The meeting of the Planning and Transportation Regulatory Panel included details of two planning appeals, a report outlining the planning applications determined under delegated authority, and four planning applications.

PA/2024/1143 - 159-161 Monton Road, Eccles, M30 9GS

This application concerned Mr Stanley Reeves' request to vary some of the conditions attached to planning permission 22/80904/FUL. The conditions concern the hours of operation of The Garden Bar and Restaurant, and the playing of live music at the venue.

The application was referred to the panel due to 96 objections having been received from neighbours.

These objections included concerns about:

• the thoroughness of the neighbour consultation process,
• the noise already coming from the venue,
• the impact of extended opening hours and live music on residents' quality of life,
• the appropriateness of the location for a late night venue,
• a potential increase in antisocial behaviour and crime,
• the effectiveness of the noise management plan,
• parking problems created by the bar's patrons,
• the precedent that could be set by extending the bar's opening hours,
• the impact on property values of a late night venue.

It was also alleged that the premises is already breaching existing planning conditions. The objections included a number of requests for the council to refuse the application, such as this one:

If people want to drink late there are plenty of venues in town that they can visit. Monton does not need a nightclub/late night bar, with having a bar open until so late being unnecessary and detrimental to the village atmosphere and the amenity of nearby residents.

The report stated that the application, as originally submitted, sought to extend the hours to between 8 am and 1.30 am every day, and to 2:30 am on New Year's Day. This was subsequently revised so that the application only requested an extension to the hours on New Year's Eve.

The application included a noise report from Nova Acoustics, which included an assessment of the potential noise impacts of live music.

Salford's Environmental Protection Team raised no objections, subject to a number of conditions.

The officer recommendation was to approve the application, subject to conditions.

PA/2024/1313 - 47-49 Cannon Street, Salford, M3 6EG

This application from Beluga Group and ForHousing, concerned the demolition of the remaining structures on the former Adelphi Lads Club site and the construction of 63 affordable apartments in a building up to six storeys high, along with parking, cycle parking and landscaping.

The application was referred to the panel because it included the erection of more than 50 dwellings.

The report pack included an appraisal of the scheme, a transport statement, a noise impact assessment, an air quality impact assessment, an arboricultural impact assessment with an arboricultural method statement, a flood risk assessment, a drainage strategy plan, a phase 1 geo-environmental desk study, a sustainability and energy statement and a social value strategy.

The scheme is designed to accord with Passivhaus standards¹ and is planned to be fully electric.

The appraisal refers to the fact that there is an extant planning permission for the site (reference 16/68905/FUL), which was approved in February 2021 for the demolition of the building and the erection of a building up to 5 storeys high. That permission was for 32 apartments and a ground floor commercial unit. The report pack stated that the applicant had provided evidence that this earlier permission has been lawfully commenced.

The appraisal discusses a number of issues including:

• the principle of the development and the loss of the former recreation facility,
• the housing type, mix, size and tenure of the proposed apartments,
• the layout, scale, massing and appearance of the scheme,
• the impact of the scheme on local heritage,
• the security aspects of the design,
• the impact of the scheme on the amenity of the area,
• the highways impacts of the scheme,
• the impact of the scheme on trees, ecology, landscaping and biodiversity.

The appraisal concludes that the principle of the redevelopment of the site has already been established, and that, although it would result in the loss of a former recreation facility, this should be mitigated through a payment to the council of £180,000. This amount was calculated by the council's Spatial Planning team, based on 2024/25 costs.

All of the proposed apartments are to be provided as affordable housing, with the majority being 1-bedroom accommodation. The report states that Salford's Housing Strategy and Enabling team have confirmed that there is significant demand for social rented accommodation in this part of the city.

The appraisal also refers to the fact that the site is affected by a Traffic Regulation Order (TRO) which prevents vehicular access along a stretch of North George Street. In order to accommodate refuse and delivery vehicles, the report stated that this TRO would need to be modified to reduce the length of the restricted area and to introduce double yellow lines in the access road. The council's Highways Officer also requested that the access road and the margins flanking it should be offered to the council for adoption.

The scheme is expected to deliver a net gain in biodiversity, in accordance with the requirement of the Environment Act 2021.

The appraisal concluded that the scheme is not financially viable and cannot support any planning contributions towards open space, outdoor and indoor sports, or public realm improvements.

The officer recommendation was to approve the application, subject to conditions and the signing of a Section 106 agreement. The Section 106 agreement is expected to include a clawback mechanism to enable the viability of the development to be reassessed.

PA/2023/0556 - Land at corner of Cross Lane and Liverpool Street, Salford. Site of the former The Ship Public House.

Mr Thomas Tasker of Together Housing requested permission to build 19 apartments in a three storey block, with landscaping, a bin store and parking.

The application was referred to the panel because the land is owned by Salford City Council and three objections had been received.

The application site is currently used as a car park and storage area by a nearby car showroom. It was formerly occupied by The Ship Public House, which was demolished in 2011.

The proposal included 14 one-bedroom and 5 two-bedroom apartments, all of which are to be offered as affordable rented housing.

The report pack included an appraisal of the scheme, a transport statement, a noise impact assessment, an air quality impact assessment, a phase 2 site investigation, a drainage strategy, a flood risk assessment, a sustainability statement and a social value strategy.

The appraisal discussed the following issues:

• the principle of development,
• the housing type and mix,
• the size and accessibility of the apartments,
• space standards,
• the provision of affordable housing,
• the efficiency of land use and density of the development,
• the design, scale and massing of the scheme,
• amenity,
• pollution,
• biodiversity net gain and landscaping,
• highways and parking,
• social value,
• health impacts,
• sustainability,
• planning obligations.

The appraisal stated that the site is in a sustainable location, and that the principle of residential development is acceptable, subject to other planning policies being satisfied.

The site is located within the Greater Manchester Air Quality Management Area, and the appraisal notes that there has been recent monitoring of the air quality in the vicinity of the site.

Because the site formerly contained terraced housing and a public house, it has the potential for land contamination. The appraisal refers to a phase 2 site investigation which included ground gas and groundwater monitoring. The site investigation indicated that there are elevated concentrations of heavy metals and polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbons (PAHs) in the ground. The site investigation concluded that further investigation and a remediation and enabling works strategy were necessary.

It is considered that the scheme will deliver a net gain in biodiversity, despite being exempt from the requirement of the Environment Act 2021.

The report included an assessment of the planning obligations arising from the scheme. It was calculated that the development should make a contribution of £104,404 towards open space, outdoor and indoor sports and public realm improvements. The applicant agreed to make these contributions.

The officer recommendation was to approve the application, subject to conditions, the signing of a Section 111 agreement and the signing of a Section 106 agreement.

PA/2024/1311 - The Kings Head, 535 Barton Lane, Eccles, M30 0HY

Dr Mark Spencer requested permission to build a basement and ground floor rear extension, alter the elevations and convert part of The Kings Head to a dentist's.

The application was referred to the panel because 39 objections were received from neighbours.

The objections included concerns about:

• the need for another dentist in Eccles,
• the lack of parking provision,
• the impact of increased on-street parking,
• the impact on traffic congestion and road safety,
• the impact on taxi services,
• pollution,
• the fact that the applicant had already started construction,
• the impact on the access to the rear of properties in Templeman Terrace,
• the failure to notify some residents about the application,
• unauthorised works on the rest of The Kings Head building,
• a threat by the owner of the rest of The Kings Head building to close the access road that serves the rear of Templeman Terrace.

The report pack included an appraisal of the scheme.

The appraisal discussed the following issues:

• the principle of development,
• the impact of the scheme on heritage assets,
• amenity,
• parking and highway safety,
• ecology.

It states that the eastern part of The Kings Head was recently granted planning permission for conversion to a dentist's (planning reference 23/82264/COU).

The application property is a locally listed building, and is located in the Barton Upon Irwell Conservation Area. The appraisal included a detailed assessment of the impact of the proposals on heritage assets. The appraisal concluded that the proposed extension would have limited visibility from public vantage points and would not have an unacceptable impact on the building or the conservation area.

The appraisal states that the application proposes 17 car parking spaces and 8 cycle parking spaces. Salford's Highways Officer advised that 14 cycle spaces should be provided.

The officer recommendation was to approve the application, subject to conditions.