Plans for multi-occupancy staff accommodation in Bouet garden rejected
A controversial application to build staff accommodation in the garden of a Bouet terraced property has been rejected by the planners, after serious concerns over fire safety were raised.
Concerns about over-development and the effect on neighbours also contributed to the decision to the reject the scheme at Bardigiana, Le Bouet.
The application proposed creating a three-storey, 15-bedroom property, which would operate as a house of multiple occupancy.
The only access would be through the existing terraced house at the front, which is also an HMO.
Planners received seven letters of objection raising concerns. They stated the terraced property had been an HMO since 2014, having previously been a lodging house, and it already caused disruption for the neighbours.
Neighbours pointed out the terrace comprised mainly family homes, with rear gardens. With boundary walls standing at 5ft tall, there were worried about privacy.
The site has no parking and the applicant was suggesting a bike shed for residents. But neighbours pointed out that a bike shed for 33 bikes would create even more disruption.
Fire safety was a concern raised by neighbours, as well as the Office of Environmental Health and Pollution Regulation and the fire service.
‘I would like to advise that we have severe concerns with regards to the proposed development, as the application does not appear to satisfy requirements for access and facilities for the fire service,’ said Guernsey Fire & Rescue in the planning report.
‘We also determine that there is an absence of suitable means of escape in the case of fire.’
The planners agreed that expecting people to exit the new building via another building in an emergency was ‘unsatisfactory’.
‘Although a sprinkler system could be introduced, it is inappropriate to require occupiers to exit the site, particularly in an emergency situation, via the existing building,’ the planners stated.
‘Furthermore, this does not take into account that the building would effectively be landlocked should the fire/emergency take place in the frontage building thereby providing no means of escape.’
There were also concerns about the size of the building, which be visible from a number of nearby areas, including Le Bouet and the Coop car park.
The planners felt it would impact the outlook from surrounding properties given the height, scale and mass.
Overall the planners ruled that the plans were an over-development of the site at an excessive density and the height, scale and mass of the building would be intrusive.
It would not be in keeping with the character of the area.
The planners also ruled that the sheer size of the development would be ‘severely detrimental’ to neighbours, resulting in unacceptable noise and disturbance arising from the increased level of pedestrian movements between the front of the site in Le Bouet, through Bardigiana, and crossing the amenity space to the rear of the site, which adjoins existing residential dwellings.
