Thursday 5 September 2013

Battery Site decision deferred

On Thurs 5th September Councillors on the planning committee voted, unanimously, to defer the decision on the Battery Site. Many Councillors raised many concerns about the site and many of these concerns were different or went beyond what we have been saying. They requested, essentially, that the developers take another look at the plans and try to provide something extra (or in the case of the student residences maybe something less!).

It would not have made sense to reject the outline plan as most people want to see a development of the site along the lines suggested, but at the same time approving the plan, even in outline, would have given a green light to the detail of the plan as well as the outline aspects. So this deferral sends a message to the developers to try harder without rejecting the proposal outright. 

We await further developments.



4 comments:

  1. If this application is refused (which I understand is more probable now it's being deferred), do the developers have to consider the community plan?

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  2. Our understanding is that the application was deferred to allow the developers to consider making changes that will avoid refusal. Given the comments made by Councillors on the committee they may want to consider the Community Plan at this stage. However, they are not now under any obligation to do so nor would they be if the application is later refused.
    For cp4so

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    1. Thank you. Having now spent an evening watching the proceedings of the planning meeting online, I'm confused as to what Sainsbury's are charged to do to improve the plan beyond wholesale change. If that is the case, is there not a method of promoting the community plan?
      Additionally, what happens to the first application that was submitted last March and is still floating in the ether? That appeared to have all the things we want (apart from student accommodation again!). It sacrifices the life sciences centre but provides a better scheme for the community - in my opinion at least

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  3. I think life sciences is now part of the project and Sainsbury's wont get permission to build without it. If they can't build a good scheme now because its not affordable then it would be better to wait until economics improve and a better project can be brought forward.

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