This meeting was about deciding on two planning applications.

Surrey Quays Shopping Centre

Surrey Quays Shopping Centre was scheduled to be discussed. A temporary change of use was requested from retail to a cultural venue for a period of five years, with associated works, including recladding and new glazing. The proposed hours are 06:00-01:00 Monday to Wednesday, 06:00-03:00 Thursday to Saturday and 08:00-23:00 Sunday. The proposed capacity would be 2,000 patrons. The venue would comprise:

• Ground floor: A food hall, indoor farm, flexible events space, an external terrace, back of house spaces, education and screening room.
• First floor: A covered external terrace and a separate room for events.

The application proposed cycle parking and a new lift, and set out its intended approach to sustainability, waste management, noise mitigation, crime prevention and inclusive access.

98-104 Rodney Road

98-104 Rodney Road was scheduled to be discussed. An application was made to vary the conditions of a previous planning permission (20/AP/2953).

The developer wanted to change the design of a new hotel building that had already been approved, to:

• increase the number of bedspaces in the hotel by substituting 126 double bedrooms in the approved scheme to become 36 double bedrooms and 496 single pods.
• change the internal layout to add a second escape stair, evacuation lift and firefighting lift, and to create communal space at 8th floor level.
• remove the second basement level
• change the façade materiality.

The report provided to attendees described the concept of pod hotels, which provide very small individual sleeping spaces. It described how the applicant proposed to achieve policy compliance in their approach to daylight and sunlight, sustainability, waste management, noise mitigation, crime prevention, inclusive access, fire safety and ecology. It also explained that the change in the scheme was driven by a change in the proposed hotel operator, to CoDE Concepts Ltd.¹