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A planning application will be considered on Thursday for a vacant,” unkempt” site between Carmelite Street and the Shambles multi-storey car park. The site is at the edge of the Hungate site, which is currently being developed in phases.

According to the approved Masterplan the proposed building would front onto St John’s Square, a public space and focal point at the centre of Hungate, across Carmelite Street would be a 4-6 storey (6-storey facing the application site) building comprising of shops and business at ground floor level and residential above. To the southeast would be a 5- 6-storey residential building and a 4-storey car park.

The site is outside the Central Historic Core Conservation Area which terminates at the River Foss and includes the land to the west of the telephone exchange building. The site is designated as an area at high risk of flooding and is included in the Hungate action area, where the local plan seeks to deliver 1 hectare of premier employment land and a mix of residential, retail, community, cultural and leisure uses.

The application proposes an 8-storey building that would provide student accommodation, 258 bedrooms in total. There is an extant permission to develop the site for offices and the proposed building retains the building height approved in that scheme.

Officers are recommending approval of the planning application which will be considered by the Planning Committee on Thursday

Poppleton garden centre site plan - click to enlarge

The Councils Planning committee will be asked to agree to the erection of sales building and canopies, restoration of nursery growing area and new landscaping following demolition of buildings and removal of hard standings at the Poppleton Garden Centre.

The application is for the erection of a sales building following the demolition of the existing garden centre building. The rectangular building measures 56.4 metres along the north and south elevation and 74.4 metres along the east and west elevations. There would be two canopies; to the north and east elevations. The garden centre building would include a restaurant/cafe area. The footprint of the building would be 4688sqm; including the canopies it would be 6116sqm. The external plant sales area excluding the canopies would be 2850sqm. The existing garden centre building has a footprint of 3760sqm and the canopies are 515sqm.

In addition it is the intention to use the land to the south of the building for the growing plant stock for the garden centre. There would be a reduction in the size of the car park from 266 spaces to 246 spaces to provide more landscaping in the north western corner of the site adjacent to the vehicle junction. The site plans shows trees planted within the car park. In addition a pedestrian access point would be added in the northern boundary next to the existing crossing island on the A59.

The site is within the Greenbelt and just outside the Poppleton Settlement Limit. There are dwellings and a plant nursery to the north and east. There is a restaurant and veterinary practise to the west of the site. Park and Ride facilities have been granted planning permission to the west of the site on the other side of Northfield Lane. To the south of the site are fields.
Officials are recommending the approval of the planning application subject to a referral to the Secretary Of State as the site is within the green belt.