Bid to demolish Goodfellows eco flats, in Kings Road/Parkway, Bury St Edmunds, for homes and apartments refused by West Suffolk Council
A bid to demolish a long-empty block of eco flats in a town centre and replace it with apartments and homes has been refused.
West Suffolk Council rejected the proposals from M&D Developments for the Goodfellows site, in Kings Road/Parkway, yesterday.
Concerns were expressed during the application over the impact the new properties would have on the character of the area, the size of proposed one-bedroom units not being sufficient and it substituting 12 affordable homes with nine at market price.
Planners said the design for the new builds was not a good quality and would fail to ‘promote or reinforce local distinctiveness and character’ and so would contravene policy and cause material harm.
Of the one-bedroom units, three – numbers 2, 7 and 9 – which the plans said would be for two people, measured 48.5 sqm. The adopted ‘National Space Standards’ requires a minimum of 50 sqm for a one-bed, two-person unit.
Planners said the development would harm residential amenity of existing neighbouring properties and did not give an adequate provision of space for future occupants.
The council’s environment team lodged a holding objection to the plans due to them not providing sufficient information on potential land contamination, which planners said weighed against the proposals.
Planners did note that, as the project was only for nine homes, it did not meet the threshold for a quote of affordable housing.
They also acknowledged it would bring a well-located site back into use and add properties to the housing stock.
Bury Town Council said it would recommend approval of the plans provided a ‘satisfactory environmental inspection’ was submitted.
In an officer report, the six factors cited for refusal of the proposals were the lack of information of land contamination and tree impact, insufficient bin and cycle storage, harm to residential amenity, the impact on the town’s conservation area and a failure to promote or reinforce local distinctiveness.
M&D Developments, based in Hengrave, worked with Thurlow Architects on the Goodfellows scheme, and has overseen numerous redevelopments in the area.
This includes the former Blomfield House health centre in Bury and is also progressing plans for the former St James’ Middle and St Louis Catholic Middle School sites in the town.
The applicants can appeal the decision.
