Planning application caught in voting mess up

Three storey property proposed in Westward Ho!

A controversial planning application for a three storey property in Westward Ho! described as “overbearing” could go to appeal after a voting mess up.

Torridge District Council’s plans committee failed to decide about the proposal by Majic Property (Two) for a building in Atlantic Way which had attracted 45 objections.

Recommendations to both approve and refuse the plans were lost, with the chairman Rosemary Lock (Con, Two Rivers and Three Moors) declaring that a councillor must have changed their mind in the voting process.

It means the applicants will now have to wait until the next meeting after the general election for the proposal to be discussed again, or they have the right to appeal to the secretary of state as their application hasn’t been determined within the deadline.

The developer has existing consent for a “modestly scaled” two storey fronted building containing three four bed homes to replace an old dormer bungalow,  but work was put on hold at the end of last year after an enforcement investigation discovered floor levels were two metres higher than the original plans.

An amended design with a higher roof height was submitted but this was refused because officers said it would harm the area’s character and affect neighbours.

The latest plans show the height of the eaves and ridge reduced to that originally approved and a gable roof and dormer windows added to address the loss of usable space on the first floor.

Planning officers considered the change to be acceptable as they said there was a mixture of dwellings and roof designs in Atlantic Way. There had also been an improvement in the use of local materials and balconies were obscured to a certain height to address potential overlooking.

But Cllr Kit Hepple (Ind, Milton and Tamarside) said the building was “huge” and looked nothing like the plans for the original which showed a hipped roof design and was two storey from the Atlantic Way side.

He said the raised ground level gave the effect of an extra floor and the concerns of overlooking and overbearing expressed by opponents were justified.

Cllr Jane Whittaker (Con, Northam) said it was a clever way of increasing the building to a substantial height. The homes in Atlantic Way were generally two storey.

But Cllr Chris Leather (Ind, Northam) said he couldn’t see a problem with it and if they refused it the developers were likely to win on appeal anyway because there planning permission is already in place.

A proposal to refuse the application was lost by five votes to four. This was followed by a proposal to approve the application which was again lost by five votes to four, thereby making the application non-determined.