Too-high flats at historic hall put back in for planning ruling

The Menston Hall scheme in Low Hall Road, Menston, Ilkley, secured planning permission for 30 flats just over a year ago but the project hit a snag when it emerged that one of the development’s new buildings was a metre higher than approved by Shipley Area Planning Panel.

Bradford-based social landlord Incommunities has secured £770,855 of funding from the Homes and Communities Agency’s Kickstart programme for the development, which includes 22 flats classed as “affordable housing.”

But it will lose the funding if the scheme, including planning and other approvals, is not completed by the end of March.

Members of Bradford Council’s Shipley Area Planning Panel will be advised to delegate to the assistant director of regeneration and culture authority to approve the new application when they meet today.

However people will still have until March 3 to raise any issues about the fresh application.

Wharfedale Councillor Dale Smith requested that the planning panel determine the application as he felt the height of the building needed to be appraised to assess its visual impact.

The development includes eight two-bedroom flats within Menston Hall and a further 17 flats in a new arched building.

It is this building which is the subject of the planning application.

A third building, where the work is almost complete, will house five residential units.

An Incommunities spokesperson said: “The roof line on one of the two new blocks at the development has been built at a marginally higher angle to the approved planning application in February 2010. It is the same pitch as the second new block and roof of the existing hall.

“Following advice from the local planning authority we have submitted a planning application to represent the existing roof line of the new block as built.”

The homes will include 17 shared ownership apartments, five apartments for rent, six units for outright sale and two units for Homebuy direct.

A report to be considered by councillors says: “It is not considered that this resultant building would harm visual amenities. It would still be in keeping in terms of scale and not be over-dominant with respect to the adjacent Menston Hall building.

“The layout siting of the proposed residential units are such that there would be sufficient stand-off distance in relation to existing nearby residential properties to the extent where it is considered that future residents of the proposed development and those residents of existing nearby properties would not suffer an undue loss of amenity through loss of privacy and overshadowing.”

The report also stresses that the scheme will provide affordable homes and ensure the upkeep of Menston Hall.

The report adds: “The scheme has secured Government funding through the Kickstart initiative thereby having the benefit of encouraging economic activity and delivering new affordable homes. The proposal has merit through the removal of a flat roof-annex building and replaced by one that represents a vast improvement in many areas particularly in terms of visual amenity.

“Furthermore the scheme would ensure the upkeep of Menston Hall through active use. No harmful issue of a materially significant nature has been identified hence this application is recommended for approval.”

Approval is also subject to completion of a Section 106 agreement which includes a clause stating that 22 out of 30 units are designated as affordable housing and a travel green plan, or the total number of units actually built if the developer does not fully develop the site beyond 60 per cent of the permitted units.