G - 25-0018-PP - Knockhill Road Garages - DL070325
Renfrewshire Council · 18 March 2025
Back to Planning and Climate Change Policy Board — 18 March 2025 and its agenda
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Report by Chief Planning Officer Planning and Climate Change Policy Board: 18th March 2025 Reference No 25/0018/PP Application Type Planning Permission (Local) Proposal Subdivision of flatted dwelling plot and erection of building comprising of four workshops/garages with associated works Location Rear of 22 Knockhill Road, Renfrew Ward 2 - Renfrew South and Gallowhill Community Council Renfrew Community Council Applicant Mr Giulio Girasoli Recommendation Refuse All plans, reports, documents and representations relating to this application can be viewed in full online at https://pl-bs.renfrewshire.gov.uk/online- applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=SQ6POPMWN0400 This report fulfils the requirements of regulation 16, Schedule 2, paragraphs 3(c) and 4 of The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2013. The report is presented to the Planning and Climate Change Policy Board in line with the Council's Scheme of Delegation. The application would normally fall within the Council’s scheme of delegation to be determined by the appointed officer, however in this instance Councillors Paterson, Shaw and Hughes have requested that the application be determined by the Board in order to allow consideration of the impact the proposal would have in respect of the local character of the area, residential amenity and environmental quality. Proposal This application seeks planning permission for the subdivision of a flatted dwelling plot, the erection of a building containing four workshops/garages and associated landscaping works. The garden ground of 22 Knockhill Road, which currently measures 550m², would be subdivided. Approximately 140m² of garden would remain with the two flats at number 22 while the remaining 410m² of land would accommodate the proposed development. The four commercial garages/workshops would be located in a single building which would, at its maximum extent, measure 15.5 metres in width by 11.9 metres in depth. The structure would have a mono pitched roof that would measure approximately 3 metres in height to the tallest point. The area between the front of the building and the access onto the public road would be finished in tarmac to provide vehicular access. Site Description The application site is located within an established residential area, with the site taking access from a road to the southeast. Residential properties are found to the northeast, southeast and southwest. The Westway industrial park is found to the northwest but cannot be accessed from the application site. Pre-Application Consultation with Officers The Scottish Government strongly encourages constructive pre-application discussions between prospective applicants and the planning authority. Pre-application discussions seek to identify key planning considerations at an early stage and help inform what supporting information is required to support a subsequent application.
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No pre-application discussions have taken place. Negotiated Improvements No changes have been negotiated. Site History The planning history for the site is as follows; if no history is listed then planning has no record of previous applications for the site. Consultations ▪ Glasgow Airport Safeguarding - No objection, subject to advisory note regarding the use of cranes. ▪ The Coal Authority – Object on the grounds that a Coal Mining Risk Assessment is required. ▪ Chief Executive's Service (Roads Development) - Object on the grounds that no designated pedestrian access is provided, no details have been submitted demonstrating how the units will be served and no space for vehicles larger than a car to turn within the site and exit in a forward gear is provided. Roads Development also object on the grounds that no parking provision shown in the layouts presented and that there is no space within the site to provide parking. ▪ Environment, Housing & Infrastructure (Env. Protection) - No objection. Representations The application has been publicised in line with the requirements of the relevant legislation. The following representations were received: ▪ Object - 37 ▪ Support - 0 ▪ Neutral - 0 The issues raised can be summarised as follows: ▪ There would be no benefit to local residents. ▪ Traffic and parking concerns. ▪ The garages/workshops would raise noise issues, including late at night. ▪ Would negatively impact house prices. ▪ Loss of privacy for nearby properties. ▪ The development would increase insurance premiums. ▪ The proposal would disturb wildlife. ▪ Would impact on the security of nearby properties. ▪ Would be visible from residential properties. ▪ The development would overshadow neighbouring properties. ▪ Would reduce the daylight received into residential properties. ▪ The hard landscaping would have a detrimental impact on drainage. Policy Context In making any determination under the Planning Acts, regard is to be had to the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise. In this instance the Development Plan consists of National Planning Framework 4 (NPF4) and the Renfrewshire Local Development Plan (2021) (LDP).
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The following provisions of the Development Plan are considered relevant to the determination of this application: National Planning Framework 4 ▪ Policy 9 - Brownfield, vacant and derelict land and empty buildings ▪ Policy 13 - Sustainable transport ▪ Policy 14 - Design, quality and place ▪ Policy 26 - Business and industry Full details relating to the policies of the NPF4 can be found online. Renfrewshire Local Development Plan ▪ Policy P1 - Renfrewshire's Places Full details relating to the policies of the LDP can be found online. Other relevant policies and guidance ▪ Delivering the Places Strategy - Creating Places Submitted Reports and Assessments No reports or assessments were submitted in support of the application. Scottish Ministers Direction In determining a planning application, the Council is required to provide details of any Direction made by Scottish Ministers under Regulation 30 (Directions requiring consultation), Regulation 31 (Directions requiring information), Regulation 32 (Directions restricting the grant of planning permission) and Regulation 33 (Directions requiring consideration of condition) of The Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) (Scotland) Regulations 2013, or under Regulation 50 (that development is EIA development) of The Town and Country Planning (Environmental Impact Assessment) (Scotland) Regulations 2017. None. Planning Assessment Policy P1 of the Local Development Plan supports the continuance of the built form, where the development would be compatible with and complementary to surrounding uses. Similarly, Policy 26 of NPF4 states that proposals for business and industry should consider the impact the development would have on the residential amenity of surrounding properties. The relevant Supplementary Guidance sets out five criteria for the creation of successful places. The application has been assessed against these five criteria alongside various statutory development policies to establish whether it is acceptable for the location: Access and Connectivity The proposal would make use of an existing access off Knockhill Road, and the site is well served by the existing road network. However, Roads Development have objected to the proposal on the grounds that no segregated pedestrian access to/from the site has been provided and that inadequate parking is proposed within the application site, which would potentially adversely impact existing on street parking and put additional parking pressure on Knockhill Road.
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Furthermore, Roads Development note that there would be no opportunity for a vehicle larger than a car to turn within the site, potentially leading to safety issues with vehicles reversing out onto a road that has limited visibility due to on street parking. The proposal is considered to be contrary to Policy 13 of NPF4 in this regard in that the transport requirements generated have not been considered in line with sustainable travel hierarchies. It is therefore not considered that the access arrangements are suitable and would raise road safety concerns. Environment and Community The subdivision of the plot would unacceptably reduce the garden ground available to the two flats at 22 Knockhill Road, with the space available going from 550m² to 140m². In addition, the resulting garden space would be smaller than the space found at nearby properties. The Coal Authority have also objected to the proposal on the grounds that it sits within a high-risk area and no Coal Mining Risk Assessment has been submitted to demonstrate that the site is safe for development. The proposal is therefore contrary to Policy 9 of NPF4 in that it has not been demonstrated that the land can be made safe for development. The impact the development would have on the surrounding environment is therefore considered to be unacceptable. Context and Character The building containing the garages/workshops would be located approximately 6 metres from the garden ground of the nearest residential property and 12.5 metres away from the dwelling itself, with additional residential properties found in similar proximity to the site. Due to the application site’s location within a homogenous residential area, the noise associated with the use and servicing of the four commercial garages/workshops would negatively impact the residential amenity of nearby properties. Although the Westway industrial park is found to the northwest, the nearest building within the industrial park is over 50 metres away so has less of an impact on the amenity of the residential properties than the proposed development would. The proposed development would therefore be incompatible with, and would adversely impact the amenity of, the surrounding residential area by virtue of noise, increased footfall and activity and disturbance beyond what would typically be considered acceptable for an established residential environment. It is considered that the proposal would be out of keeping and harmful to the residential character and amenity of the area and contrary to the relevant policies, including Policy 14 of NPF4 in that it is not conducive to the creation of a pleasant place. Buildings and Design The structure would be finished with grey render and would feature dark grey windows and doors while the shallow pitched roof would be finished in grey membrane. The choice of finishing materials raises no design concerns. Given the roof would measure only 3 metres in height to the tallest point, it is not considered that the structure would overshadow neighbouring properties to an unacceptable degree. Furthermore, any overshadowing that may occur would be limited in duration.
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As the structure would be 12.5 metres away from the nearest residential property it is not considered that it would reduce the volume of internal light received by these properties. The windows to the rear would raise no privacy concerns while additional fencing could prevent the openings on the front elevation from causing privacy issues for nearby residential properties. To accommodate access to/from the site it is proposed that the existing area of grass would be replaced with tarmac. However, given the tarmac would cover an area measuring approximately 200m² and would measure 26 metres in length at its maximum extent, it is not considered that such a large area of tarmac is suitable for use in a residential area. While the finish to the structure itself is considered acceptable, the associated landscaping works would have an unacceptable impact on visual amenity of the surrounding area. Layout and Form The commercial units would be located to the rear of residential properties in a well- established homogenous residential area. The subdivision of the plot and the back land nature of the development is considered unacceptable given the proposed layout and associated structures would have no relationship with the nearby residential properties or the established building line on Knockhill Road. Furthermore, the layout of the development gives rise to the road safety issues discussed earlier in the report. Representations The potential for the development to negatively affect property prices and insurance premiums are not material planning considerations. The fact that the development would be visible from residential properties and the potential for the security of existing properties to be affected are also not material planning considerations. Given the application site is currently an area of garden ground it is not considered that the proposal would have an impact on wildlife within the wider residential area. All other relevant and material planning issues have been addressed in the assessment section of the above report. Planning Obligations The Council is required to provide a summary of the terms of any planning obligation which is required to be entered into under Section 75 of the Town and Country Planning (Scotland) Act in relation to the grant of permission for the proposed development: None. Conclusion In view of the above, it is not considered that the proposal would accord with the relevant provisions of the Development Plan. The proposal is contrary to Policy P1 of the Local Development Plan and Policy 26 of NPF4 in that it would not be compatible with the existing built environment and would have an unacceptable impact on the amenity of the surrounding residential area. The proposal is also contrary to Policy 9 of NPF4 in that it has not been demonstrated that the land can be made safe for development, Policy 13 in that the transport requirements generated have not been considered in line with sustainable travel hierarchies and Policy 14 in that it would not improve the quality of the surrounding area. There are no other material considerations. Planning permission should therefore be refused. Recommendation
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Refuse planning permission. Reason(s) for Recommendation 1. The proposed development is contrary to Policy P1 of the Local Development Plan, the New Development Supplementary Guidance on Creating Places as well as Policies 14 and 26 of National Planning Framework 4 in that the proposed development would not be compatible with the existing built residential environment, would have an unacceptable impact on the amenity and character of the surrounding residential area and would not be conducive to the creation of a pleasant place. 2. The proposed development is contrary to Policy 13 of National Planning Framework 4 and the New Development Supplementary Guidance on Creating Places in that the transport requirements generated from the proposal have not been considered in line with sustainable travel hierarchies. 3. The proposed development is contrary to Policy 9 of National Planning Framework 4 and the New Development Supplementary Guidance on Creating Places in that an appropriate Coal Mining Risk Assessment has not been submitted to demonstrate that the site is safe and suitable for the proposed development. Schedule of Plans Reviewed Drawing Number Revision Drawing/Document Title 156-07 Location and Block Plan 156-01 Proposed Site Plan 156-02 Proposed Plan and Visuals 156-03 Proposed Plan and Elevations 156-04 Proposed Sections A-A and B-B 156-05 Existing and Proposed Roof Plan 156-06 Specification For further information please contact James McCafferty, Development Standards Team, Email: james.mccafferty@renfrewshire.gov.uk