Staines Town Society has discussed this application with a planning consultant, and as a result wishes to add the following to the response already sent to you.
Planning application 15/01718/FUL and LBC – Bridge Street car park further objection
The consultant agrees with the Society’s assessment of the scheme, and comments on the excessive height in a predominantly low rise area, the negative impact on the listed bridge and the listed buildings on the north side of Clarence Street, and the failure to enhance the Staines Conservation Area.
She makes the following points:
As the resolution to grant permission for the previous scheme 08/00762/FUL has lapsed and permission was not issued, this decision should carry little or no weight in the Council’s decision making. The Council’s allocation in the 2009 Allocations DPD as about 75 units and some retained public car parking provides a better indication of the appropriate scale for developing this site.
Policy HO3 requires 40-50% affordable housing in new developments. The 2009 proposal complied with this policy, but the current application has no affordable housing on or off site. Comprehensive financial viability testing should be undertaken and submitted to the Council for independent analysis to establish that on or off site affordable housing is unachievable. There is no record of this being done. This is absolutely contrary to policy.
She concludes:
The proposed development by reason of its height and proximity to Staines Bridge and the river Thames in conjunction with its siting, design, and resulting scale and massing, would result in a cramped and incongruous form of development that would fail to integrate into, respect, or take opportunities to improve the character and appearance of this high quality area, adversely harming the setting of the Staines Listed Bridge and the Conservation Area.
Staines Town Society agrees with these comments and adds them to its previous submission.
Recent Comments