A bid to build 14 affordable homes in Wallasey has been rejected as they were too close to a neighbour's house.
The homes were up for approval and would have been built on a field opposite the Lidl on Leasowe Road on the Wirral. The application had been put forward by Eden Planning and Starship Group.
A report ahead of the meeting said the application would provide 100% affordable housing issues for the area and developers argued it would provide sustainable and “zero carbon” housing. However it also highlighted road safety concerns including from the council's Active Travel officer.
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Despite most concerns raised by the public being to do with road safety at the nearby Greenleas Primary School, it was rejected on different grounds.
Chair of the planning committee Cllr Stuart Kelly argued that one of the homes’ proximity to the back of a house on Greenleas Road was the reason why it should be rejected as it was an “unacceptable form of development.”
He added: "Yes we do want to welcome development and it can be developed but it should be development without impacting on the amenity of neighbours."
It was later rejected by all councillors on the committee, bar Cllr Steve Foulkes who said he thought “it would make us look rather silly as a planning committee” if they rejected the proposal.
He argued it would provide affordable housing in support of the proposal and that it wasn't designated greenbelt within the council’s draft Local Plan.
Concerns around the safety of children at Greenleas was a key part of the debate as the school was the first to join a trial scheme aiming to reduce traffic on Greenleas Close. The application would mean people from 14 more houses would use the road with councillors raising concerns increased traffic in the area could lead to an accident.
Sharon Edwards, headteacher at Greenleas Primary School, said the School Streets scheme had been a huge success since it was introduced with most parents walking, scooting or cycling their kids to school making the road much safer.
She said the application which would see people living on the estate driving past the school "could hinder or entrap the progress to date of the past few months."
Wallasey councillors Ian Lewis and Lesley Rennie spoke against the application too with Cllr Rennie arguing the proposal could endanger children at the school, adding: "I ask you to think of the future of the children and the lives of the children."
Rebecca Hilton, from Eden Planning, said: "We know the area and are invested in the Wirral," and that the scheme was deliverable and met all policy requirements. She pointed to the need for 73 affordable homes in the area and said developers had worked as much as possible to address people's concerns.
The committee also voted to reject plans to convert an old gymnasium over its impact on the nearby Redcourt Manor as well as move forward a housing development as part of renovations of the old Hoylake Town Hall.
Previous planning permission had said the commercial aspect of the Beacon Project scheme such as a cinema and a restaurant needed to be complete before the 40 apartments.
However due to delays to the commercial plans, Torus Developments had now requested a change to the conditions given the apartments are due to go on the market by this summer.
Officers confirmed the previous phasing plan in the planning permission wasn't a request by the council but put forward by developers.
Concerns were raised by Cllr Alison Wright, who represents Hoylake, but all other councillors voted to move it forward. In a separate application, Unilever will now begin building a new distribution centre in Bromborough after it was given the green light.
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