Planning

I spent some time in the planning department this week looking at and discussing the plans that are being put forward at the moment for various schemes, including mobile telephone masts:

163 Harewood Avenue

This is the application to demolish one of the houses on the corner of Gainsborough Road and Harewood Avenue and replace it with 6 flats. An earlier application for 7 flats on the site has been refused by both the council and the Planning Inspectorate at appeal.

I’m very pleased to say that the planning department are of a mind to refuse this application as well. They agree with me that a development of this type would be completely out of keeping with the surrounding area. I understand that the formal refusal has not been issued yet but will be sent out in the next few days.

They also commented that they had received ‘hundreds’ of letters of objection. So thanks to everyone who had written in to object to the scheme.

77 Durrington Road

This is an application to build a house in the back garden of the house on the corner of Durrington Road and Warnford Road. The frontage would have actually been on Warnford Road. The site is very small, local people had been concerned about this and the traffic implications of the scheme.

The Planning Department confirmed that they too were concerned about these issues and are of a mind to refuse the development largely on the basis that the size of the plot is too small to take development. The house would need to be built very close to the boundary of the plot and to the back wall of the existing property on the site. Again, refusal has not been issued as yet but is likely to be forthcoming in the next few days.

1124 – 1126 Christchurch Road

This is an application to replace the two shops and two flats above them that stand next to the garage parking area on the corner where Hambledon Road, Holdenhurst Avenue and Christchurch Road meet.

The plan is to replace the building with one shop unit and six flats. Largely the scheme appears to be in keeping with the other developments along this part of Christchurch Road. The only concern the planners, and I, have is the lack of any parking spaces. Unfortunately this is not a reason to refuse the application unless the highways department raise a concern. They are therefore awaiting a response from the highways people before making a decision on the application.