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Old London Road is saved by Planning Inspectorate

On 14th August 2017, Patcham got the good news it has been waiting for. Nearly 18 months since McCarthy and Stone first publicly announced their plans to demolish 5 family homes in the Old London Road and replace them with a 3 storey block of retirement flats, the Planning Inspectorate published their decision to refuse planning permission because of its impact on the character of appearance of the area. This was one of the main objections raised by the 350 people who sent in letters of objection, our local councillors, Geoffrey Theobald and Lee Wares, and was one of the main grounds for the Council turning down the planning application. The Inspector did not, however, accept the objections in relation to the flood risk. Here are some extracts from the decision:

Negative impact on character and appearance of the area

The Inspector comments: ‘I consider that the proposed building would, by virtue of a combination of its scale, density, massing and width, be a dominant and over-bearing feature that would detract from the attractive suburban character of this part of Old London Road. The proposed frontage roof profile would be incongruous in appearance and fail to respect local character, and notwithstanding its varied profile, overall would contribute to the prominence of the building.... I consider that the proposed development would cause significant harm to the character and appearance of the area.’

Flood risk and drainage mitigations acceptable

The Inspector comments: ‘I consider that the scheme would have a negligible effect on overall groundwater levels, and that the effects on groundwater flows are unlikely to be significant... The scheme proposes a suitable surface water drainage scheme, and a range of design and operational mitigation measures that seek to deal with residual risks. Furthermore, although I note the age and potential vulnerability of the proposed occupiers, there is no substantive evidence that the site is inherently unsuitable for the profile and number of proposed occupants. ’

Summary

The inspector concludes: ‘In summary, I recognise that there are number of benefits arising from the proposed scheme, and that these need to be weighed against any harm arising. As established above, although I am satisfied that the scheme would be acceptable in terms of flood risk and drainage, it would cause significant harm by virtue of its impact on the character and appearance of the area. Overall, having carefully considered all of the evidence before me, I consider that the aforementioned benefits of the scheme, taken as a whole, do not outweigh the significant harm that I have identified in this case.’

What happens next

That is now the end of the road for this planning application. If McCarthy and Stone want to pursue a planning application on this site, they will need to start all over again and put in a brand new planning application to the Council which they consider addresses the objections from both the Council and the Planning Inspectorate. This application would then be subject to further public consultation.

Read the full decision of the Planning Inspectorate here:

https://acp.planninginspectorate.gov.uk/ViewCase.aspx?caseid=3163517 Thank you to everyone who has taken an interest in this planning application. The Planning inspector read every letter of objection and I am in no doubt that our arguments contributed to the decision to reject the application.

Alistair Elliott www.protectpatcham.co.uk alistair.elliott1@ntlworld.com

Posted in The Post Community on Sep 01, 2017