Agenda item

Report of the Head of Planning and Regulation

The Committee considered a report of the Head of Planning and Regulation detailing the above application for the redevelopment of Trinity Square comprising of the removal and re-location of the Coventry Cross, the redesign of the public space area and reconfiguration of the existing rear terrace to facilitate a larger seating area in connection with the existing restaurant.

The neighbour notification period would expire on 15^th November 2018 and to cover this, the recommendation was updated in the late representations document to the following:

Planning Committee are recommended to delegate the granting of planning permission, (subject to the conditions listed in the report) to the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services upon the expiry of the consultation period and subject to no new significant material matters being raised that have not already been considered.

The late representations document provided responses to further representations that were received following publication of the report.

The Committee also considered a petition objecting to the application, bearing 38 signatures, which had been submitted by Councillor Lakha, a Binley and Willenhall Councillor. As Councillor Lakha was unable to attend the meeting, Councillor Bailey, a Cheylesmore Ward Councillor attended the meeting together with the petition spokesperson and spoke in respect of the petition.  A registered speaker also attended the meeting and spoke in respect of his objections to the application.  Following his submission, Councillor Bailey took no part in the discussion or voting on this application.

Councillor O’Boyle, Cabinet Member for Jobs and Regeneration attended the meeting and spoke in respect of the economic benefits of the application. He requested that the new location of the Cross be reconsidered and asked for the original medieval cross to be incorporated into any reconstruction. The applicant and applicant’s agent also attended the meeting and spoke in support of the application.

Following consideration of the report, the late representations document and matters raised at the meeting, Officers confirmed that approval of the application would not preclude a further application from being submitted if a more suitable location for the Cross was found.  The Committee requested that the timeframe for dismantling and reconstruction was tightened up, that the original cross was incorporated into the reconstruction and that a competition be held to design the public art required by Condition 3.  In light of this, Condition 3 detailed in the report was amended to reflect the timeframe for dismantling and reconstruction and notes to the applicant were added about the public art competition and the incorporation of the original cross into the reconstruction

RESOLVED that the grant of planning permission in respect of Application FUL/2018/2655 be delegated to the Head of Planning and Regulatory Services upon the expiry of the consultation period and subject to no new significant material matters being raised and subject to conditions detailed in the report

(Note: (i) Councillor Bailey did not take part in the discussions or vote on this application. (ii) Councillor Bains did not take part in any of the discussions or vote on this application as he was only there for part of the officer presentation.)