Plans for a residential development in Hawarden refused

Plans for nine apartments and an additional new home in Hawarden have been refused by Flintshire Council.

An application had been submitted to the authority seeking to build a block of nine, one and two-bedroom apartments on land at the junction of The Highway and Station Lane in Hawarden.

In addition to this the development would have seen a vacant warehouse converted into a four to five-bedroom detached house.

According to a planning statement submitted with the application, the proposal would have been a “landmark development in a prominent location within Hawarden”.

The statement added that the plans would “provide a flexible range of accommodation including single person and couple’s apartments together with a large family home”.

It added that the proposal would “maintain the character and form of the existing built development in the area generally in order to successfully assimilate the new buildings into the surroundings”.

But Flintshire Council planners have refused the plans, citing lack of privacy for neighbours and the impact it would have on nearby amenities as one of the reasons for turning them down.

Writing notice of the decision, Flintshire Council’s Chief Planning Officer, Andrew Farrow, said the development “comprises an undesirable intensification of residential development, by virtue of its siting and density”.

He added that “it fails to make adequate provision for amenity for future occupants and would be detrimental to the amenities enjoyed by the occupiers of neighbouring properties, by reason of overlooking and lack of privacy”.

Failing to prove there would be safe access to the site was another reason given by the authority for refusal.

Through the planning statement the applicants had suggested that access would be suitable for the development.

It said: “Access to the site is safe and convenient for both pedestrians and motorists and persons of limited mobility.

But the Council disagreed, with Mr Farrow adding: “The Local Planning Authority considers that the proposal fails to demonstrate that safe vehicular access can be provided by the developer to and from the main public highway.”

Rory Sheehan – Local Democracy Reporter (more here).