Office and maintenance building at The Vineries Site, Stanwell Moor, Staines-upon-Thames

New office and maintenance building

The application demolishes existing buildings and erects an office, welfare and maintenance building, replacing hardstanding and keeping the existing storage yard use.

“Demolition of existing buildings and erection of an office, welfare and maintenance building, replacement of existing hardstanding, with retention of existing storage yard (Use Class B8).”

Minutes

Many letters of support received

54 letters of support, collected through a community consultation company, and a summary of benefits from the applicant were received by the committee.

“The Council had received a copy of the communication from the applicant to the Committee Members and Ward Councillors summarising the benefits of the scheme.”

Minutes

A residents' association objects

A residents' association chair raised increased heavy goods traffic, industrialisation of the village, over-development, lost natural drainage, and an Environment Agency objection over a nearby culvert.

The applicant's agent responds

The applicant's agent said the site already had a lawful storage use, flood and highway concerns had been addressed with no objections from those authorities, and the scheme would improve the site's appearance.

The Ward Councillor raises traffic and flooding

The Ward Councillor said heavy vehicles would use a single accident-prone route into the village, that the site regularly flooded, and that more hard surfacing would increase run-off.

Flooding, height and noise discussed

Members raised flooding risk from more concrete, the building's size and height, a possible bat survey, noise from traffic, and existing restrictions on vehicle movement hours.

“During the debate the following key issues were raised:”

“Concerns were raised about the increase in concrete areas that could create a flooding risk 2. Additional run-off water from the site would go straight into the drainage ditch in Spout Lane 3. How would an oil spillage be prevented from entering the water table 4. The footprint for the proposed commercial building would be twice the size of the original building 5. This proposal would have an adverse effect on green belt land 6.”

Minutes

Extra conditions on noise and hours

The committee asked for an acoustic fence by the neighbouring property and for vehicle manoeuvring, not just entry and exit, to be restricted to the same operating hours.

“The Committee requested that an additional condition be added to Condition 4 within the report to include reference to an acoustic fence being erected adjacent to the neighbouring property of Amberley and that the boundary fence should be in situ before the building was occupied. This could mitigate any increase in noise levels for the neighbouring properties.”

“The Committee requested that Condition 14 be amended to expand the restrictions with regard to activity on the site. In addition to entering and leaving the site, manoeuvring within the site should also be restricted to only between the hours of 7am and 7pm. The Committee also asked that the wording ‘articulated lorries’ be amended to ‘Heavy Goods Vehicles’ to encapsulate both ridged and articulated lorries.”

Minutes

Approved with amended conditions

The application was approved subject to changes to the boundary treatment and vehicle hours conditions.

“The application was approved subject to changes to Conditions 4 and 14, and Reasons 14 and 15: Condition 4 –”

Minutes