A Merseyside council has labelled a government decision to allow new housing as “dangerous and baffling.”
The Planning Inspectorate overturned a decision by Sefton Council’s own planning department to reject plans for 39 flats on Church Road.
It means that applicants, Penny Lane Builders, can now proceed with the proposals to build the development on the site of the former Central Buildings.
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The council had cited ‘an unacceptable level of private amenity space” when it rejected the plans last year.
That came despite the developer claiming that “maximum effort” had been undertaken to try to establish more private space, with no success.
In its submission to the council, Penny Lane Builders said that “given the urban nature of the site we have been unable to achieve the required amenity spaces as specified within the Local Council's guidance”.
Despite appealing to the council to approve the plans, they were rejected last November.
Following the Planning Inspectorate’s decision to overturn that decision, the council has sent a scathing letter to the government criticising the move to allow the flats to be built.
Cllr Daren Veidman, Sefton Council’s cabinet member for planning and building control, said he was “stunned” that the council’s decision had been overturned.
He said: “To flat out deny occupants a right to private outdoor space in any development is baffling and we are stunned that the Planning Inspectorate has dismissed our concerns.
“We have written to the Planning Inspectorate to express our grave concerns over this decision and we will continue to approach any future similar applications with the safety and security of our communities in the forefront of our minds.”
In its ruling, the Planning Inspectorate stated that the development’s occupants will be able to grow plants indoors or walk to a ‘nearby’ park to make up for a lack of outdoor space.
Residents would also be set to use tumble-driers supplied in the building, owing to the lack of an outdoor drying area.
In his letter to the inspectorate, Sefton Council’s chief planning officer Derek McKenzie criticised the ‘blithe acceptance’ of the developer’s position that those aspects of the design were necessary.
He said that by dismissing the local authorities’ concerns, the Planning Inspectorate’s Inspector “completely dismantles all prospect of residents in Crosby benefitting from amenity space in future developments”.
Councillor Veidman repeated those concerns, saying he did not understand how leaving residents with a long walk to the nearest green space fitted with the goals laid out by the inspectorate’s own guidelines.
He said: “In its Annual Report, the Planning Inspectorate states that ‘sustainable development is at the heart of the Government policies that set the framework for its decisions and recommendations our Inspectors make’.
“All Inspectors’, the report claims, ‘are aware of their duty to ensure the planning system contributes to the achievement of sustainable development’.
“To be honest I am struggling to understand how forcing residents to use energy-inefficient tumble dryers and leaving them with a 30-minute walk to enjoy the benefits of a green open space, meets any of these claims.”
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