Verdict due on plans for nine new homes at Broadway Baptist Church, Derby
CHURCH leaders hope plans for a housing development to help pay for a new community hall will finally get the go-ahead tonight – just four months after they were last rejected.
Trustees at Broadway Baptist Church, Derby, want to knock down the minister's house at the site and its old hall – which is separate to the church – so nine homes can be built in their place.
Using the cash from selling part of the land and £400,000 from fund-raising, they would pay for a modern hall to be built on to the church and a new home for the minister at a total cost of £1.2 million.
In October last year, Derby City Council rejected plans which would have seen an 11-home development built on the site, off Broadway, by Radleigh Homes.
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The authority received 23 letters supporting the proposals but 49 objecting.
At that time, Councillor Philip Hickson said: "I just don't think the development proposed is good enough for this area."
This time the church has applied for a lower-density development and the council has received 27 objections and 23 notes of support.
Among those objecting was councillor Martin Repton, who said he was representing concerns of local residents.
He said people were worried about the effect of extra traffic on narrow roads in the area and about whether a path through the site would still be available to use.
A planning officer's report, recommending the plans for approval at tonight's meeting, said other objections included fears that parking spaces would be taken up by new residents.
Keith Flux, trustee and church secretary, said he was "extremely hopeful" the new application would be passed.
He said: "One of the reasons for the plans originally being rejected was the density of the housing so we've changed that."
He said the current hall needed replacing as it was badly designed, could have better disabled access, and has a flat roof prone to leaking.
Mr Flux said the amount of traffic in West Park Road could actually reduce, despite new residents, as the changes would mean drivers being able to access the church car park directly from the main road for the first time.
He said another, better, footpath exists nearby to replace the one running through the site.
Mr Flux added: "The congregation is 100% behind this."
2 Comments
by dianae
Thursday, February 07 2013, 7:19PM
“I think Telegraph could have written a better article by quoting a wider range of views - Martin Repton is mentioned but not interviewed, no local residents were in article and neither were anyone from the toddler groups or lunch club for elderly people that use the hall.
And surely the paper could have listed all the reasons the previous proposal was turned down? And the writer could have used details from http://tinyurl.com/b3jwgqw to inform readers about new application”
by Mikster
Thursday, February 07 2013, 10:17AM
“"The congregation is 100% behind this." Great, hardly any of them live in the area which is going to be affected with all the extra traffic and construction vehicles, even the "church" representatives who met with the local residents live in Ashbourne, they wont have the extra traffic on their streets. If you read the councils e-planning site and look at the letters of support, they're from Allestree and even as far afield as Spondon. As a resident, all we are asking for is the vehicular access to be off Broadway for this development and an access to Broadway which has been via the church for as long as anyone can remember. We are not against the development of this land, but would like it to be suitable to the area, EXTRA TRAFFIC is not suitable to the area, the streets are too narrow and the parking is horrendous which is made worse by the students, WI, two schools & health center already in the area.”