Kingsford Developments Ltd (KD) seeks planning permission and listed building consent to extend its plan for the former school at 154 McDonald Road (Refs 15/03181/FUL and 15/03183/LBC).
KD wants to build a new ‘summer house’ and electricity substation in the playground area fronting Broughton Road.
The proposed structure would be at the adjacent primary school end of the playground, with access to the pavement via a new opening in the wall.
The new building would require removal of one of six trees currently in the former playground.
Open space per housing unit has always been below standard in this development, but so far has been deemed to be mitigated by provision of a roof terrace and the proximity of public parks. It is therefore unlikely to be an issue now.
In the Council Report of 6 November 2013 (see pdf below), KD’s proposals for the 630 sq.m of land between the building and McDonald and Broughton Roads were described as ‘soft landscaping […] which will largely serve as visual amenity space’. That visual amenity would inevitably be reduced under this latest scheme.
More controversial, perhaps, is the fact that the materials used in the proposed construction would include ‘Marley Eternit Dark Grey Cladding’ and ‘Shiplap Cladding’, neither of which would match the red stone of the Category B-listed structure behind. Furthermore, two ground-floor windows of the north-facing elevation would be substantially blocked from view.
Some may therefore argue that this proposal would adversely affect the character and appearance of the listed building, and reduce daylight within.
We contacted KD about the change in their plans this afternoon. We wanted to understand what had prompted them.
We were told that the person who really knows will be away until next Tuesday. However, a spokesperson for the Albany Street-based company told us that he suspects Scottish Power has found that the energy capacity for the building would be inadequate under current plans, and so will need to be upgraded.
‘If you need a new substation, it has to go in somewhere,’ he told us.
Spurtle wonders whether this particular somewhere is the right one, and is still no clearer about the need to attach it to a new summer house.
Anyone wishing to comment or object has until 3 August.
For background to this story, start here.
Got a view? Tell us at spurtle@hotmail.co.uk and @theSpurtle and Facebook