Plans for a new block of shops and flats on a busy Preston street have been refused permission amid concerns they were more than the site could comfortably accommodate.
The development would have seen three retail units – with six dwellings above them – built on Blackpool Road in Ashton-on-Ribble.
They were to replace a previous shops-and-flats combination which was demolished last year after being found to be in a dangerous condition during renovation work for an earlier proposed project.
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Preston City Council planning officers had recommended that councillors on the authority’s planning committee approve the new scheme.
However, members unanimously rejected the proposal, unhappy with the “size and scale” of the new building and the number of occupants it would have. They said it would lead to an “over-intensification of the use of the site” which would be detrimental both to nearby residents and the “character and appearance of the area”.
Mick Patel, the developer behind the project, has told the Local Democracy Reporting Service (LDRS) that he will appeal to the Planning Inspectorate against the committee’s decision – and seek to recoup the costs of doing so.
The demolished premises had just one retail space – previously home to West’s Carpets and Furnishings- and two flats above it. Its replacement would have seen the proposed six residences spread across both the first floor of the new building and within its roof space,
More than 50 objections to the plans were lodged by residents and three councillors representing the area. Concerns from the public included a lack of parking for shop customers and the occupants of the flats, while local councillors claimed the proposed facilities were too much for the location.
A report to the committee from town hall planners had said that the blueprint for the new block was “considered acceptable and would integrate well into the site, which is located within a local centre” in the Lane Ends area.
Speaking to the LDRS in the wake of the decision, Mick Patel said he was “disappointed”.
“We were fully compliant with all planning policies – and my opinion is committee members are not planning experts. Preston planning [officers] are the experts and they said [the application] ticked all the boxes,” Mr. Patel said.
He added that he had worked closely with the city council – whose officers he praised – prior to the application being submitted, making changes to some of the flats to ensure they were acceptable. For that reason, he is hopeful that his appeal will ultimately succeed.
However, the Sapphire Properties Investment Limited boss said that if it fails, the site will stay vacant.
“I just won’t build anything there. I’ve got plenty of [other] projects on, so I’ll leave a piece of grass there forever,” he said.
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