Blaby District Council

Latests News...Read about the Enforcement Notice that's been issued.

BDC Approved This North Wall

No 'external elevation' plans were produced to show this North Wall before this application was determined by Blaby District Council.

That means no plans were available for the public, Blaby Parish Council, Blaby planning department or Blaby councillors to help them assess this part of the building properly.

Planning Permission was first granted in December 2003. The first plans made available to BDC to show this north wall, did not arrived until after Planning Permission had already been granted. The plans did not arrived at BDC until 3rd June 2004.

BDC subsequently approved these late plans without a full and proper public consultation.

What did the Head of Planning at Blaby District Council planning department delete from the Draft Document ?

"It will be higher than the majority of the buildings in the immediate surroundings and therefore would be prominent."

The Head of Planning at Blaby District Council planning department replaced the line above with this line:

"The development would reflect the varying roof heights of this part of the town centre."

This is a photograph of a publicly available document at the Planning Department of Blaby District Council.

Source: Planning Application: 03/1086/1/PX

This is a photograph of the actual building taken on Leicester Road, Blaby.

Remember: This is what was removed from the final document:
"It will be higher than the majority of the buildings in the immediate surroundings and therefore would be prominent."

And this is what the planning department wrote in its place:
"The development would reflect the varying roof heights of this part of the town centre."

The 'Report' is the DCC document that helps the District Councillors make their decision on whether to object to planning permission.

The building is so tall, it can be seen looking West from Northfield Road, Blaby, much taller than the roofs of Sycamore Street.

The building is so tall, it can still be seen looking East from Blaby Car Park. Even from here it towers over the roofs of the nearest buildings on Leicester Road.

POLICY S9

Because of the location of this building in the Blaby Central Area then, Policy S9 applies

This is "Policy S9"
Planning permission will only be granted for development which would have a significant effect in the central area of Blaby if it meets all of the following criteria:

(i) it would be compatible with the scale, character and role of Blaby Central Area;
(ii) it would have good pedestrian links with the existing shopping areas and public car parks;
(iii) it would not be significantly detrimental to the amenities enjoyed by the occupiers or properties adjacent to Blaby Central Area;
Planning permission will not be granted for development, including residential development, which would undermine the vitality and viability of Blaby Central Area.

Which part of Policy S9 did Blaby District Council planning department choose to put in their report to the Development Control Committee (DCC) ?

December 2003 - Curiously just the last paragraph..."permission will not be granted for development, including residential development, which would undermine the vitality and viability of Blaby Central Area."

They chose not to quote (perhaps the most relevant areas)...
(i) it would be compatible with the scale, character and role of Blaby Central Area;
(ii) it would have good pedestrian links with the existing shopping areas and public car parks;
(iii) it would not be significantly detrimental to the amenities enjoyed by the occupiers or properties adjacent to Blaby Central Area;
Source: Planning Application: 03/1086/1/PX

After the main building was approved, when a revised planning permission was seeking approval, what parts of Policy S9 did Blaby District Council planning department use for the very same building to the Development Control Committee ?

This time around Blaby District Council planning department chose to quote Policy S9 in full Source: Planning Application: 06/0436/1/PX

As we feel that this new building does NOT meet Policy S9, Blaby District Council Planning Department could have written...

1
The Former Blaby Garage is a four storey building situated in a prominent corner location at the junction of Leicester Road and Sycamore Street. The demolition of the former Blaby Garage and its replacement with a four storey building would appear visually obtrusive within the street scene due to its siting, scale, massing and form and would therefore be detrimental to the character and scale of the area. For these reasons the proposal would be contrary to Policy S9 (i) of the Blaby District Local Plan 1999

2
The proposed siting of a four storey building in the location indicated on the submitted plans by virtue of its bulk, massing and position would have an overbearing impact on No. 8-12 Leicester Road, 8-12 Sycamore Street detracting to an unreasonable degree from the amenities enjoyed by the residents of those properties. For this reason the proposal is contrary to Policy S9 (iii) of the Blaby District Local Plan 1999.

3
The proposed siting of a four storey building in the location indicated on the submitted plans would be likely to directly overlook the private amenity on No. 8-12 Sycamore Street, to the detriment of the privacy of the residents of these dwellings. For this reason the proposal is contrary to Policy S9 (iii) of the Blaby District Local Plan.

4
The proposed siting of a four storey building in the location indicated on the submitted plans would be likely to overshadow on No. 10-12 Sycamore Street, to the detriment of the quality of life of the residents of these dwellings. For this reason the proposal is contrary to Policy S9 (iii) of the Blaby District Local Plan.
Source: The above four points are adapted from a recent planning application that was refused by Blaby District Council and are relevant to our case.