McDonald Rd plans | Broughton Spurtle

Submitted by Editor on Thu, 01/04/2010 - 00:15

Locals' detailed concerns over pre-planning application proposals for 130 McDonald Rd may have changed by the time the plans are next discussed on 12 April (see 'Events'), but at this stage Spurtle understand they involve:

Massing 1: On McDonald Rd, the proposed building extends to 6 storeys and would be higher than existing tenements; certainly higher than the Victorian Territorial Army building on the opposite corner. H+D claim their zinc-covered penthouse floor relates to the existing tenement roofline, by which they appear to mean the height of the chimneys not the roof itself.
Massing 2: On McDonald Place, plans show the addition of a fourth floor (penthouses). All previously accepted plans have had a maximum of 3 floors, reflecting the roof apex of existing houses in the street. A fourth floor is proposed to the north end of McDonald Place, and steps up to the point where the street becomes lower and the existing block of terrace houses drops down by around 750mm. That decrease in height is not reflected in the newly proposed elevation, and would result in the new building being significantly higher than those there at the moment.
Loss of Amenity 1: Mcdonald Rd residents fear the proposed 1st-floor communal garden would result in their being overlooked and cause loss of privacy. There are also concerns relating to noise and disturbance which could be aggravated by the presence of large windows and balconies.
The issue of windows in the gable end of the existing tenement is also unresolved. It appears that planning permission exists for these windows, but the proposed development would require them to be bricked up.
Loss of Amenity 2: The proposed McDonald Place flats in McDonald Place have full-length, wall-to-wall front windows and 1.2 metre balconies. These might cause an unacceptable loss of privacy and considerable noise and disturbance to existing residents, who live in extremely small houses and have the communal room and master (of only 2) bedrooms facing the street.