Laundry kiosk and fascia sign at Tesco Superstore Frogmoor Wharf, Rickmansworth

The site

The site is a supermarket and car park beside the canal, residential properties, Harefield Road and a refuse depot.

“09/0303/FUL - Single storey glazed front extension comprising an entrance lobby with automatic sliding doors and reconfiguration of parent and child spaces - Permitted 30.04.2009 1.11 99/01347/FUL - Vary Condition 4 of 8/0556/89 to include trading and deliveries on Sundays and Bank Holidays. Permitted 28.07.1999. 1.12 8/0556/89 - Outline application for 3,532sqm gross retail floor space, service yard, parking for 310 cars. Allowed on appeal 13.09.1990.”

“The site is served by a two-way vehicular access from Harefield Road which provides ingress towards a service yard to the east and a car park which extends around the building from west to the north. The car park is separated from the waterway by a kerb, a low wooden barrier and a margin of land planted with low shrubs and a line of trees with their canopies raised. There are views into and out of the car park to the canal and a tow path on the far bank.”

Officer report

Officers’ recommendation

Officers recommended approval of both applications subject to conditions.

“Recommendation: That Planning Permission be GRANTED subject to conditions. That Advertisement Consent be GRANTED subject to conditions…”

Officer report

Why officers supported it

Officers considered the kiosk and sign acceptable because of their scale, siting, limited lighting and restricted operating hours.

“The sign would be internally illuminated. The illuminated sign is proposed to have a brightness of 270 cd/m² (candelas per square meter), which is likely to be akin to a standard indoor display or a dim nighttime outdoor sign. It is considered that the sign would not result in an unduly urbanising, prominent or contrived feature within the street scene or significantly detract from the character of the commercial application building or wider area.”

“It is acknowledged that the kiosk may increase the likelihood of noise being audible to nearby residential properties and that the Environmental Health Officer highlighted that a noise assessment has not been submitted. However, the peak noise would be brief and intermittent, rather than continuous. Furthermore, the kiosk would also operate only during store opening hours, preventing noise-generating activity at night or during other closed periods.”

Officer report

Consultation responses

The community council objected, while the Canal and River Trust had no objection and Environmental Health raised noise and lighting concerns.

“Statutory Consultation 4.1 National Grid: No response 4.2 TRDC Environmental Health: Comments received The proposed 24-hour laundry is opposite residential properties, but no noise assessment has been provided for the machinery, ventilation, customers, or vehicle movements, particularly during night-time hours. Plan 3169 notes there will be illuminated signage, but has supplied no details of luminance or detains on light spillage.”

“BCC Comment regarding 26/1065/ADV BCC strongly object to this excessively large, illuminated sign in a residential area, which will result in light pollution and have an intrusive effect on residents living opposite. BCC would like to call this into committee unless officers are minded to refuse. Canal And River Trust - [No Objection]”

Officer report

Who spoke

A parish councillor spoke against the applications, the agent spoke in support, and a councillor also spoke on the applications.

Members’ debate

Members discussed relocating the benches and whether the kiosk could be moved west to reduce its visibility.

“The Committee’s discussions included the following: • A Committee Member expressed concern about the relocation of the benches which would need to be moved in order to accommodate the kiosk. It was considered that were the benches to be sited adjacent to the kiosk, this may increase the likelihood that users may congregate, or sit and chat, thereby increasing noise levels.”

“A Committee Member questioned whether there may be scope to locate the kiosk further to the west, so that it would not be visible either from the street or the houses on Harefield Road. However, it was noted that there were constraints arising from the site, including the narrowing of the pavement beyond the zebra crossing, and the crossing itself, which prevented this.”

Minutes

The votes

Members unanimously approved both the kiosk and advertisement consent, subject to amended or additional conditions.

“Councillor Whately-Smith moved, and Councillor Gazzard seconded, that planning application 26/1064/FUL be approved subject to conditions and with amendment to Condition 3 to remove the last line which referred to ‘Any associated signage shall only be illuminated during these hours and shall be switched off at all other times’. On being put to the vote this was carried, the voting being unanimous.”

“(ii) That advertisement consent 26/1065/ADV be approved subject to conditions and with the addition of a condition to control the timings of the illuminated signage to align with store hours.”

Minutes

The decision

The kiosk was approved with an amended operating-hours condition, and the sign was approved with a condition controlling illumination during store hours.

“(i) That planning application 26/1064/FUL be approved subject to conditions and with amendment to Condition 3 to remove the last line which referred to ‘Any associated signage shall only be illuminated during these hours and shall be switched off at all other times’; and…”

Minutes