Appeal over plans for ten new flats in Peterborough after council fail to make decision rejected

An appeal over a planning application to create ten new flats in Walton has been rejected.

Tameer Homes appealed to the Planning Inspectorate last May after Peterborough City Council failed to give notice of its decision over the proposal within the appropriate period (eight weeks).

The application for ten one-bedroom flats on land to the north east of Marholm Road, Walton were first submitted in November 2021.

The site is a piece of located at the junction of Marholm Road with Lincoln Road. The land used to be home to a large ramp, offering access to a now demolished footbridge over Lincoln Road.

The proposed building would have been L-shaped and two and a half storeys tall, reducing to two storeys along Lincoln Road.

A cap park of 11 spaces was proposed for the development.

Full planning permission for ten new flats on the site was refused in December relating to concerns about highways, design, scale and amenity.

Following the appeal, the city council submitted a statement in which it said that had it still been in a position to decide the application, it would have rejected it for five reasons.

These were the lack of parking that would result in dangerous parking in the surrounding area, the fact that plans did not demonstrate there would be enough space to provide the necessary ten cycle spaces and communal bin store facilities and the fact that “by virtue of its siting, height and size, the development would result in an unduly obtrusive and overbearing form of development in close proximity to the outdoor garden amenity area of No.64 Walton Park."

The proposed vehicular access was criticised for not prioritising pedestrians and encouraging “inappropriate high speeds” upon exit and entry.

It was also stated that: “The proposed development, by virtue of its siting, height, scale, design and

appearance, would appear an unduly dominant, obtrusive and incongruous feature within the locality. “In addition, the overall design quality of the proposed building is considered to be poor. The proposal would therefore result in unacceptable harm to the character, appearance, and visual amenity of the surrounding area.”

No reason for the delayed response was given.

The appeal was made made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a failure to give notice within the prescribed period of a decision on an application for planning permission.

The decision notice from Inspector John Gunn read: “I acknowledge that the appellant has sought the advice of the council as to what would be acceptable development, and has made amendments to the proposal, however, this does not alter the conclusions that I have reached.

"I have found that the proposal would not have an adverse effect on the living conditions of the occupiers of neighbouring properties, with particular regard to outlook, however, the absence of harm in this regard is a neutral factor and does not outweigh the significant harm, and subsequent policy conflict, that I have found with regards to the character and appearance of the area, highway safety, car parking and storage for cycles and refuse.”

The decision in full can be found on the city council’s planning portal using reference 21/01220/FUL.