A homes plan for fire-struck land labelled a 'pain in the neck' by neighbours has been rejected. Six homes had been planned on land where Warren Hill Community Church once stood on Muirfield Road, Bestwood, but the plan was recently dismissed by the Planning Inspectorate after an appeal was made to the Government body.
The planning application was refused permission under delegated powers in November 2021 by Gedling Borough Council, with them reasoning it would be an "overly prominent addition". A fire gutted the derelict building which had stood on the land in 2018, after similar plans that had previously been approved to knock down the church and replace it with a six two-storey houses were not implemented.
Neighbours labelled the vacant land next to Muirfield Road Recreation Ground a 'pain in the neck'. Roy Wakefield, 64, who lives on Jermyn Drive and worked on the estate while it was being built, said: "The land is supposed to be owned by the community but the church want to build on it, it was donated by George Wimpey. There's always been dispute over that land, it's been a pain in the neck.
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"I objected to it having houses on it would be a waste of the land. It would be better serviced as a car park to help with the parking next to the park and dropping off times at school.
"At school opening and closing times it is like an accident waiting to happen. Nobody has maintained the land really since the fire a couple of years ago."
Ron Sheppard, who is in his 70s and also lives on Jermyn Drive, said: "It could do with something doing to it, but I think six houses would have created a problem with access.
"This has been dragging on for years after the fire at the building. I would say fitting six houses on that land would be ambitious, then you have the traffic problems it would create next to the school and the park."
The Planning Inspector did not agree that the development would appear "cramped or result in an over-intensive form of development". But did conclude required information had not been submitted by the appellant, meaning it could not be the judged whether the proposed homes would be "satisfactorily safe from sources contamination".
Barry Manuel, 85, who lives on Jermyn Drive, added: "Houses are popping up everywhere. I'm not surprised they tried to fit more on the old church.
"I did not expect the plans to be turned down though, all the green land is going eventually. The land is overgrown and is encroaching on the park, it needs cleaning up."
The applicant for the project, who had worked at the old church, said the rejection would allow for the plans to be redesigned. Dianne Mortell, of The Well Community Church Bulwell, said: Really we are just going to rethink the plan. We're going to take the opportunity through rejection to rethink what we want to do.
"The claims that the church does not own the land are not correct. The land is registered with the Land Registry [with the church]. The reason for the rejection was not to do with the usage it was to do with the design, and we understand why Gedling Borough Council made that decision."
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