Agenda and minutes

Any information received after the agenda has been published, relevant to the Applications on the agenda to be considered by the Committee, will be published here.

          Apologies for absence were received from Councillors Lowndes (Vice Chair) and Burton.

          Councillor Winslade attended as substitute.

The minutes of the meeting held on 7 December 2010 were approved as a true and accurate record.

            The Committee agreed to vary the speaking scheme for item 4.2, Land to rear of Cowgate / King Street, Queensgate Shopping Centre. There were numerous objectors in attendance who had registered to speak therefore the scheme was varied to allow up to 10 minutes for the objectors and 10 minutes for the applicant.

            The Committee was advised that the item had been withdrawn from the agenda and would be considered at a forthcoming meeting.

Planning permission was sought for an extension to the Queensgate Shopping Centre. This would provide new floor space at the upper ground floor and first floor levels (over the existing service road) and the re-configuration of existing floor space. The development would also comprise a new service corridor and new lift shaft into the existing basement service yard. The proposal also included the erection of a new mansard roof which would be situated over the proposed extension and existing flat roof to help form additional retail floor space.  A new mansard roof was also proposed over the existing management suite to help form ancillary office accommodation. The provision of new floor space along with the re-configuration of existing floor space would create one large unit which would be accessible from the existing malls and between floors.  A smaller unit would be provided over two floors.  Some changes were proposed to the elevations, in King Street this included the replacement of the Argos ‘Customer Collection Point’ with a shop front and in Queen Street the glazing above the existing entrance to Argos from Queen Street was to be removed and infilled with brick to match existing.  The existing doorway to Argos from Queen Street, which currently provided a public access into the shop unit, would be replaced with a new shop window

The application site was located on the southern edge of the Queensgate Shopping Centre in the heart of Peterborough City Centre. The rear of the properties which fronted onto Cowgate were located immediately to the south of the site and located to the west was a service road leading to the roundabout at its junction with Bourges Boulevard. The application site was comprised of existing retail units in the shopping centre. The site was within the central retail area and just north of the City Centre Conservation Area. 

The Planning Officer addressed the Committee and gave an overview of the proposal. Members were advised that the main issues for consideration were the policy context and the principle of development, the design and visual amenity, whether the proposal would impact on the historic environment, whether the proposal would enhance the public realms of the city centre, highways implications and S106 contributions. The planning recommendation was one of approval.

Members were advised that with regards to the proposed internal changes to the building in King Street, no planning consent was required. There had been a number of objections received against the proposal which stated that there was the opportunity for greater permeability between the Queensgate Shopping Centre and Cowgate. This could be achieved by including an additional entrance point between the Centre and King Street. However, because planning consent was not required for the internal changes at ground floor level it would be unreasonable for the authority to refuse planning consent because an additional entrance door was not to be created.

Members were further advised that the additional new build, which would provide 1500 square metres of  ...  view the full minutes text for item 6.