Councillors claimed the scheme was an “overdevelopment” and would worsen parking problems in the area, reports Grace Howarth, Local Democracy Reporter

The Beech Road garages site (left) and (right) the plans for new homes (credit Stephen Davy Peter Smith Architects)

Plans to build 20 homes in Bowes Park have been rejected after councillors claimed the scheme was “overdevelopment”.

Around 40 local residents showed up to a planning committee meeting on Tuesday (22nd) to object to the proposal to build four blocks with 19 flats and one four-bedroom house on the site of disused garages next to a railway line.

The residents, who cheered after the decision was passed, had raised objections against the scheme, located at the ends of both Beech Road and Goring Road, over loss of privacy and increasing parking pressures.

Labour committee chair Mahym Bedekova stated the plan was “too close” to neighbouring homes and would become “too overcrowded”.

Conservative committee member Michael Rye agreed and said: “It’s overdevelopment for the site, the car-free element cannot be justified given that there’s no controlled parking zone [CPZ] in place. This will add parking stress which is already an issue on the road.

“Issues with overlooking have been identified and we should take into account the loss of daylight and sunlight to the closest [neighbouring] properties.”

The committee carried out a site visit this month after deferring their decision at an earlier planning meeting in February.

During last night’s meeting, Labour committee member Josh Abey asked if the area met conditions for a CPZ which, if implemented, would ease parking pressures.

Karen Page, the council’s head of planning, said that it didn’t and added that the area was “well served” by public transport. She said while parking pressures would “increase” it wasn’t to a degree that would warrant refusing the application.

Karen said: “Yes, somebody moving into this development could own a car and that could have an impact on the surrounding street, but that has to be weighed in the balance with all the other material under consideration such as the benefits the scheme brings in terms of more housing.”

Tory committee member Lee Chamberlain said the road was “densely parked” and turning was difficult and asked how the plan would overcome this. He also said construction work would cause disruption.

Case officer Karolina Grebowiec-Hall said there was an area of pavement at the end of Beech Road where vehicles had been observed making three-point turns.

She said: “Officers have explored making the markings at the end of that road clearer and more explicit in regards to the way it can be used to make this turn.”

Karolina also said more signage was an option to reinforce this. She added construction vehicles would also have to demonstrate they could maneuver all vehicles and drop off materials before any work began.

However, members concluded the impact and disturbance on neighbouring properties as well as traffic issues were unacceptable and rejected the scheme.

The committee’s four Conservative members voted against the plans, along with independent member Thomas Fawns. Labour’s George Savva and Suna Hurman voted in favour while the remaining Labour members, except for Nelly Gyosheva who was absent, abstained, bringing the total number of abstentions to four.

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