Ulverston builder’s anger at call to build big
Last updated at 17:10, Friday, 12 October 2012
By Paul BerentzenA DEVELOPER has been left stunned by a planning decision he says means he has to build houses that are too big for a town.
Kevin Pike has permission to build three “executive” homes at a site in Old Hall Road, Ulverston, but said he wanted to build four more suitably sized dwellings instead.
Despite a planning report that recommended the application be approved, it was shot down by the South Lakeland District Council planning committee in March and an appeal failed in August.
Mr Pike said: “It is absolutely ridiculous – we wanted to build four smaller houses for local families but they are forcing us to build three mansions.
“The four actually (took up) less room than the three.
I am quite annoyed that we can’t do what is right. It is a total reversal of everything they had been saying up until that point.
“If I’m wrong then fair enough but I want to know what people in the town think.”
Mr Pike said the smaller houses would be more suited to the area than three larger buildings costing more than £500,000 each – pricing out the average family.
He added: “It is walkable into town so young families only need one car but the council are now restricting the number of people that can enjoy that.”
He said the council and Planning Inspectorate’s objections came down to subjectivity – whether or not the development harmed the “spacious appearance of the street scene”.
Mr Pike added: “The distant views they want to maintain are over the back gardens of Beckside. And on the other side there is a massive mill that blocks any views.
“Of course it is spacious – we haven’t built anything on it yet.”
He said most of the nearby houses have high fences or hedges for privacy, meaning his plans for houses set back from the road and unobscured by a low wall would give a more spacious appearance than the others.
A spokesman for SLDC said: “Whilst this planning application did have a recommendation for approval by SLDC planning officers, it is for the members of the planning committee to make the final decision.
“In this case, the members felt the scheme would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the area and refused permission.”
First published at 16:26, Friday, 12 October 2012
Published by http://www.nwemail.co.uk
Quite agree Mr Pike, this seems a ridiculous decision of SLDC to be turning your application down when only last night on TV, the "Tonight" program was about why the property market at present is at a stand still due to more people now down sizing property and very few people wanting to buy big houses. Mr Pike would be for better off building four smaller dwellings that people want rather than three large properties he will struggle to sell.
Have your say
The plot's tiny. If 4 houses would have been built, they would have had tiny rooms, little storage, no gardens for children to play and where families living on top of one another, get angry, frustrated, depressed and ultimately breakdown. What's wrong with building 3 affordable homes suitable for families where children can play outside and they can live inside in harmony? I long to self-build but cannot afford the price of a plot because people are GREEDY. I think these plots were 150,000 EACH. no wonder he's disappointed he's only been able to raise 450,000. Boo hoo.
Posted by mrs M on 13 October 2012 at 09:30