'Contrived positioning': Planners reject proposals for two new houses in Telford

Needham Atwal wanted to construct the homes on land adjacent to where he lives in Hartshill Avenue, Oakengates.

Onsite parking would have been included, with a new vehicular crossover from the road.

Each plot would also have had a separate rear garden with timber panel fencing and would include a paved access to each house with a side gate, and paved access drive from the back edge of the pavement. The driveway would have been on a shared ownership basis for the development.

However, planners at Telford & Wrekin Council believe it ‘would fail to respect the character and appearance of the area’.

“Furthermore, as a result of the narrow frontage of the plot and the contrived positioning of the proposed pair of dwellings, the proposed pair of dwellings would poorly relate to the existing pattern of development and is considered an overdevelopment of the plot,” said planning officer Tom Carruthers.

He added that the proposed homes ‘would result in a significant detrimental impact upon the living conditions’ by virtue of loss of privacy, light and issues of overlooking, while the application failed to demonstrate how sufficient car parking could be provided.

“The proposed development fails to incorporate adequate facilities to enable vehicles to turn on the site and therefore enter and leave in a forward gear, in the interest of road safety,” said Mr Curruthers.

“The Local Planning Authority considers the applicant has submitted insufficient information to demonstrate that the development will not have an adverse impact on protected species, namely the omission of a Preliminary Ecological Appraisal which is required to assess the ecological quality of the site and impacts of the proposed development to the site and surrounding environment.

“Furthermore, the absence of a Biodiversity Assessment, which is required to be undertaken to demonstrate the development compliance.”

Report by Local Democracy Reporter Paul Rogers