Change of use to land approved

A LOUGHBOROUGH home is to fence off a section of land that lies within a car parking area, despite one resident saying it was planned into the estate.

Charnwood Borough Council’s planning committee granted permission to Mr Thomas Macintosh to change the use of a section of land, outside of 14 Skevington Avenue, Loughborough, from parking to extended residential curtilage.

The land is located off Garendon Green and set within a gated car parking area of 20 spaces.

The application was brought before the committee at the request of Coun Julie Bradshaw as she believes parking within the Ashby ward is an issue and the proposal could increase the demand for parking on the road.

She said: “Having secure car parking was an attraction for many of the residents when they bought their properties.

“They will have to use nearby streets which are already jammed with student cars.”

Resident Barbara Fisher also shared her concerns: “The piece of land is an integral part of the car park forming the main turning space for vehicles. The car park was planned into the estate with future needs in mind.”

A document presented at the meeting states none of the car parking spaces appear to have been specifically allocated to each house in the original estate plans and there was no condition to say the spaces should remain as car parking spaces.

Mr Macintosh said: “When I purchased the property the land was overgrown and it seemed to me the area had not been used for parking for several years.”

Planning permission was granted with the condition that the two enclosed spaces must remain as parking spaces.