Triple rejection for The Ropewalk home plans in Southwell
A series of planning applications for homes on one road — described as a countdown of five, four, three, two, one — were all rejected.
Three applications were lodged for land behind 49 and 49A The Ropewalk, Southwell.
All were turned down, with councillors left to ask which of the schemes the developer actually wanted to build.
The applications were debated at a meeting of Newark and Sherwood District Council’s planning committee on Tuesday.
Although they followed each other in succession on the agenda, they were discussed as individual applications on their own merit.
However, the reasons for refusal were all largely the same — over-intensification, partial back-land development, or a massing of homes on the site.
The first application sought permission for five single-storey bungalows, each with two bedrooms. Each would also have a single garage built in two garage blocks.
It was accepted by the committee that bungalows represent the greatest housing need in Southwell.
Committee member Malcolm Brock said bungalows would be well-received locally.
He said what was proposed was intensive, but he wouldn’t go as far as to say over-intensive.
Linda Dales said it was back-land development and she could not support it.
The second application was for four two-storey dwellings, the second major need identified in Southwell.
This time, Mr Brock said he felt it was over-intensive for the site and Mrs Dales described it as contrived and back-land development.
The third application was for three dwellings, two two-storey and one a bungalow, which Mr Brock said was too big in scale and was a massing on the site.
Committee chairman Roger Blaney said that when he saw all of the applications, it felt a bit like a countdown of five, four, three, two, one.
While Yvonne Woodhead said she was left to question which exactly of the schemes the developer, Ablehomes, actually wanted to build.
Planning officers had recommended approval of all three applications, but all were refused.
Southwell Town Council had expressed concerns over flooding and and over-intensification of the site, but the issue of flooding was deemed to have been overcome by the addition of conditions.