Apartments in city centre conservation area refused to avoid “crushing heritage”

Hull City Council’s Planning Committee refused the application for a two-storey apartment block in Egginton Street in the Georgian New Town Conservation Area.

David Piercy, agent for applicants Maltings Property Management, said lapsed permission granted before the 2008 recession stopped it going ahead showed development there was acceptable.

But objectors including resident Alec Gill said the building would be detrimental to the historic Georgian heritage of the conservation area and could lead to overcrowding.

Initial or outline plans for the apartment block would see it built on the car park between Egginton Street and Freetown Way.

Council officers recommended approval for the plans but 18 objections were lodged against them including over the loss of trees, the impact on heritage and increased traffic.

The submitted plans initially proposed 18 flats in the block but the committee heard the number had been cut to 12.

A total of 16 parking spaces would be provided as part of the plans, including two electric vehicle charging spaces and cycling storage.

Permission was granted in 2007 for a three-storey apartment on the site for 24 one and two bedroom apartments.

But Mr Piercy said the permission lapsed after the economic crisis unleashed in 2008 halted development.

The agent said: “As a result of the crash, all developments disappeared into thin air.

“The application lapsed only because there was no development going on, if it wasn’t for the crash there would probably been a building there by now.

“It’s not about 24, 18 or 12 flats, it’s about the principle of development.

“On traffic, the current car park has 44 spaces and these plans propose 16, if the car park is fully operational there would be 44 cars travelling down the road.

“So I don’t see what the issue is with traffic.”

But Mr Gill, of the Kingston Square Association, said the plans would harm the Georgian vision of the New Town Conservation Area.

The objector said: “Let’s call a spade a spade, this isn’t development, this is detrimental.

“We should be doing everything we can to conserve and not crush our most cherished heritage.

“This is the third attempt to get this accepted, it’s gone from three to two storeys.

“There’s going to be overcrowding because of this, they’ll be more rubbish generated and it will strain the existing and ageing Victorian sewage system.

“The extra cars will also increase pollution.”

Councillors called on developers to meeting with the authority’s planning officers so they could agree on design details before a future application returns.