The big planning decisions made in Northampton this week

The borough council’s planning committee convened at The Guildhall on Tuesday (February 18), and approved all but one of the five applications they heard. Here’s a rundown of their decisions.

APPROVED: Continue use as a temporary emergency night shelter for another two years.

Councillors unanimously approved the continued temporary use of the former social club on St Andrew’s Road as an emergency night shelter. The shelter offers somewhere to sleep for up to 20 men who would be rough sleeping, and aims to help them towards getting their own place to stay. Read more on this decision here.APPROVED: Conversion of restaurant to public house at former Buddies restaurant on Acre Lane, Kingsthorpe.

The former Buddies restaurant is currently empty after the fast food chain closed its doors in Kingsthorpe towards the end of 2019. But it is now set to be replaced by a new gastropub called The Olde Cobbler.

Residents had raised concerns about the 1am weekend closing time and the potential for alcohol to be sold to take off premises. But Mark Robinson, a director for the Olde Cobbler who is also a director for Buddies, told councillors there were ‘no plans’ to sell booze to take away, and that they had not finalised the opening hours.

Some members of the committee questioned if the planning committee had any powers to alter the opening hours, but were told this was a licensing issue. They eventually unanimously approved the proposals. Further details here.APPROVED: Demolition of existing double garage and construction of new dwelling at garage adjacent to 6 Hester Street.

The next application was the demolition of an existing double garage and to build a new detached three-storey home at 6 Hester Street, Semilong. A neighbour said the proposed scheme would block out light at their home and that their kitchen would ‘become a dungeon’.

But planning officers say the impact on their home ‘would not be so significant that warrants a refusal of the application’.

Councillor Brian Markham said: “I don’t think this will make it a lot worse than it already is as it is north facing.”

Councillors unanimously followed officer advice to approve the plans.

DEFERRED: Proposed loft conversion with new rear roof dormer and new rooflights at 17 Spinney Hill Road.

Planning officers had recommend refusal as the proposed dormer windows, French doors and balcony would overlook directly to the rear windows and private garden of a neighbouring property.

The applicant was Conservative borough councillor Mike Hallam, with Councillor Hallam making very clear that he was speaking as a private citizen about his family home. Fellow Conservative councillor Jamie Lane excused himself from the committee for this item.

He told committee members: “Not one of our neighbours has objected to the plans. They have actually been supportive and one is considering a similar scheme. When it comes to overlooking, we already overlook the neighbours and the properties have done so since they were built.”

Councillor Hallam said he would be prepared to replace the balcony as part of any conditions to approve it.

Labour councillor Arthur McCutcheon said: “There’s good intentions here not to annoy neighbours, and it sounds like there’s been an extensive consultation. I would be happy to defer this for further negotiations to take place between the applicant’s agent and planning officers.”

Committee chairman Councillor Brian Oldham said there was currently a problem and sufficient grounds on which to refuse the application. But he added that he would be minded to defer to see an opportunity given to ‘see if there is further mileage to make it more conducive on planning grounds’.

Councillor Jane Birch proposed that the scheme be deferred to see if improvements can be made to make it work in planning terms. This was unanimously agreed by the committee.

APPROVED: Erection of three new dwellings with parking spaces off Norman Road on land adjacent to 573 Wellingborough Road.

The only application of the evening to be submitted by Northampton Partnership Homes. The new homes would be two-bed terraced properties, with Gary Owens, of NPH, saying there was ‘large demand’ in the area for such homes. Councillor Jamie Lane said the scheme was a ‘good use of land’, and the committee quickly granted unanimous approval.