PLANNING STATEMENT FORMER HSBC BANK, 18 HIGH STREET, AMESBURY

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1 PLANNING STATEMENT FORMER HSBC BANK, 18 HIGH STREET, AMESBURY 21 Dec 17 Introduction Amesbury has a vibrant nightlife with three public houses, two hotel bars and a nightclub within the town centre as shown in the diagram below. A number of these venues have a late-night licence enabling them to operate until the early hours, some of which include live and recorded music into the early hours. Historically, there were two nightclubs in Amesbury, one of which operated within 50 yards of the proposed site, and until last year, there was a Sports Bar directly opposite the proposed site playing recorded music until 2.00am. Both of these operations have closed despite a continued growth in the population. We understand that this growth will continue given the ongoing development in Boscombe Down and the rebasing of troops to the Salisbury Plain by 2020 (Wiltshire Core Strategy, Amesbury Area Strategy, Paragraph 5.19 Bullet 2). Amesbury has many community focussed venues that provide accommodation for local groups and societies. What it lacks however is venue that is purposely designed to accommodate arts and dance. There is also no venue designed to host live entertainment such as that provided in Salisbury i.e. City Hall, Playhouse and the Arts Centre. We believe that there is a need to provide a variety of entertainment options as currently, people may choose to access services in other areas, in particular Salisbury. In the last decade that has been significant development in the outskirts of Amesbury including multiple restaurants and two pub restaurants. These are ideally situated for visitors to the area and local residents, but may be limiting the potential number of visitors to the town centre during the day and evening. 1

2 This proposal seeks to change the use of the former HSBC bank from A2 financial services to a mixed use A4 and D2. Building on the existing infrastructure, we plan to create a unique bank-themed cocktail bar and a venue for arts, culture and live entertainment. The venue would be accessible to local dance clubs and other community groups, and to younger people as a dedicated space to congregate in a safe environment. We intend to provide regular events including comedy nights, dances and concerts throughout the year, whilst running a cocktail bar/lounge in parallel with recorded music. We have included an example programme of events to give a feel for the type of offer we propose. Our proposal does not require any structural changes to the building and we intend to retain as much of the existing décor in place, in order to retain the bank theme. We have consulted with the community on our proposal by holding a meeting with residents and seeking views through social media channels. We have listened carefully to the professional advice given by the local authority and a noise consultant. Our original thinking included proposal for a nightclub, however we believe that this comes with more risk than a well-run and controlled cocktail bar and as such have decided not to pursue a nightclub. Our mitigation to noise and nuisance aims to ensure that any noise generated from the proposal is no more significant than existing noise levels. We describe how we will achieve this in our noise management plan, which is attached to this application. We noted that the planning application form did not provide sufficient space to outline our hours of operation fully. These are intended to be within Sunday to Wednesday, Thursday, and Friday and Saturday. The following aims to address the key issues raised at the community meeting and in the pre-planning advice given by Wiltshire Council. Planning Policy We have referred to Local Plan Policies, and where guidance was unclear, referred to the Wiltshire Core Strategy. Local Community The Directors of the company have lived in Amesbury for a number of years and one is a Director for the neighbouring public house. This venture is particularly important because it is not purely about profit; it is about establishing a long-term future in Amesbury and striving to contribute to the growth of the local community. The proposal will see local employment of around 15 staff plus local door supervision, and we intend to use local tradesman to complete the internal renovations. Most products will also be purchased through local suppliers. The proposed site was occupied by HSBC bank for over 100 years, but closed in February 2016 where it has been sat empty since. The proposed use will breathe new life into the building and surrounding area that may otherwise cause blight. The future of the building would therefore be secured through this proposal and would be in accordance with Public Services Policy 3 of the Local Plan. On 10 December 2017, we invited local residents and businesses to attend a consultation event in Amesbury. The purpose of this event was to share our ideas and hear from those that might feel affected by the proposed use of the building so that we could take steps to mitigate concerns. The key issues raised were around the nightclub element of the proposal and specifically the noise generated inside the property, the noise outside the premises and nuisance caused by patrons leaving the proposed site at the end of the evening. 2

3 We made a commitment to consider these issues and to work with the local Pub Watch scheme given the latter two issues are not exclusive to this proposal, but are a going concern for all establishments. We have since decided to focus on the proposal for a dedicated cultural event space and cocktail bar. Local Economy Both elements of our proposal (cocktail bar and cultural space) will enhance the local economy. By encouraging customers to frequent the town centre, we can anticipate greater use of local restaurants, takeaways and drinking establishments. We also forecast an increase in usage of public transport including local taxi companies. Historic Environment The proposal is situated in a conservation area and the building, whilst not statutory listed, is a much-valued building in the heart of the town centre. Our proposal does not seek to make any changes to the exterior of the building. Changes to the interior include sound proofing, refurbishment of the toilets and decoration. The only structural changes to the interior of the building will be the removal of stud walling which the former occupants installed. We plan to recycle almost all elements of the interior including use of the former bank counter as a bar and the original reinforced glass to create the double-glazing needed to the front facets. We consider this will show real recognition to the history of the former bank. The garden area will be landscaped in time, and appropriate boundary fencing installed to prevent access by patrons, thereby minimising disturbance to neighbouring residents. All changes to the property are expected to enhance and preserve its current state. This is in line with Conservation Policy 8 of the Local Plan. The following photographs give a feel for the current state of the property. Highway Safety and Accessibility 3

4 There is no parking on site however there are three public car parks within 5 minutes walking distance. We believe that it is appropriate to encourage customers of the proposed site to use public parking when attending any events, and to use public transport or walk when frequenting the bar. This aligns with General Principle 1, Paragraph (i) of the Local Plan. Retaining customers in the town centre reduces the need to travel elsewhere. This not only boosts other businesses, but also reduces the need for customers to travel elsewhere. This aligns to the Wiltshire Core Strategy, Amesbury Area Strategy, para 5.18 We propose to use the side door as the main entrance to the site, thereby removing any potential for the public pavement to become blocked. This step-free side entrance, along with all other elements of our proposal are accessible to all. Residential Amenity The site is located in the Town Centre of Amesbury where a variety of uses and activities take place commensurate with a town centre use at different periods of the day and night. It is accepted that within that mix a number of residential uses are also present, adding to the vibrancy of the town. In the immediate area, there is a hotel situated directly opposite the proposed site and another albeit smaller hotel within 50 metres. There are 6 residential properties and a public house adjacent to the proposed site, and retirement apartments behind the property with a JD Wetherspoon in-between. There is a cul-de-sac approximately 100 metres away with houses. There are a number of retail businesses within 50 metres of the property. In terms of the existing night time economy, the neighbouring public house is licensed to 2.00am on a Friday and Saturday, and is licensed to play live and recorded music until 12.30am with door supervision. The hotel opposite operates two bars and until last year one of these was a Sports Bar with a DJ until the early hours. The local nightclub in Amesbury is situated within 100 metres and operates until 2.00am on a Friday. The High Street and Church Street is where the prominence of nightlife is. Each venue employ door supervisors to manage noise control and public disturbance, all of which are linked through a common radio system. Our proposal would seek to take part in this. We consider two main risks to residential amenity in our proposal: the noise created within the premises and then ingress and exit of customers from the premise. We will address these issues through effective soundproofing to all windows on the ground floor, controlled noise levels of music played, and appropriate door supervision as agreed with Wiltshire Licencing Authority. We will introduce a two-step entry system so that all customers enter the building to a reception area before entering the main bar area/event space, so that there is no queuing outside. We plan to have three doors separating the outside to the main live event/bar area. We are happy to agree to a set of planning conditions that secure the implementation of the noise mitigation measures and future compliance in order to protect adjacent residential amenity. We appreciate that this proposal seeks to increase the potential footfall in Amesbury by encouraging the community to stay in Amesbury rather than travel to other areas to socialise. In doing so, this raises the potential for noise and disturbance at the end of the night, particularly on a Friday and Saturday, and late evening when a live event has taken place during the week. We are somewhat restricted by our ability to retain noise levels at the end of an evening when patrons have exited the building, but will use door supervision to ensure a smooth exit and work with the local police and other drinking establishments to ensure customers exit the area as swiftly as possible. We will also work with local taxi companies to ensure that sufficient taxis are available a short walk from the proposed site to alleviate some disturbance. 4

5 We have conducted a thorough assessment of the noise impact of the proposed use on local residential amenity, listened to the views of local residents and sought professional advice of the Council s Environmental Health team. We consider that through the implementation of our comprehensive package of noise mitigation measures we are confident that the proposal will not results in an adverse noise impact on neighbouring uses. Fire Safety There are four fire exits on site; 1 single door and 1 double door on the ground floor, and 2 single doors on the first floor. We will undertake a fire risk assessment as part of the licencing application and consider installing an additional single door on the ground floor if advised. Vitality and Viability We consider that our proposal will positively enhance the vitality and viability of Amesbury, and contribute to the growth of the town centre. Amesbury currently has no dedicated infrastructure in place to accommodate live productions, concerts and music events. This proposal would fill this gap and give reason for visitors and residents to use the town centre for this purpose, whilst also bringing additional custom to other retailers and local restaurants and bars. This aligns to an ambition to make the town more self-supporting and reducing the need for travel to larger urban centres, as defined in the Wiltshire Core Strategy, Amesbury Area Strategy, paragraph Our proposal seeks to enable the town centre to thrive, in line with the Wiltshire Core Strategy, Amesbury Area Strategy, para 5.19, bullet 7. Furthermore, the Strategy outlines a shortage of amenity space in the area (para 5.19 bullet 14). Our proposal seeks to address this by offering a facility to the community that is of suitable size to accommodate large events whilst also being central the town. Conclusion Drawing the positives together and outlining the measures to be implemented to safeguard any potential adverse effect, we conclude that the proposals are entirely policy compliant and represent a positive effect on the local economy and the built environment. Nathan Muirhead Director Keystone Entertainment Ltd Planning Application - Supporting Information: Reference 1 Supporting Statement Reference 2 Site Plan Reference 3 Location Plan Reference 4 Existing Floor Plan Reference 5 Proposed Floor Plans Reference 6 Noise Management Plan (Draft) Reference 7 Noise Assessment Report Reference 8 Design and Access Statement Questionnaire Reference 9 Presentation to Local Residents/Businesses Reference 10 Example Programme of Events Reference 11 Example Front Signage 5