INFORMATION ON PLANNING APPLICATIONS AND REGULATIONS THAT IMPACT US ALL
QUEENS ROAD ENVIRONS
Weybridge Society and the Triangle Residents Group have been campaigning to prevent developments with zero parking in the Queens Road area and it is encouraging that an Appeals Inspector has accepted that dwellings which do not include some parking provision place an intolerable burden on the amenity of the local residents. This is seen as a victory for common sense.
See below for details of Clive House, Café Rouge and Oak House all in Queens Road.
MINIMUM SPACE STANDARDS
Following the government’s intention to raise living standards by introducing a minimum space requirement of 37m2 for a one-bedroom flat with a shower, a number of applications were submitted prior to this being written into law on 6th April 2021. If all the submitted applications gain consent, Weybridge will see a large increase in this type of sub-standard accommodation – see below for further details.
PLANNING UPDATE – MAY 2021
BROOKLANDS BUSINESS PARK – BROOKLANDS ROAD
Benchmark House 2019/3232 and 2019/2606 These two blocks of office accommodation have Prior Approval for conversion into a total of 90 sub-standard dwellings.
Abbey House 2020/3278 This single block at the junction of Brooklands Road and Hepworth Way has Prior Approval for 48 sub-standard dwellings.
CLIVE HOUSE – QUEENS ROAD In summary, the consented proposals are:
2020/3256 39 flats one-bedroom/studio flats, all sub-standard.
2020/0904 is an alternative application for 29 flats has a mixture of studio apartments plus one and two bedroom flats all below the recommended minimum space standard.
2021/0411 Two sub-standard flats in the basement – this follows refusal of 2020/3280 for three sub-standard flats in the basement due to the scheme being unable to provide adequate light in all habitable rooms.
2021/1133 is a pending application for an additional sub-standard flat in the basement – if permitted, this would result in an outcome identical to the refused 2020/3280 scheme.
2020/2438 this application for an additional storey on Clive House to create 9 apartments was refused by EBC on grounds of scale, design, height, bulk, mass and lack of parking.
Applications for the conversion of Clive House from Commercial to Residential accommodation continue to frustrate the lives of local residents as well as members of the Society’s Planning Panel. However, despite the hoardings, it is clear that refurbishment work has commenced and while we don’t yet know which of the multiple applications the developer will implement, the building is at last getting some much needed TLC.
85 QUEENS ROAD (former CAFÉ ROUGE)
We are pleased to report that the Appeals Inspector has dismissed three appeals 2020/0473 – an additional storey in a mansard roof, 2020/0265 a change of use to provide 5 flats and 2020/1288 a change of use to provide 3 flats, each of these in the former Café Rouge building.
85 QUEENS ROAD (CAFÉ ROUGE)
A further application 2020/3366 to subdivide an existing flat to create two flats was refused on grounds that no affordable accommodation was provided.
A decision is awaited on amended application 2020/3289 which is now for a one-bedroom apartment in a modern design additional storey with a large roof terrace fronting Queens Road.
LAND TO THE REAR OF CAFÉ ROUGE SITE in SOUTH ROAD (originally the car park to Café Rouge)
Decisions are awaited on the following applications which are basically for the same two-storey building but with varying internal layouts to accommodate the following:
2020/3188 an office building for the visually impaired
2020/3213 a block of 4 flats and
2020/3190 a building for the display of works of art.
None of these applications have parking provision.
An earlier application 2020/2174 for this parcel of land for a two-storey building to provide office accommodation was refused by Elmbridge and dismissed by the Appeals Inspector due to the harm that would arise to the character and appearance of the area coupled with its impact on on-street parking stress.
A recent application 2021/1289 is related to consented application 2021/0008 which was for an extension to the rear of 85 Queens Road (Cafe Rouge) for ‘Professional Services’. The proposal now is for this extension to be used as a nursery with access from South Road and the land at the rear (former car park) forming a play area bounded by a 2m high fence fronting South Road. The proposal has zero parking provision.
Continuing with QUEENS ROAD application 2021/0864, proposes to demolish Oak House, the nursing home opposite Manby Lodge School. The proposal is to replace Oak House with a block of 10 apartments. While the Society accepts that this site is appropriate for development, the scheme proposed is for a two-storey regency style building with very wide frontage to Queens Road which we believe would spoil the rhythm of the street scene. We have therefore submitted a letter of objection in support of local residents.
8 – 14 OATLANDS DRIVE update on the schemes for Massive Development at a Busy Junction
The two applications 2020/0691 and 2020/3223 to demolish four bungalows and construct 51 flats sited at the end of Oatlands Drive near Walton Bridge have been refused consent by EBC and have now been taken to appeal. Weybridge Society objected to both applications and has also submitted a letter to the Appeals Inspector. Some 200 local residents objected to these schemes including The Friends of Oatlands Drive who carried out extensive research. Both applications were opposed by the borough’s Planning Officer but regrettably, a number of local councillors voted in favour of these schemes. The Appeal Inspector’s decision is eagerly awaited. Interestingly, the developer’s Appeal documents included a survey of the public footpath around Broadwater Lake and the Engine River to support their claim that this footpath was used ‘infrequently’. The survey was carried out in February when anyone walking that path will know it was extremely muddy and water-logged. We are pleased to report that Elmbridge challenged the survey and included photographs of the water sodden path in their letter to the Inspector.
2020/3114 and 2021/0264 55 OATLANDS DRIVE
These applications to demolish the existing property on Oatlands Drive and replace with a single property on Oatlands Drive with an additional two dwellings in the rear garden have been withdrawn following considerable pressure from local residents including Weybridge Society and an excellent letter from the Mount Group.
2020/2971 LAND TO THE WEST OF 1 OATLANDS CLOSE, WEYBRIDGE Builders are now on-site at 1 Oatlands Close where work has commenced on an extension to the host property. Local residents have raised concerns with EBC as an opening has been created in the fence bordering Oatlands Avenue in order to gain access to the rear garden with construction vehicles crossing the pavement and grass verge. Residents are also concerned that this access will cause the loss of parking spaces on Oatlands Avenue. The decision on 2020/2971, construction of 3 flats in the rear garden of 1 Oatlands Close, will be made by the South Area Sub-Committee on 27th May 2021. This application has been brought to the Committee by Cllr Barry Cheyne following the Planning Officer’s recommendation to approve the scheme. The Committee Report is published and available to read under application number 2020/2971 on the EBC website.
Weybridge Society has objected strongly to this unneighbourly application which would significantly change the character of the area.
2021/0395 TWO OAKS, MONUMENT HILL Prior Approval is sought to add a further two storeys to this block at the top of Monument Hill to create an additional 12 flats with no additional parking. Members of the Planning Panel are evaluating this scheme before responding in support of the 26 local residents who have objected.
2021/1202 1 CRANMER CLOSE The applicant has applied for a Lawful Development Certificate for the continuous use of the existing building (a bungalow) as a house of multiple occupancy together with application 2021/1203 to convert the garage of the property into living space. The aim is to create a property of multiple occupancy with 6 bedrooms sharing a kitchen, bathroom and living accommodation. This follows refusal of 2020/1560 to demolish the existing bungalow and construct a building for 6 flats which is now the subject of an appeal. 1 Cranmer Close is located at the end of a narrow cul-de-sac, off Caenshill Road, in a residential area of detached family homes. The original application (2020/1560) received 100+ objections from local residents. Members of the Planning Panel are evaluating these current proposals before responding.