Monday 19 January 2009

Wimberley Houses - revised planning application

Tonight, at the City Council's Development Quality Committee, I moved refusal of the revised planning application at Wimberley Houses. Back in October of last year, I successfully moved refusal of the previous application. You can read the background by clicking on the headline above.

The revised application had some improvements in relation to rendering, car parking and the car access for those living in the Hillside Terrace area, but, in my view, did not fully address the issues, particularly the traffic impact on Glamis Drive/Invergowrie Drive. The obvious solution was to make access via Ninewells Avenue, but the developer did not pursue that option.

My motion read as follows :

Application 08/00792/FUL - Wimberley Houses, Glamis Drive

Conversion of Student Accommodation to Private Housing

Reasons for Refusal

1) The proposed development contravenes Policy 4 of the Dundee Local Plan Review 2005 by virtue of the failure of the applicants' to provide the required level of private useable garden ground and off street car parking provision within the curtilage area of each new dwelling house proposed resulting in a standard of development that would not be commensurate with the quality of housing located in the surrounding area.

2) The proposed development
will result in a significant increase in demand for on-street car parking in the surrounding suburban streets to the detriment of the environmental qualities currently enjoyed by local residents and the road traffic and pedestrian safety of the area.

On this occasion
, the vote was lost by two votes, which will be of concern to the objectors, concerned about traffic impact and residential amenity.