North East File Collection - NEFC

Permission is sought for the erection of a training facility with associated landscaping and parking areas on land at the Prairie site, north of Bolckow Road Industrial Estate, Grangetown

The site is located within the Dorman Point area of the wider Teesworks development. This heavily industrial area was previously Dorman Long’s South Plant comprising of ten open hearth furnaces. The site has since benefited from remediation (in accordance with the permission ref. R-2020/0318/FFM-Officer Report), with a view to delivering the Teesworks development.

The application site sits immediately south of land on which an Energy Recovery Facility has been granted planning permission and to the immediate north of an internal east-west access road, connecting to Eston Road, which has also been granted planning permission.

The proposed development comprises a 457sqm building to serve as a training facility. The two-storey building will include a reception, staff offices, staff room, two meeting rooms and three large training rooms. Ancillary to the building will be new visitor parking facilities (comprising 36 spaces including 4no. disabled parking bays), bike storage and external plant and bin storage.

The building is to be used for training and learning, linked to both Teesworks Skills Academy and for businesses to use as a central training facility.

The training facility is contemporary in design with a material palette, scale and density that architecturally responds to its industrial setting. The material choice is predominantly grey cladding panels to the first floor, with a contrasting black panel to the ground floor.

The application has been accompanied by proposed plans and the following supporting documents;

• Covering letter including planning policy context of site
• Phase II Environmental Site Assessment and Addendum
• Remediation Options Appraisal
• Detailed Conceptual Site Model Review and Risk Assessment
• Desk Based Heritage Assessment
• Design and Access Statement

Section 38(6) of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004 requires that applications for planning permission be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)

SD1 Sustainable Development

SD2 Locational Policy

SD3 Development Limits

SD4 General Development Principles

SD7 Flood and Water Management

LS4 South Tees Spatial Strategy

ED6 Promoting Economic Growth

N1 Landscape

N2 Green Infrastructure

N4 Biodiversity and Geological Conservation

HE2 Heritage Assets

TA1 Transport and New Development

R-2020/0318/FFM-Officer Report ENGINEERING OPERATIONS ASSOCIATED WITH GROUND REMEDIATION AND PREPARATION INCLUDING REMOVAL OF FORMER RAILWAY EMBANKMENT AND WORKS TO HOLME BECK AND KNITTING WIFE BECK Approved 30/09/2020 R-2020/0270/FFM-Officer Report ENGINEERING OPERATIONS INCLUDING WIDENING OF ESTON ROAD, FORMATION OF NEW ROUNDABOUT AND INTERNAL ACCESS ROADS, WORKS TO ENHANCE HOLME BECK AND ASSOCIATED HARD AND SOFT LANDSCAPING WORKS

Approved 12/08/2020

The application has been advertised by means of a site notice and neighbour notification letters.

As a result of the consultation period no written responses have been received

No comments to make

Do Not Advise Against, consequently, HSE does not advise, on safety grounds, against the granting of planning permission in this case.

The site is located at the southern boundary of what has been referred to as the ‘Prairie Site’ or part of ‘Dorman Point’.

An archaeological watching brief has already been maintained during remediation/site preparation works for most of the land in the western part of the ‘Prairie Site’ (phase 1), by arrangements agreed in WSIs implemented under planning permissions R/2019/0767/OOM and R-2020/0318/FFM-Officer Report.

There is a possibility that the watching brief may not have extended fully to the perimeter of the phase 1 area in the south (where the proposed training facility is to be located), however previous archaeologically-monitored ground investigation data in this location (TP11 and TP12, DS7 referred to in the Northern Archaeological Associates Report 20-98, Nov 2020) shows the area east of the former railway embankment and sidings to be made ground of ash, clay and concrete, to a depth of at least 2.5m, and probably more.

We would advise that therefore that any further watching brief in this area would be of very limited archaeological value, and that no further archaeological work is necessary with regard to the site the subject of this application.

Redcar and Cleveland Borough Council (Planning Strategy)

Policy LS4 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan supports the delivery of significant economic growth and job opportunities in this area and also recognises that the Council will support its regeneration through implementing the South Tees Area SPD.

Policy ED6 of the Redcar & Cleveland Local Plan states that specialist uses, such as heavy processing industries and port logistics, will be focussed upon areas which include land at South Tees. In these areas, proposals falling within B Use Classes and other suitable employment related sui-generis uses will be supported. The applicant states that the development will enable Teesworks to create a training facility in a single, well designed, building located close to the entrance into the wider Dorman Point development site. It will provide an integrated training facility to be provided in conjunction with the Teesworks Skills Academy and support the delivery of investment and associated job creation in the Teesworks area. Policy ED6 states that proposals at South Tees which positively contribute to growth and regeneration will be supported. It is therefore considered that the training facility would be an appropriate use in accordance with Policy ED6.

The development of the South Tees area is also supported through the South Tees Area SPD which includes the objective of ensuring the regeneration of the South Tees Area makes a major contribution to improving education and skills across the Tees Valley. Proposals should have regard to the development principles contained within this SPD.

The site is located within an area allocated in the Tees Valley Joint Mineral and Waste Policies and Sites DPD 2011 under Policy MWP8: South Tees Eco-Park (Redcar and Cleveland). The proposed location is on the edge of this site. The 27 hectares allocated site was previously used for steel making operations. Proposals have been approved for 9 hectares of land to be developed to provide a waste autoclaving plant and facilities to deal with the products of the process. However this development has never progressed and it is considered appropriate that alternative uses should be considered in accordance with the 2018 Local Plan and the South Tees Area SPD.

The proposal should be well designed in accordance with policy SD4 including avoiding locations that would put human health or safety at unacceptable risk.

The proposed facility will be located off a new road within the industrial development. Off-street car parking is proposed with disabled bays and electric vehicle charging bays.

The proposed cycle parking spaces need to be covered by an appropriate cycle shelter to make them suitable for all day use.

No objection

The main considerations in the assessment of the application are;

• The principle of development
• The impacts on the character and appearance of the area
• The impacts on neighbour amenity
• The impacts on highways safety
• The impacts on ground conditions

The principle of development

The application site is located within the development limits and within an predominantly industrial/commercial area. The broad principle of the proposed development in this location is acceptable and the proposal accords with the aims of policy SD3 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

Policy LS 1 (Urban Area Spatial Strategy) of the Local Plan sets out objectives for the settlement areas within the borough. The economic objective of particular relevance to the proposed scheme is ‘improve skills and workforce development’. In terms of environment, policy LS 1 aims to ‘improve the environment and security of the employment areas’.

The proposed training facility is considered to support and develop employment skills for the Teesworks area and subsequent surrounding urban settlements therefore is in accordance with Policy LS 1 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

Policy LS 4 (South Tees Spatial Strategy) of the Local Plan sets out a series of key economic, environmental and connectivity objectives for the South Tees area. Those of particular relevance to the proposed development include:

a. deliver significant economic growth and job opportunities through the South Tees Development Corporation and Tees Valley Enterprise Zone at Wilton International and South Bank Wharf;

b. support the regeneration of the South Tees Development Corporation area through implementing the South Tees Area Supplementary Planning Document;

f. improve existing employment areas and provide a range of modern commercial premises that meet contemporary business requirements including the target sectors of the South Tees Area Supplementary Planning Document;

w. enhance the environmental quality of employment through well planned boundary treatments;’

The proposed training facility will contribute to and help to achieve the above objectives and, therefore, comply with the wider spatial strategy for the area and Policy LS 4 of the Local Plan.

Policy ED 6 (Promoting Economic Growth) of the Local Plan protects land within existing industrial estates and business parks, including ‘Land at South Tees’, which includes the application site, for employment uses. The policy expects proposals within the STDC Area to have regard to the South Tees Area SPD, and states that “Proposals which positively contribute towards growth and regeneration will be supported”. Policy ED6 also states that “suitable employment related sui-generis uses will be supported”.

Following the remediation of the application site (subject to ref: R-2020/0318/FFM-Officer Report), this proposal will support Policy ED 6, contributing towards the regeneration of the STDC area, providing a use that is complementary to employment and industrial uses.

Taking the above into consideration the proposed development is considered to comply with Policy SD3 LS1 LS4 and ED6.

The impacts on the character and appearance of the area

The application site, as detailed earlier in the report, is situated within the wider Teesworks site. The location of the site and the prevailing built form is industrial with a number of buildings and structures of significant scale in the surrounding area, with on-going works relating to demolition and remediation to establish suitable build platforms across the wider Teesworks site also currently taking place.

The proposed development when considered in the context of the wider site and the anticipated future development on neighbouring plots is considered to be of a scale and design that is in keeping with the area and the future character of the area.

Given the prominent location of the site it is considered that a condition relating to soft landscaping be added to the decision to ensure a suitable finish to the site.

The proposed development would respect the character of the site and the surroundings and the application accords with National Policy in the NPPF and policy SD4 (b)(i)(j) and (k) of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

The impacts on neighbour amenity

The application site, as detailed earlier in the report, is situated within the wider Teesworks site. There are therefore currently limited neighbouring commercial occupiers that would be impacted upon by the scale and massing of the proposed building. Given the scale of the proposed building it is not considered to have an overbearing or dominating impact.

The proposed buildings include various door and window openings, however the location of these is not considered to have any impact on neighbouring buildings with regard to amenity or privacy.

The development would not have a significant adverse impact on the amenities of occupiers of existing or proposed buildings and the application accords with part b of policy SD4 of the Local Plan.

The impacts on highways safety

Vehicular access to the site will be made via the new widened Eston Road and roundabout which was approved under application R-2020/0270/FFM-Officer Report.

These works will deliver an improved access to the site for the use as an educational facility.

The proposed development provides 36no. parking spaces (including 4no. disabled parking bays), which is considered to be appropriate for the use, scale and size of the development.

The application has been considered by the Council’s development engineers who have advised that they have no objection to the proposed development.

The application is therefore considered to accord with Policies SD4 and TA1 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

The impacts on ground conditions

The application site has been remediated under a previous planning approval.

It has therefore not been considered necessary to reassess any risk to human health, although for completeness the application has been supported with the original remediation application (Ref: R-2020/0318/FFM-Officer Report) and the information submitted and approved to discharge the conditions attached to the original remediation submission.

The proposed development is therefore not considered to present a risk to human health during the construction and operational phases, therefore the proposal is in accordance with Policy SD 4 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

Other matters

The proposed development site area is less than 1 ha and located within Flood Zone 1 and therefore not subject to a site-specific flood risk assessment. Given the scale of the proposed development there is not considered to be a flood risk resulting from the development. The proposed development is therefore considered to comply with Policy SD7 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

A Desk Based Heritage Assessment has been submitted in support of the application.

Any potential negative impacts on the archaeology or heritage of the site have been addressed through the discharge of conditions relating to the enabling and remediation of the site to facilitate the future redevelopment. The current application site is therefore not considered to have archaeological risk. The application has been considered by the Council’s consultant archaeologist who has sated that any further watching brief in this area would be of very limited archaeological value, and that no further archaeological work is necessary with regard to the site the subject of this application.

The proposed development is therefore in accordance with Policy HE 2 and Policy HE 3 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

The site is located within a 6km buffer zone of the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast Special Protection Area (SPA) and Ramsar site.

The relevant policies within the Local Plan relating to this matter are N4, with reference also made within ED6.

In respect to Habitat Regulations Assessment (HRA), the application site was subject to a shadow HRA as part of the remediation planning application (R-2020/0318/FFM-Officer Report). Mitigation measures a CEMP were implemented during the remediation phase to ensure there was no significant adverse impact on the surrounding designated sites including the SSSI and SPA. The applicant has stated that the adopted mitigation measures will continue to be followed.

Given the scale of this proposal and location within the boundary subject to an HRA it is considered that a further HRA would not be appropriate or necessary for this proposal. The development is therefore considered to comply with Policy N4 of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

Policy ED6 requires that, where appropriate, development proposals demonstrate that there will be no adverse effects on the integrity of the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SPA and Ramsar site, or other European designated nature conservation sites.

Given its scale and nature, the proposed development will not adversely affect the Teesmouth and Cleveland Coast SPA and Ramsar site. It is therefore entirely compatible with the aims and requirements of Policy ED 6 of the Local Plan.

No objection has been made by from the HSE

Taking the content of the report into consideration, the proposed development is considered to be acceptable in principle.

The proposed layout, appearance and scale of the development is considered to be appropriate in the context of the wider Parries site as well as the wider

Teesworks site.

Technical matters relating to drainage, contamination/nuisance, highways and ecology have been considered by the relevant statutory consultees, none of which have raised any objection to the proposed development.

The proposed development is therefore considered to comply with national policy set out within the NPPF and policies SD1 (Sustainable Development) SD2 (Locational Policy) SD3 (Development Limits) SD4 (General Development Principles) SD7 (Flood and Water Management) LS4 (South Tees Spatial Strategy) ED6 (Promoting Economic Growth) N4 (Biodiversity and Geological Conservation) HE2 (Heritage Assets) TA1 (Transport and New Development) of the Redcar and Cleveland Local Plan.

Taking into account the content of the report the recommendation is to:

GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION subject to the following conditions:

1. The development shall not be begun later than the expiration of THREE YEARS from the date of this permission.

REASON: Required to be imposed pursuant to Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990.

2. The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:

Location Plan (Dwg No. P-00.01 Rev A) received by the Local Planning Authority on 21/10/21

Proposed Site Plan (Dwg No. SK-10.01 Rev D) received by the Local Planning Authority on 21/10/21

Elevations and Proposed (Dwg No. P-30.01 Rev C) received by the Local Planning Authority on 21/10/21

Plans as Proposed (Dwg No. P-20.01 Rev F) received by the Local Planning Authority on 21/10/21

Window Schedule (Dwg No. SK-70.01) received by the Local Planning Authority on 21/10/21

REASON: To accord with the terms of the planning application.

3. Prior to occupation of the building hereby approved a landscaping scheme shall be submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority. The details shall include size, type and species and a programme of work. The development shall be completed in accordance with the approved details.

REASON: To ensure that the development would respect the site and the surroundings in accordance with policy SD4 of the Local Plan.

4. All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding season following the occupation of the buildings or the completion of the development, whichever is sooner, and any trees or plants which within a period of ten years from the completion of the development die, are removed, or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species unless the Local Planning Authority gives written consent to any variation.

REASON: To ensure the satisfactory implementation of the approved scheme in the interests of the visual amenities of the locality.

Statement of Co-operative Working: The Local Planning Authority considers that the application as originally submitted is a satisfactory scheme and therefore no negotiations have been necessary.

Mr D Pedlow

David Pedlow

Case Officer

Acting Development Services

Manager

15 December 2021

Delegated Approval Signature

Adrian Miller

Head of Planning and Development

15 December 2021