Plans for a block of retirement apartments in a Derbyshire town have been unanimously rejected after very little discussion.
At a Derbyshire Dales District Council meeting last night (August 16) plans for a block of 15 retirement apartments off Chesterfield Road in Matlock – next to the Lilybank Care Home – were unanimously rejected.
The rejection of the plans, submitted by GDMA Developments Ltd, comes after the developer put forward two previous proposals and withdrew them at the last minute with rejection pending on both occasions.
This time the plans proceeded to a committee and were promptly rejected.
David Oulsnam, agent for the applicant, told the committee that Lilybank would provide support services for the planned apartments.
He said the scheme would result in the “improved frontage and betterment for the street scene” along Chesterfield Road.
Mr Oulsnam said previous concerns about the height of the complex had been addressed by reducing part of the building from three to two storeys tall, along with reducing the scheme from 21 to 15 apartments.
Chris Whitmore, the council’s head of planning, said he felt the design was “inappropriate” to the area and resulted in the gardens of neighbouring properties being overlooked.
He said that is why officers had recommended the plans were rejected, with the report detailing that the “siting, expansive footprint, form and design of the apartment building is such that it would appear as a harmful and incongruous building within the street scene”.
Cllr Sue Burfoot said the officers had come to the right conclusion and moved to reject the plans.
Cllr Tom Donnelly agreed and said he was “not really impressed with the design or the situation of the building”.
Cllr Peter Slack said council officers were “absolutely correct” and that the design “stands out a mile”.
Matlock Civic Association had said the scheme “is now of a design that is completely inappropriate to the location on the edge of a conservation area”.
Five objection letters had been submitted by nearby residents opposing the scheme, raising issues about traffic on Chesterfield Road, recent accidents caused by vehicles and the future development of the nearby Matlock fire station.
