Osterley Station Car Park Development Presentation Planning Note - PDF document

Osterley Station Car Park Development Presentation Planning Note (July 2019) Introduction 1.1 This briefing note has been prepared on behalf of Apartments for London (AfL) to provide a summary of the proposals for the redevelopment of Osterley Station Car Park, Great West Road, Osterley in advance of the presentation to be made to the London Borough of Hounslow Planning Development Presentation Committee prior to the formal submission of the application. 1.2 AfL has been established to deliver large volumes of high quality affordable rented accommodation on under-utilised, yet highly accessible sites across London. AfL aim to deliver homes which are 100% affordable, that will assist, in particular, in meeting the needs of young professionals and key workers. 1.3 AfL utilises precision manufactured modular construction to build on challenging sites that may not necessarily have come forward for development. Using this growing construction method, AfL is able to facilitate the creation of new homes quickly and efficiently, with most ready for occupation within 12 months following consent of full planning permission. The Site 1.4 The site is situated adjacent to Osterley Station Underground Station in the central area of the London Borough of Hounslow. The Site is bound by the Great West Road (A4) to the south and by Osterley Station to the west. 1.5 The site is in a highly sustainable location, currently in use as a commuter car parking with 135 parking spaces, run and owned by TfL. It is accessed directly by a crossover from the Great West Road (A4) via a ramp which drops down into the car park. 1.6 TfL have agreed to the reduction in commuter car parking numbers, in addition to a temporary closure of the car park once the development is under construction. 1.7 The site is well located in terms of transport accessibility with Osterley Underground Station (served by the Piccadilly Line) situated next to the site. Bus stops are located just outside the station from the site including bus services H91 linking to Hammersmith and Hounslow and H28 a local route serving nearby supermarkets in Osterley and Hounslow. Planning Note Page 1

1.8 The site has a public transport accessibility level (PTAL) rating of 3 (where 0 is the worst and 6 is the best) according to Transport for London. This therefore indicates a moderate level of public transport access. 1.9 Whilst the site is not subject to any existing policy designations within the adopted Local Plan it has been allocated within the emerging Local Plan Review for residential and commuter car parking use. 1.10 The site is located within Flood Zone 1 which means the site is at low risk of flooding. IThe Site does not fall within a conservation area. 1.11 The site and its immediate surrounding environment is predominately characterised by residential uses, a mix of one, two and three storey properties which front onto Great West Road. To the east, there is a detached house and further east there are semi-detached and detached houses along the Great West Road and Osterley Road. Opposite the site lies a three-storey flatted development on Osterley Close. 1.12 Lying directly adjacent to the site is Osterley Station, which is a Grade II listed building. Other designated heritage assets include Osterley Park Registered Park and Garden (Grade II*) located due south of the site, less than 1km away and the Spring Grove Conservation Area which lies to the east of the site. 1.13 To the south of the site, approximately one kilometre away lies Dudley House Nursing Home, which was granted permission in March 2017 for the change of use of the existing nursing home (C2) to residential (C3) to provide 17 flats. As we understand, this development has yet to commence. 1.14 Slightly further east of the site lies the Master Robert Hotel which was granted permission in 2016 for the demolition of the existing hotel buildings and the construction of a new 4 storey, 118-bedroom hotel with associated facilities and 34 new dwellings with associated amenity space. 1.15 Additionally, further south on London Road, permission was granted in 2017 for the erection of a four storey mixed use block containing two retail units and seven flats with associated amenity space and cycle parking. 1.16 There is no planning history relating directly to the site. The station building itself has had a number of applications for permitted works relating to the installation of lifts and various changes to the ticket offices. Planning Note Development Presentation Page 2

Background and Design Development 1.17 We have engaged in ongoing discussions with the London Borough of Hounslow since September 2018. The proposals are now a radical transformation from the previous scheme presented to the Council. Previous scheme: Proposed Scheme 1 (September 2018) Total no. units 118 Max. Height 9 storeys Private Amenity Provision 81% Communal Amenity Provision 53% of LBH requirement 1.18 The scheme has been significantly reduced in scale and massing since the first pre- application meeting and the design evolution has seen a vast array of layout options tested on the site for their effectiveness. 1.19 Significant improvements have been made to key elements of the proposals since then in order to provide a proposal that the Council can support. The design team has taken into account Officers’ comments on the previous schemes, 1.20 which has resulted in an evolved and revised designed proposal with a particular focus on the following elements of the proposal: • Unit number and mix • Private and community amenity provision • Scale and massing of the buildings • Public realm and connection with Osterley station entrance 1.21 A further pre-application meeting was held with the Council in May (2019) which established a positive response whereby Officers continued to support the principle of development and the improvements made to the heights, design and quality of units. 1.22 In addition, various public consultations have been held with OWGRA, ward councillors and local residents to outline and explain the changes that have been made. Proposed Development 1.23 The current proposal is for the: “ Redevelopment of station car park to re-provide commuter car parking with two residential buildings above, comprising 68 self-contained units (Use Class C3) together with Planning Note Development Presentation Page 3

associated public realm, amenity space, and landscaping, accessible car parking spaces, cycle parking and other associated works.” 1.24 The proposed development will comprise of up to 68 affordable residential units. There has been a strong focus on improving the proposed unit mix in order to better comply with local policy and as such, the proposals now make provision for a proportion of family sized units and all units comply with national space standards. 1.25 The proposed unit mix is set out below: Unit type Studio flats 1 Bed 2 Bed 3 Bed Proposed Scheme 41% 34% 16% 9% 1.26 The scheme has been reduced to 68 units with the height of the proposal having been reduced from nine storeys to six. The proposed development will not provide any car parking for residents. 1.27 The revised proposals provide one balcony per apartment into the overall formal composition, totalling 445m 2 and therefore providing a surplus of 18% of private amenity space. In addition, staggered blocks have been incorporated into the design to utilise the space located to the north of the site and has resulted in an increased central courtyard for the residents. The total provision of communal space is now 1,153 m 2 . 1.28 Significant work has been undertaken with regard to the interface with the public realm and connection with Osterley station in order draw further on the connection with the Osterley Station entrance and ensure an inclusive urban environment for all future residents. Conclusion 1.29 The revised proposals have sought to ensure that the development makes the most efficient use of land whilst allowing for consideration to be given to the site context, including the surrounding built form, uses and character, particularly given the proximity to the listed station building. 1.30 Following ongoing engagement with the London Borough of Hounslow, the design team has sought to redesign a scheme which has taken into account and responded to all comments raised by Officers, local residents and key stakeholders since the first pre- application meeting last year. 1.31 There have been significant amendments to the proposals which has allowed for the move towards a more policy compliant scheme, that as a team we feel can positively contribute to the Borough’s housing need whilst providing a high quality designed scheme which complements the surrounding area context, existing built form and character. Planning Note Development Presentation Page 4