Decision details

This application was for the erection of 40no. affordable dwellings with associated parking and amenity space on the site of Former The Wrekin Endeavour Centre, North Road, Wellington, Telford, Shropshire.

The application was before Planning Committee having being deferred at the meeting held on the 18 March 2026 following a request from Members for amendments to be made to the scheme in relation to density, overlooking onto the school, parking, the mix of housing and accessibility.

An update report was tabled at the meeting and set out details in relation to the amendments to the rear elevations of the proposed Rowan and Birch House and Site Plan.

The Planning Officer updated Members on changes that had been made to the application following its deferment in March 2026.  Parking arrangements now exceeded parking for the residents and reduced the visitor parking ‘deficit’ to four.  Some of the windows and doors had been amended on Birch and rowan House apartment blocks.   The Applicant had responded to the request to amend the scheme by advising that a reduction in the number of overall dwellings would make the scheme unviable.  The principle concerns raised by Members remained and had not been satisfactorily resolved being the density and overdevelopment, the orientation of the buildings and safeguarding issues in relation to the neighbouring school and the officers’ recommendation was that the application be refused.

Councillor P Davis, Ward Member, commented that he genuinely recognised the need for affordable housing and regeneration, but any decision needed to be appropriate and acceptable.  He raised concerns regarding overdevelopment, highway safety and parking.  Although the applicant had gone some way to amend the plans, but he considered that privacy was still an issue and he asked that the application be refused.

C Taylor, Applicant’s Agent, spoke in favour of the application which would be 40 well insulated, warm, low carbon homes for people in need set on a brownfield, derelict site.  He considered it to be a really good scheme and had taken on board representations and significant changes made to the development in relation to density.  The orientation in relation to the school was not a reason to refuse planning permission as there were a lot of examples where houses overlook playing fields.   Some rooms had been reorientated and there were only 2 apartments that continued to overlook.

The Planning Officers clarified the details within the update report and the changes to the rear elevations of the two blocks of flats.  This remained unsatisfactory and did not address the overlooking of the school.  In relation to the density, 49 dwellings per hectare was the net density of the developable area and did not take into account the willow shrub and the suds feature and this was considered overdevelopment.

During the debate, some Members were not against the development of a brownfield site or affordable housing, but that the applicant had not addressed the issues of concern that Members had previously raised in relation to overlooking the school site, change of orientation, density and overdevelopment.

On being put to the vote it was, unanimously:

RESOLVED – that delegated authority be granted to the Development Management Service Delivery Manager to refuse Full Planning Permission on the following grounds:

a)    the proposed development, by reason of its excessive density and scale of development within the developable area of the site, would result in a form of development that is excessively dense and represents an overdevelopment of the site. The proposal fails to respond appropriately to the character and prevailing density of the surrounding area. As such, the development would fail to make appropriate use of land, failing to respects and enhance its context and would therefore be contrary to Policy BE1 (i.) (Design Criteria) of the Telford & Wrekin Local Plan 2011–2031 and Policy DD1 (1.a. and b.) of the emerging Local Plan which require development to respond positively to its context and safeguard the quality of the built environment; and

b)   the proposed development, by virtue of its overbearing relationship with and overlooking of the adjoining school playing field from habitable windows, doors and amenity space, would result in an unacceptable loss of privacy and intrusion to a sensitive neighbouring use. The submitted layout fails to provide adequate separation and mitigation to prevent harmful overlooking of areas regularly used by school pupils. As such, the proposal would fail to protect the amenity of adjoining land users, would prejudice and undermine an existing surrounding use and would not constitute high quality design. The development is therefore contrary to Policy BE1 (i. and xi.) (Design Criteria) of the Telford & Wrekin Local Plan 2011–2031 and emerging Local Plan Policy DD1 (1.n.).