Issue - items at meetings - Confirmation Article 4 Direction - Office to Residential

Report of the Executive Director for Environment, Development & Housing (copy attached).

1)            Notes consultation responses to the proposed amended boundary;

2)            Confirms the direction under article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended) made on 25 July 2013 to remove the permitted development rights for the conversion of offices (B1a Use Class) to residential use (C3 Use Class) in Central Brighton, New England Quarter and London Road area and two key office sites Edward Street Quarter and City Park and authorises officers to undertake formal notification of the confirmation.

3)Notes that the Article 4 Direction, once confirmed, will come into force on 25 July 2014.

14.1      The Committee considered a report of the Executive Director for Environment, Development & Housing in relation to the Confirmation Article 4 Direction – Office to Residential. The report sought confirmation of the article 4 direction to remove the permitted development rights for change of use from office to residential in: Central Brighton; New England Quarter and London Road and two key office sites: Edward Street Quarter and City Park. This was the last stage in the process before the article 4 could come into effect.

14.2      Councillor G. Theobald stated that he had supported this work since July 2013, and asked for confirmation that policy would not protect office sites that were very unlikely to come back into use as offices. In response the Executive Director for Environment, Development & Housing stated that the emerging City Plan had a general allowance for greater flexibility and mixed use. The Principle Policy Advisor added that the City Plan recognised that the Preston Road area had changed to a secondary office area of the city, and it was recognised that such areas would not have the same attraction for employers as those in the city centre.

14.3      Councillor Peltzer Dunn asked a specific query in relation to the wording that ‘applicants must have “redeveloped” the office to establish residential use by 30 May 2016’, and Officers agreed to circulate a legal definition of this wording to the Committee following on from the meeting.

14.4      The Chair put the recommendations to the vote.

14.5      RESOLVED:

(1)          That the Committee notes consultation responses to the proposed amended boundary;

(2)          That the Committee confirms the direction under article 4 of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) Order 1995 (as amended) made on 25 July 2013 to remove the permitted development rights for the conversion of offices (B1a Use Class) to residential use (C3 Use Class) in Central Brighton, New England Quarter and London Road area and two key office sites Edward Street Quarter and City Park and authorises officers to undertake formal notification of the confirmation.

(3)          That the Committee notes that the Article 4 Direction, once confirmed, will come into force on 25 July 2014.