Guiding Principles

5.1 Uses

St. George’s has the potential to accommodate a variety of existing and new uses. Development through good design should seek to create an area of mixed uses.

Existing Uses
Established industrial uses employ a significant number of people and will continue to operate satisfactorily within the area. Indeed, industry will form an important part of the intended mix of uses within the area.

Accordingly any proposed new uses will have to be considered in relation to the operational requirements of existing industrial processes. A proposal may be unsuitable or require mitigating measures because of an existing use's impact.

Retail (Use Class A1) and Financial and Professional Services (Use Class A2).
The western edge of St. George’s is within the City’s Central Shopping Core. Sites within this area should be considered first for traditional comparison ‘high street’ shopping. Further major retail development may be acceptable adjoining the Central Shopping Core provided that there are no suitable sites available within Central Shopping Core.

Uses within retail (class A1), financial and professional services (Class A2), and food and drink (Class A3) will only be considered outside the Central Shopping Core if they form part of the ground level of a mixed use scheme and fulfil a demonstrated local need not provided for elsewhere in the area.

There is no quantitative deficiency for either major food store provision or retail warehousing in the City. Large scale proposals for these uses will therefore be resisted. However, consideration will be given to small convenience stores and other uses such as a post office that provide for local needs within St. George’s.

Any new retail development adjacent to St George’s Way Retail Park should be part of an integrated mixed-use scheme.

Residential (Use Class C3)
Where an appropriate living environment can be provided, which includes safe and convenient access to the development, residential development will be encouraged within Potential Development Areas. Residential accommodation will help support a lively mix of uses by increasing vitality and surveillance. The re-use of redundant or under used City Centre buildings and land for residential purposes is actively promoted as a sustainable approach to meeting housing needs. In order to achieve a balanced provision the council will welcome schemes which provide a range of accommodation and variety of tenure that will cater for all sections of the community. Guidance on affordable housing is given in Section 8.

Planning permission will not be granted if residential development would have an adverse effect on existing viable businesses by requiring them to make changes to their buildings or working methods in order to make them compatible with new residential use.

In those Potential Development Areas where residential use has been identified as a priority; planning permission for new land uses, or the intensification of existing uses, will only be given if development will not compromise any potential for future housing proposals on remaining land or premises within the Potential Development Area.

Change of use and the design of new buildings should not prejudice the use of upper floors for residential accommodation.

Residential uses near the Ring Road will need to employ good design principles such as position, internal layout, orientation, screening and engineering design solutions (i.e. mechanical ventilation and acoustic glazing) in order to minimise the negative impacts and exposure to noise and poor air quality.

Leisure and Recreation (Use Class D1 and D2)
Leisure and recreation uses are an increasing part of the mix of activities that people seek in city centre locations. Major assembly and leisure schemes (including a swimming pool) within Class D2 are acceptable in principle if located on a prominent sites with convenient pedestrian and cycle links to the Central Shopping Core, railway station, bus stations and City Centre car parks.

Class D1 (uses such as child care and childrens’ nurseries) that would serve the community will be encouraged, particularly in under-used buildings such as St. George’s Church where commercially viable alternative uses are unlikely.

Food and Drink (Use Class A3)
A3 uses will be welcomed if they form part of a mixed-use scheme or they demonstrate a local need not provided for elsewhere in the area.

Hotel (Use Class C1)
Within St George’s there are two existing hotels. The International Hotel on Rutland Street with 209 bedrooms and a new IBIS budget hotel with 94 bedrooms. However, The International Hotel closed in April 1999 due to low occupancy.

Planning permission has been given for additional bed spaces in the redevelopment of St George’s Tower. New hotel developments are acceptable in principle within the CCZ.

Offices (Use Class B1(a) and A2)
The area is suitable for major new office development. The conversion of existing buildings for office use will also be encouraged as part of a mixed-use approach to the development of the area.

Refurbishment or redevelopment to provide modern office accommodation in keeping with St George’s Conservation Area will be encouraged particularly along Charles Street, Colton Street and Rutland Street.

Light Industry (use class B1 (b) & (c))
Light industrial uses could continue to be provided for within the area. New development and uses should not prejudice the continuance of an existing employment use; consideration will be given to helping businesses relocate where a high quality scheme can provide clearly identified benefits.
The development of live / works units in the area will be encouraged.

Development for General Industry (Use Class B2) or Storage and Distribution (Use Class B8) will not be appropriate. The Council will however be sympathetic to expansion needs of existing B2 Class businesses. Cases will be treated on merit depending on the amount of disturbance potentially generated and to the extent to which this may be mitigated through building design, layout or management of processes.

Other Uses
Other uses will be considered on their merits, in conjunction with other principles in this guidance. For example with the evolving residential population, a doctor’s surgery may become necessary.

5.2 Access & Movement

The area’s proximity to the City Centre makes it essential that new development should maximise access by walking, cycling and public transport. The following principles will be applied in considering development proposals:

• A high quality and user-friendly pedestrian environment. This should apply throughout the area and in connections to adjoining areas.
  
  
• The need for ‘mobility management’ proposals. These will demonstrate how a ‘modal shift’ away from the use of the private car in favour of public transport, for both operators and customers, would be encouraged.
  
  
• The provision of parking associated with individual developments should not exceed the maximum standards set out in the Local Plan. Where parking is provided there will be a preference for either basement or on street parking, provided access, amenity and safety are not compromised.
  
  
• Recognition of and response to the specific needs of disabled people. Developers will be expected to follow guidelines set out in SPG ‘‘Paving the Way’’ in new development or refurbishment in the city.
  
  
• The provision of safe and secure cycle parking facilities for all residential, employment, community and leisure proposals.
  
  
• Development should not prejudice improvements and changes to movement and access as identified by this guidance.
  
  
• Access and space for operational servicing needs should be provided on the street where possible.
  
  
• Adequate kerb side parking for buses and the retention of north-south and east-west routes for buses through the city centre.
  
  
• Traffic calming measures should be designed in such a way as to discourage rat-running but allow for ease of movement of public transport.
  
  
• Improvements to the pedestrian and cycle network will be sought by widening of pavements, provision of designated cycle lanes and shared surface areas.
  

5.3 Urban Design

All applications for large scale development will be expected to include a statement setting out the urban design approach adopted and explaining how proposals relate to the following urban design principles.

Quality

Buildings and spaces

• A high quality of design will be sought with the use of form, scale, massing and materials in the design of buildings and external spaces appropriate to the character of the area.
• Solid shutters and anti-scaling ‘cacti’ facing the public highway and other open spaces will not be acceptable.
• Security shutters should comply with the City Council’s shop front security policy.
• Ventilation and cooling systems and other service equipment should be designed to minimise visual and noise intrusion (details should be submitted with applications).

Public realm

• Buildings should define routes through the development.
• Buildings should only be set back from the edge of pavements where new public spaces are proposed.
• Development should seek to enhance safety, security and surveillance and minimise opportunities for crime and anti-social behaviour.

Landscape

• An integrated approach to landscape design will be expected. This includes co-ordinating the overall layout, access, railings, hard landscaping, lighting services, street furniture and surface materials.
• Planting proposals will be expected to make a specific contribution to any development – to provide interest on streets, to soften buildings, to create structures and delineation, or to establish landmarks where necessary. Agreements will be sought (enforceable through appropriate planning conditions) to secure the long-term maintenance of new soft landscape.
• No development will be allowed which would prejudice the retention of trees or future planting within St. George’s churchyard.
• Proposed work to trees should include supporting arboricultural evidence, which will be considered on its merits.

Place

Gateways and landmarks

• New development at entrance points to the area should be distinctive and memorable emphasising a ‘sense of arrival’ and assisting people to orientate themselves.

Public art

• The use of public art to reinforce a sense of place will be encouraged throughout the area. Developers will be expected to liaise with the Council’s Public Arts Officer before submitting major planning applications to ensure the integral consideration of public art with the planning, design and construction process.
  

Heritage

• The preservation and enhancement of the area’s built heritage will be required. Accordingly, development within the St. George’s Conservation Area should enhance the character of the area.
  
• Proposals that re-establish links between St. George’s South and St. George’s Way will be welcomed.
  
• The demolition of all or part of buildings in the Conservation Area will be resisted unless it can be shown that redevelopment has a substantial number of additional benefits and meets the tests set out in ‘‘Planning Policy Guidance Note 15.’’ Window replacement in the Conservation Area will only be considered for approval where traditional materials are used and evidence is submitted that existing frames cannot be reasonably repaired or adapted. The use of UPVC replacement windows in particular will be resisted.
  
• The City Council will expect the retention of historic detailing and features on and around buildings (including in the public highway) such as chimneys, ceramic tiles, cobbled areas, pavings, railings, drainage gullies and granite kerbing.

Mixed Use

• All new development will be expected to encourage a mix of uses that will contribute to the economic and social ‘health’ of the area.
• A coarse and fine grained approach to mixed-use development will be sought with the mixing of uses both vertically and horizontally.
• Residential development should be an integral part of mixed use development within the area

Ease of Movement

• Development should improve and enhance through routes for pedestrian and cycle traffic from the Railway Station in the south and St. Matthew’s in the north.
• Routes should be as direct as possible and open to the general public.
• Wharf Street South should be promoted as a spinal route through the area linking St. George’s South with St. George’s North.

Vitality

Active Frontages

• Streets and other public spaces should be overlooked by the fronts of buildings that should contain windows and main entrances and have activity generating uses on the ground floor.
• Proposals that include large blank elevations or ground level parking will not be acceptable as they reduce the vitality and surveillance of the street.
  

Density

• All development will be expected to be of high density. Single storey development will not be appropriate.
• Adjacent to the Ring Road development will be expected to be a minimum of 4/5 storeys to provide good enclosure to the public realm and a noise buffer.

Sustainability

Energy Efficiency

• New buildings should demonstrate good practice in energy efficiency and water conservation. Residential development should achieve a National Home Energy Rating of 9 or above. Non residential development should achieve a “very good’’ rating in terms of energy efficiency under the Building Research Establishment Environmental Assessment Method (BREEAM 5/93).
• Development should use materials from sustainable sources where possible.

Other design factors

Noise and Air Quality

• Uses generating unacceptable levels of noise or other pollutants that may affect the amenity of neighbouring uses will not be permitted.
• Noise sensitive developments will not be permitted if its users would be unacceptably affected by noise from noisy existing land uses. Air quality and noise pollution from the Central Ring Road and the railway line is a potential constraint on adjoining development. Consideration also needs to be given to the location of existing uses such as pubs and clubs that create high levels of street noise and disturbance in locating residential development.
• Where possible development should incorporate sound insulation measures to reduce the conflict with surrounding uses. For a mixed-use development, it is likely that some level of sound insulation will be required to prevent noise nuisance; the degree required would be dependant on the uses involved.
• The area of St George’s which is bounded by the Central Ring Road is contained within the Leicester Air Quality Management Area (AQMA). Careful consideration must be given to any sensitive developments such as housing, where people are likely to be exposed to poor air quality. Through careful design exposure to both poor air quality and noise can be significantly reduced. The position, layout, and orientation of residential development as well as engineering protection are important factors in minimising individuals exposure to both poor air quality and noise. The design of a mixed use scheme will be expected to consider these factors at the same time as meeting the key urban design principles as already highlighted. Adjacent to the Central Ring Road housing should not be provided on the ground floor.

Archaeology

The area covered by St George’s Area Strategy Guidance lies predominantly to the east of Leicester’s historic and archaeological core. Antiquarian and more recent archaeological investigations has however, indicated the presence of buried remains of Roman, medieval and post medieval date.

• Planning applications should include a through assessment of archaeological matters, and make appropriate provision for any necessary investigations and recording. Planning consent may be refused or conditioned to ensure that archaeological remains are preserved and/or appropriately recorded. Consequently, early consultation with the City Archaeologist (Leicester City Museums Service, Tel: 0116 247 3023) to establish the likely archaeological considerations is recommended.