Second housing plans for Barrack Road site in Christchurch

Fortitudo has submitted an outline planning application for 35 flats and four dwellinghouses at the corner of Barrack Road and The Grove.

The proposal comes just months after the same firm saw a 51-flat and four-house scheme rejected by BCP Council’s planning committee.

The new design sees a storey removed from the block of flats in response to the planning committee refusal in December last year.

• Read more: Flats in Barrack Road, Christchurch, refused planning permission

A statement submitted on behalf of the applicant by Chapman Lily Planning Ltd said the fresh application had taken the committee’s comments on board.

The land at Barrack Road and The Grove in Christchurch

“The height and thus scale of this proposal is substantially reduced from the recently refused planning application,” the statement said.

“One has to accept that this site which is on a sustainable transport corridor and thus this is where higher density development is to be located.

“One has to balance where the real harm is with this current proposal, and recognition needs to be given to the site's sustainable location.”

As reported, Fortitudo’s larger plan for the site, which one councillor described as “like a huge prison block”, attracted 284 residents’ comments, including 275 objections.

The planning committee refused the application due to issues with the scale and layout of the scheme.

They also said it failed the sequential test with other reasonably available alternative sites with lower flood risk that could accommodate the development and it created a poor living environment for future occupiers.

• Read more: Contentious flats plan on site of Chinese restaurant and car dealership approved

Fortitudo’s new plan would provide 23 one-bed and 12 two-bed apartments, along with four two-bed houses.

Fourteen car parking spaces are included in the scheme, which would be in excess of the council’s parking requirements.

The public consultation on the plans is open for comments

Chapman Lily Planning’s statement added: “The proposal presents a sustainable form of development, contributing to the economic, social and environmental wellbeing of Christchurch. The proposed development would make more efficient use of urban land, which is on a prime transport corridor.

“The proposed dwellings would provide modern, fit-for-purpose accommodation, meeting an identified need for one- and two-bedroom flats, and two-bed dwellings.

“The design, scale and appearance of the development will complement the locality and the design has been carefully conceived to avoid harm to neighbour amenity and ensure that a comfortable relationship subsists.”