Agenda item

Demolition of 54, 55-57 Great Marlborough Street and 47, 48 (behind a part reconstructed facade) and part demolition of 49-50 Poland Street to provide a building comprising ground plus seven storeys with louvred plant room and two basement levels onto Great Marlborough Street (with rear projecting wing at ground and six upper floors with roof level louvred plant room) and a ground plus part five/part six storey building with two basement levels onto Poland Street, all for use as a hotel (Class C1), retail (Class A1), and a restaurant and bar (Class A3/A4). Creation of central glazed covered courtyard and publicly accessible route through the site, a landscaped terrace onto Poland Street, cycle parking, waste storage, plant rooms at fifth, sixth, seventh floors and roof level, services and associated works.

An additional representation was received from the Westminster District Surveyors’ Service (30.05.19).

Late representations were received from Councillor Jonathan Glanz (31.05.19), Councillor Pancho Lewis (04.06.19), The Soho Society (Undated), the Marshall Street Residents Association (31.05.19), one local resident (04.06.19) and Shiva Hotels (29.05.19)

The presenting officer tabled the following amendments to the conditions:

Condition 23 (re-worded)

Prior to commencement of the basement excavation works a Vibration assessment shall be submitted for approval by the local planning authority to show the potential for changes to the re-radiated ground-borne noise and vibration levels within adjacent properties brought about by the development. Any mitigation measures must be identified, implemented and thereafter retained in-situ. The vibration assessment shall adhere to the acceptability criteria set out in the Crossrail Information Paper D10: Ground borne Noise and Vibration.

New Condition 40

The flat roof at sixth floor level shall only be used for maintenance or means of escape purposes only.

Reason: To protect neighbouring residents from noise nuisance, as set out in S24, S29 and S32 of Westminster's City Plan (November 2016) and ENV 6 of our Unitary Development Plan that we adopted in January 2007.  (R13EC)

Mark Bruce addressed the Sub-Committee in support of the application.

RESOLVED UNANIMOUSLY:

1)              That conditional permission, as amended, be granted, subject to a S106 legal agreement to secure the following:

i)                Dedication of land as public highway;

ii)               A Carbon Off-set Contribution of £44,586 (index linked), payable prior to commencement of the development.

iii)             A walkways agreement

iv)             S106 monitoring costs.

2)        That if the S106 legal agreements had not been completed within six weeks of the date of the Committee resolution, then:

(a)      The Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning should consider whether it would be possible and appropriate to issue the permission with additional conditions attached to secure the benefits listed above. If so, the Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning was authorised to determine and issue the decision under Delegated Powers; however, if not;

(b)      The Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning should consider whether the permission should be refused on the grounds that the proposals were unacceptable in the absence of the benefits which would have been secured; if so, the Director of Place Shaping and Town Planning was authorised to determine the application and agree appropriate reasons for refusal under Delegated Powers.