Developer submits revised plans for Braye Road site
A REVISED planning application for six homes on a field opposite the petrol station on Route du Braye has been submitted, despite a previous application for five homes being rejected due to concerns about over-development.
It is owned by Hillstone Guernsey Ltd and has been unused land for many years.
The site was subject to a planning refusal in November because the proposal to build two flats and three dwellings amounted to over-development of the site, overlooked neighbouring properties and did not have enough bicycle storage, according to planners.
However, developer Simon Holland of Hillstone Guernsey Ltd said the revised development proposal has taken into account the three letters of concern from neighbours and the reasons for the refusal.
‘It was clear that we had misinterpreted the pre-application advice received prior to submission,’ he said.
‘It was clear from the letters of representation that the neighbours were generally supportive of the development of this land, as long as it was a single building constructed in line with the existing street scene.’
With this feedback in mind, the revised development proposes a single block of six apartments.
‘In developing and designing this scheme we have carefully considered the impact on the neighbouring properties, the design features of the surrounding buildings and the relevant policies of the IDP.’
The company now believes it has now come up with a scheme that will sit well within the existing streetscape and make good use of the empty site.
The new flats, which are a mix of one and two bedrooms, would be built in a single block at the northern end of the site, and would not include the southern part of the field, which backs onto the Guernsey Press premises.
The proposed development has been designed specifically for the private rental market and, on completion, the apartments would be available for rent.
Included in the planning application was a letter from Mr Holland, stating that the new homes were desperately needed.
Letters from several estate agents were included in the application, saying there was a strong demand for this sort of housing.
Each apartment would have south-facing outdoor amenity space, parking with electrical vehicle charging points and the use of a secure bike storage area.
Mr Holland recently received a refusal notice for the eight houses he hoped to build on the triangle field on Route du Braye opposite Alliance, but he plans to submit a revised application for this site soon too.
