Reason: To enable the Borough Council to ensure the retention of trees on the site,
protected from damage in the interests of visual amenity as required by Policies
NE6 and DC1 of the Epsom and Ewell District Wide Local Plan (May 2000).
5
The premises shall not be used for the purposes hereby permitted outside the
hours of nor at any time on Sundays, Bank Holidays or Public Holidays. Reason:
To restrict the proposed use to daily periods which are acceptable having regard
to the proposed location and to ensure that they proposed use does not prejudice
the enjoyment by neighbouring occupiers of their properties as required by Policy
DC1 of the Epsom and Ewell District Wide Local Plan (May 2000).
6
The parking spaces shown on the submitted plan shall be made available for the
sole use of the occupants or visitors prior to the first occupation of the
development and thereafter kept available for that use. Reason: To ensure that the
proposed development does not prejudice the free flow of traffic or the conditions
of general safety along the neighbouring highway(s) as required by Policies MV8
and DC1 of the Epsom and Ewell District Wide Local Plan (May 2000).
7
The railings shown in the brochure and on the plans submitted with a letter dated
19th January 2003 shall be erected as indicated on the submitted plans prior to the
first occupation of any of the new or refurbished dwellings hereby permitted and
shall be permanently retained.
Reason. In order to ensure a development which will enhance the appearance of
the conservation area within which the site is located in accordance with policies
BE1 and BE3 of the Epsom and Ewell District Wide Local Plan 2000.
8
Prior to the first occupation of any of the dwellings hereby permitted details of the
colour and type of block paving to be used to surface the car park shall be
submitted to and approved in writing by the LPA.
Reason. In order to ensure a satisfactory development in accordance with policies
BE1, BE5 and DC1 of the Epsom and Ewell District Wide Local Plan 2000.
9
There shall be no access from flat 6 to the flat roof of the kitchen of that unit and
the flat roof shall at no time be used as a sitting out area or a balcony, and access
to it shall only be for the maintenance and/or repair of the building the subject of
this application or in the event of an emergency.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE
13 FEBRUARY 2003
02/01221/FUL
ITEM 11
Reason In order to ensure the privacy from overlooking of the adjoining residents
and in the interests of maintaining the character of the conservation area within
which the property is located ion accordance with Policy BE3 of the Epsom and
Ewell District Wide Local Plan 2000.
Summary
This application is submitted to Committee because it is for more than 5 dwellings.
Planning permission has previously been granted for the conversion of the existing annexe to
6 flats and the refurbishment of the two cottages. This application is to increase the number
of flats to eight. A listed building consent application is submitted at the same time. The
development as now proposed and the refurbishments proposed relate well to the listed
building and certainly enhance the character of the conservation area.
ADDITIONAL INFORMATION
Site and Surroundings.
The site is that of the former school annexe more recently used as County Council Offices
having a frontage to West Street almost opposite Carpenter Close, and located between
existing houses. It is a Grade 2 listed building and within the Ewell Village conservation
area. Vehicular access to the site is via an existing access onto High Street alongside
Mason’s Court and that access serves the application site as well as parking for the school.
The rear boundary of the site is the rear wall of buildings at Mason’s Court. The rear gardens
of the adjoining houses flank the site. There are a few outbuildings that are of no
consequence to the listed building or the conservation area.
Details of the Proposal
The proposal is to refurbish the existing buildings on the site and bring the adjacent cottages
back into good residential repair. The main building is to be converted into 8 flats, 2 more
than was previously permitted. The two cottages will each be provided with a small garden
whereas the flats will share a small amenity space measuring some 12m by 9.5m.
The remainder of the rear of the site is proposed to be set aside for car parking for the flats.
The application site however also includes the car park at the rear of the school which the
developers are contracted to resurface and fence, hence those proposals have been included as
part of this application.
A small garage immediately behind No: 17, one of the cottages is to be demolished as is a
store along the north east boundary at the rear.
A new entrance lobby to the proposed flats is proposed on the rear elevation that is necessary
partly to put the old school staircase under cover. Otherwise there is a limited amount of new
brickwork, one window opening being made deeper for use as a doorway and the replacement
of the inner (sub) frames of all the windows to accept double glazing. At present some of the
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ITEM 11
inner frames are metal, some timber and some of the windows are glazed directly into the
stone mullions. Two conservation roof lights are proposed over the newly enclosed staircase
and the other on the rear elevation. A further two conservation roof lights are proposed on
the roof slopes of the existing ground floor projections at the rear.
1.8m high tubular bow topped railings are to be set around the school car park, along its rear
boundary down to the access that leads to High Street.
1.5m high tubular plain-topped railings are proposed along the West Street frontage with 3
gated entrances into the site.
2m high ornamental railings with arrow heads are proposed across the rumble strip between
the proposed flats car park and the school car park with an automatic sliding gate to prevent
unauthorised parking by school visitors and pedestrian movement into the school grounds (as
requested by the SCC).
The area at the rear will be re-levelled and the car park to the school will be re-laid in black
‘tarmac’ with lockable bollards to the individual parking spaces. The car parking serving the
proposed flats will be laid in block paving with the parking places picked out in a different
colour.
Relevant Planning Policy
Epsom & Ewell Local Plan (May 2000) Policy BE1General policy, built environment
BE2,3, 5 Conservation areas
BE14 Historic buildings
HSG11 Design and layout of new development
DC1 General policy – development control
MV8 Parking
Relevant Planning History
99/00753 Conversion of existing building to 6 flats and refurbishment of two cottages
Permission granted April 2000.
Highways also consulted – no adverse comments received.
Planning Considerations
Some work is currently being carried on at this site already, but this is in accordance with the
work granted permission on the earlier permission and listed building consent issued in 2000,
and coincides with similar work proposed on the current applications. That work is being
closely monitored by the Council’s conservation officer and is being carried out to an
extremely high standard.
The proposed development, in terms of its external manifestations will most certainly
enhance the appearance of the conservation area and the listed building.
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PLANNING COMMITTEE
13 FEBRUARY 2003
02/01221/FUL
ITEM 11
There already having been a planning permission granted for the conversion of the building to
6 flats, the principal issue for Members in this case is to consider the impact of a further two
flats on the conservation area, the neighbours and the implications for parking and amenity
space.
An additional two flats has no external implications for the conservation area or neighbours
since the external appearance will be very little different to that previously granted, and
because the neighbours will be separated from the building to be converted by the two
attached cottages which are to be refurbished.
So far as parking is concerned the proposal generates the need for a maximum of 15 parking
spaces, which is 3 more than previously agreed. This small increase in the context of the 30
spaces that will be provided at the rear serving the school and the flats will have no impact on
the area generally.
Amenity space for the flats is limited as might be expected in an old village centre building
such as this, therefore officers have recommended, and the Applicant has accepted that a
Section 106 Agreement should be entered into, that requires a contribution of £4,000.00
towards the enhancement of The Grove. No contribution was previously requested therefore
this is based on a contribution of £2,000.00 per additional dwelling over and above those
previously permitted.
The contribution is to be paid before the first occupation of any of the 10 units the subject of
the permission.
The proposal will bring a fine old building back into economic use and will enhance the
appearance of this part of the conservation area, as well as tidying up and improving a
somewhat untidy and underused yard at the rear which has fallen into poor condition over the
years.
On this basis it is recommended that Members resolve to grant planning permission as per the
recommendation above.
The submission for Listed Building Consent is dealt with elsewhere on this report.
Consultations
The application has been advertised by means of letters of notification to 22 occupiers of
neighbouring properties it was also advertised by way of site notices and in the local press.
To date no comments have been received.
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