A PLAN to build nine properties on a former car park at Woolston, Warrington, has been rejected by town planners.
Warrington Borough Council planners say the proposal to erect nine dwellings, including access, landscaping and associated works following site clearance at Williams Tarr & Co, Williams Tarr Construction Bridge Road, Woolston, Warrington, would be too cramped, create highway dangers and not provide any affordable housing.
The site (which covers an area of 0.24 hectares) comprises part of the car park and external areas associated with a former office building which is in the process of being converted into residential. To the north of the site are the proposed dwellings located within the existing building with a variety of employment uses surrounding the site.
Full planning permission was being sought for the erection of 9 residential dwellings. The proposal was for all 3 bedroom properties (3 pairs of semis and a terrace of 3) all with flat roofs.
The proposal only contained a small amount of amenity space around the units and was not considered to be an acceptable amount of usable amenity space. In some cases, the amenity space is not particularly useable and would not therefore provide a good level of amenities for future occupiers. The likely height of any boundary treatment to ensure that it is private means that it is going to be overshadowed and unusable. The lack of amenity space was a clear indication that too many units
are proposed and the proposal is a cramped form of development.
The proposed development also did not meet the current adopted parking standards for Warrington for new housing developments and the parking that is proposed is remote and does not include information relating to how the provisions would be allocated and managed. There were no details provided with the application relating to cycle storage or electric vehicle charging and while this could be conditioned to achieve the cycle storage required the amount of amenity space
proposed for each dwelling would be reduced.
In support of the application, the applicant S Moss (Bridge Road (Warrington) Limited) stated the site comprised previously-developed land that is located within the
suburban area and was, therefore, a preferred location for new residential development in principle. Furthermore, the proposed development is small-scale, with proposals for 9 dwellings constituting minor development, and would comprise a low-impact, infill development, being surrounded by built development on three sides.
The dwellings would deliver a type of residential accommodation that is appropriate to the location, with each dwelling being of high-quality design and supported by off-street parking and private amenity space, complemented by new tree planting and other soft landscaping.
The proposals were accompanied by a range of technical reports, including a noise impact assessment, air quality assessment, ecological appraisal, flood risk assessment and a transport technical note. The technical reports demonstrated that the proposal was technically sound, with there being no unacceptable impacts resulting from the development scheme. As a whole, the developer said it had been demonstrated that the proposals comprehensively satisfy the requirements of the Development Plan policy.
But the application was rejected on the following grounds:
1. The proposed development would not reinforce local distinctiveness or enhance the character and appearance of the area. The
development therefore conflicts with Policy QE7 of Warrington Local Plan and the relevant sections of the NPPF
2. The proposal would have a detrimental impact on highway safety as a result of inadequate access, lack of pedestrian
connectivity and lack of parking. The proposals therefore conflict with policies MP1 and QE6 of the Local Plan Core Strategy and the
provisions of the NPPF.
3. The proposal represents a cramped form of development with inadequate provision of private and useable amenity space.
Furthermore, the proposal fails to provide reasonable and satisfactory living conditions for future occupiers of the site in relation to
outlook, privacy and noise and is therefore contrary to the provisions of the NPPF and policy QE6 of the Local Plan Core Strategy.
4. Insufficient information has been submitted with the planning application in order for the Local Planning Authority to determine
whether there is an impact on the existing employment uses through noise complaints and air quality and as a result, the
development is contrary to Policy PV1 of Warrington Borough Council’s Local Plan Core Strategy.
5. Insufficient information (drainage information) has been submitted with the planning application in order for the Local Planning
Authority to determine whether there is a likelihood that the proposal can adequately mitigate the drainage of the site and not
contribute to the flooding in the area and the proposal is therefore considered to fail to comply with the provisions of the NPPF and
policy QE4 of the Local Plan.
6. The proposal fails to provide any affordable housing on the site and is therefore contrary to the provisions of the NPPF and
policy SN1 of the local plan.
