The report of the Head of Planning, Building Control and Licensing is attached.

The site is located on Higher Chatham Street within the All Saints Campus of Manchester Metropolitan University (MMU). Boundary Street West and Rosamund Street West run to the north and south of the site respectively. It is adjacent to MMU’s School of Art in the Benzie Building, the new Students Union and the Salutation public house. The Royal Northern College of Music is on the opposite side of Rosamund Street West. There are MMU halls of residence nearby at Cavendish, Cambridge and Sir Charles Groves Halls. 

The site is 0.2 hectares and comprises highway land (Higher Chatham Street) and a surface level car park. It is used by University staff and also contains a waste storage area and cycle parking shelter. There are trees along the southern boundary. The area forms part of ‘Corridor Manchester’ which is a knowledge innovation district that runs along Oxford Road.  The Salutation public house is not listed but is a non-designated heritage asset. The nearest listed building is the Grade II listed Righton Building which is 80m away on Lower Ormond Street. The site is not within a conservation area. The Northern half of the site is currently adopted Highway and would require a Stopping Up Order.

The applicant’s agent spoke to the Committee in support of the development, and said that this development is an integral part of the ongoing development of the University Estate, explaining the scope and concept of the proposed development.  She confirmed that there would be a local labour agreement in place, secured by way of a condition. 

The Committee expressed some concerns about the lack of detail about the overall masterplan, while having no objection to the building itself, but requested some more information about accessibility and replacement tree planting.  The Committee asked that condition 16 be strengthened, so that the requirements were clearer with regard to the final details of the landscape and public realm works.  Officers confirmed that as part of the wider Masterplan,  wide ranging public realm was included with a significant level of tree planting that would mitigate the loss of trees on this site.  Officers also confirmed that they would provide further details of the wider Masterplan to the Committee outside of the meeting.

The Committee also asked if an impact assessment had been carried out on the proposed road closure, and officers confirmed that an impact assessment had been carried out and that the effect had been considered acceptable.  Officer also confirmed that Highways Services welcomed the stopping up of Higher Chatham Street.

The Committee queried whether the development would be overbearing on the Salutation pub, and officers confirmed that while this was not a listed building and was not in a conservation area, it had been dealt with as a non-designated heritage asset. However, the public house already sits within the context of a heavily built up area and is surrounded by buildings of varying heights. The overhang from the front of the building would allow views of the Salutation pub to be retained from the east along Boundary Street West. The relationship of the proposal to the pub is therefore considered to be acceptable. 

The Committee asked whether the development would include cycle parking, and officers confirmed that although an existing cycle shelter would be lost, there are several other cycle parking facilities within the campus that could be used as an alternative. Additional cycle parking would be provided as part of ongoing masterplan works.  In addition, there are 36 cycle loops provided as part of the public realm development.

Decision

To approve the application subject to the conditions and reasons in the report.