The Council has turned down an application to build an eight storey apartment block on the Helena House site.

For further details on the application see our earlier post here.

As your ward councillors we had objected to the proposal because of its height, which is well above what the Local Plan will allow for this site. We also objected to the lack of affordable units on the development, which proposals of this scale are expected to provide.

The current building is an eyesore and in need of development. It is a key site, opposite Sutton Green and at the northern entrance to the town centre, Keen as we are to see the site developed, the developer needs to bring forward a scheme that will be acceptable to the local community.

Here is a copy of the decision notice.  The main reasons for refusal are the scale and massing of the building, which is above the height limit for the site, the blank wall on the northern side (the visible approach from Angel Hill), and the lack of public realm or public benefits to offset the scale of the building.  

Also the proposal has not demonstrated that it is financially viable.  It does not include any affordable housing, and the applicant argues  that the proposal would not be viable with affordable housing, which the Council agrees with.