'My children are scared to go into their own garden': Northampton dad's emotional plea snubbed as flat plans approved
A dad says his three children have become scared to use their own garden after councillors approved plans for 19 supported living flats next door to his home.
Ashley Rowley lives immediately beside the flats in Abington, with his wife and three young children.
Applicants Syed Syed Ltd had plans to create 19 flats for supported living for vulnerable children and young adults approved in 2022.
But changes were made to the building as it was constructed, including keeping part of a wall which was due to be removed and retaining windows facing towards neighbouring gardens.
Those changes were put before West Northamptonshire Council's planning committee on August 20.
Mr Rowley spoke against them and told councillors his family had already suffered from overlooking and unwanted interactions.
He said: “I want to start by asking a simple question. If what has actually been built next to our home had been put in front of you at the original planning commission, would you have accepted it?
“Because if the answer is no, I struggle to understand why it should become acceptable now simply because it's actually been built.”
The original plans included a 3.5-metre gap between the building and neighbouring properties. Mr Rowley said that protection had now gone.
He said: “We were told that there were structural concerns originally, yet the latest statement says removing the wall was considered unnecessary, so an approved protection was removed by choice.
“If left like this, we can never open our bathroom window again. We'd need to keep the blind down because our children could be seen sitting on the toilet and showering.
“Our children have become scared to go into their own garden because of the interactions and overlooking we've already experienced.
“I've dealt with my wife in tears because she no longer feels the same privacy in her own home. That's not protecting residential amenity, is it?”
He also told councillors his family had already dealt with ‘broken glass, debris, cigarettes spitting into our garden, and unwanted interactions with our children through these windows’.
He said: “If this exact development with this wall retained, these windows, and this relationship with our family home had been presented to you before any work started, would you have considered it acceptable?
“If you wouldn't have approved it then, then please don't approve it now simply because it's been built.”
Labour councillor Bob Purser, one of the Abington ward councillors, also urged the committee to reject the plans.
He said: “This has been an application which has stretched over five years of my being a councillor. It's not been a happy tale.
“It’s a poorly designed project which has cut corners and now provides the committee with a Hobson's choice.
“It’s really not acceptable for a planning recommendation to be based on the best of a bad job.”
Labour councillor Zoe Smith also spoke against the application.
She said: “I am so horrified on behalf of the neighbours at what has evolved with this application.”
Councillor Smith said the windows looking towards the neighbouring garden created “a shocking amount of overlooking”.
She also questioned the suitability of the building for young people, saying the original scheme had included a courtyard and more outside space.
But Pat Dooley, speaking for the applicant, said councillors were not being asked to decide whether the 19 flats should exist.
He said: “Planning permission already exists for the conversion of this building to 19 supported living units and that established principle is not what members are being asked to reconsider this evening.”
Mr Dooley said the retained wall was part of the old factory and had always contained windows.
He also said the applicant was prepared to accept restrictions on the windows to help protect neighbours' privacy.
After hearing from the residents, councillors and applicant, the committee voted six to four to approve the changes.
The approval decision was proposed by Reform councillor Nigel Berrill and seconded by fellow Reform councillor Daniel Rainbird, who is Mr Berrill's nephew.
The approval included a condition requiring obscure glazing on the windows.