New garage to be built on 'eyesore' site
A new garage and MOT centre is set to be built at an eyesore site in Portchester, despite council officers saying the scheme should be thrown out.
The plans for the new garage in Castle Street have been given the green light by Fareham Borough Council’s planning committee and the existing buildings can now be torn down and the site cleared of junk.
The applicant and coowner Jake Lawrence will then build a detached garage workshop and MOT centre, 13 metres wide, 20 metres long and 6.6 metres high, with parking.
Plans submitted to the council, which officers said should be refused as the building would be overbearing and intrusive to nearby buildings and against the local plan, showed the new building will be made from concrete blockwork with light grey metal cladding and roofing.
Committee chair Councillor Nick Walker said he knew the yard long before the Lawrences occupied it and serviced his fleet of vans there.
Before the committee voted to approve plans, he said: “It has become an eyesore that the future residents of Assheton
Court will be looking down on. There will be windows and balconies on the fourstory building.”
Councillor Sue Walker said the industrial appearance is poor and the site would benefit from being cleared. There are no objections from any statutory bodies. The new four-storey Assheton Court is being built opposite and would also benefit from looking at an industrial area as opposed to what is there now.
Alan Honer, who lives next to the site, supported the plans because of the increase in CCTV cameras to help tackle crime.
He added: “This appears to be an excellent improvement of the surrounding area which supports the growth of a local business and, at the same time, creates a more aesthetic, clean and safe environment for the immediate residents.
"As the closest resident to the proposed development, I see nothing but benefits.”
This appears to be an excellent improvement of the surrounding area