Salvage yard idea is rejected by planners
LOSING an agricultural field near L’Ancresse Common would be unacceptable, planners have said, and they have refused an application for an architectural salvage yard on a former vinery site.
Wastenot Ltd had applied to clear the derelict vineries to the north of La Rue de la Maraive, build a pitched roof building and use it as a yard to store items for reuse.
The company’s managing director, Bruno Kay-Mouat, said he was very disappointed that the planners had decided to reject the application and he would review his position.
There were 16 letters of objection, with concerns including worries about changing the use of the land to light industrial, the amount of traffic that could be generated and the visual impact of the development. One of the letters bore 55 signatures from worried neighbours.
The Vale constables also raised ‘grave concerns’ about the narrowness of the lane and the traffic.
However, it was the loss of green space which got particular attention from the planners.
They noted that the proposed new building would take up less space than the disused glasshouses and about 80% of the site would be returned to green space.
‘As the application will remove structures that have a negative visual impact and proposes new landscaping, the applicant is of the view that the scheme achieves a positive contribution to the character and amenity of the locality,’ the planning report stated.
However, the planners noted that the site was surrounded by swathes of open land and in an area with a rural character.
‘Given the context of the site, therefore, if the glasshouse and ancillary structures were cleared, like the land to the north, this site would positively contribute to a wider area of open land,’ the planning report stated.
That meant it did not meet the planning policy rules and the development could not go ahead.
