Flats developer’s rethink wins over planning officers
TWO blocks of flats have been approved for a street of terraced homes in Barwell after the developer went back to the drawing board.
Hinckley and Bosworth Borough Council has approved Excel Habitat’s plans for 14 flats in Stafford Street.
Last year, the company’s designs for a three-storey building containing the same number of flats on the site were criticised by council planning officers, who called the scheme “monolithic”.
The amended plans, for two twoand-a-half storeys, were recommended for approval by planning officers.
They said in a report: “The proposed apartments would be arranged in two building blocks, which themselves would appear as two blocks of terraced housing and each block has the appearance of three terraced properties.
“The accommodation is split across two floors with further accommodation in the roof, with dormer windows and roof lights to facilitate this.”
The proposal is in keeping with the area, the report says.
Councillor Stuart Bray said: “I think this is a much better scheme than the previous one that was refused on delegation.
“I’m in two minds about this one, I look at my own patch and look at the terraced streets that I represent and look at the parking issues that that causes.”
While parking was “always going to cause problems”, Leicestershire County Council highways had no objections, which meant “we’ve got nowhere to go on it”.
He added: “As far as public transport goes, it’s about as good as it gets in Hinckley and Bosworth in this part of Barwell.”
Six objections were submitted, voicing concerns including potential loss of light and privacy, insufficient parking and worries over the impact on wildlife.
Barwell Parish Council also objected, saying the scheme would be “overbearing”.
Planning permission for a number of three-storey houses had previously been granted in 2018, although the work was never carried out.
The vote by borough councillors to approve the scheme was unanimous.