Extension for key Weymouth building refused
Developers wanted to add two floors to Brenda Dench House
Plans to add two storeys and ten flats to a key Weymouth town centre building have been rejected.
Concerns over flooding, neighbouring trees, the appearance and bulk of the building and the outlook from some flats were among the reasons behind the 7-2 vote against the plans.
One of the few councillors to back the changes, Littlemoor and Preston councillor Louie O’Leary, described the committee decision over Brenda Dench House, in St Mary Street, as “bizarre.”
The Conservative councillor had engaged during the debate in a spat with fellow Tory, Cllr Simon Christopher, which led to a telling off for his language by the committee chairman. Cllr Christopher had suggested it would be unwise for councillors not to listen to the warnings and professional advice being offered.
Cllr O’Leary said he rejected officer advice that the site was likely to be prone to flooding and it needed a better flood escape plan than the one being proposed.
He said other issues, of poor outlook from some flats and neighbouring trees in the churchyard could all be solved by negotiation and that the building was currently an eyesore in need of change.
He told the area planning committee that if all the advice about flood risk was adhered to the town centre might as well be closed down – saying that he would be wearing armbands and a rubber ring for town centre visits if it really was the risk being portrayed.
Several councillors welcomed aspects of the proposals, but many were concerned by the need for a flood plan for current and future residents, likely to be around 50 people if the scheme had been approved.
Other worried were over proposals for gates either end of the passageway which links St Mary Street and Maiden Street – with fears about how residents might escape in the event of a fire, or flood.
Concerns were also raised about the outlook from some flats – with views from some windows straight onto a wall, between 1 and 3 metres away, within a light well.
Councillors on the area planning committee were told that a similar proposal for nine flats had been approved in December 2021 but the consent had now lapsed.
Since then flooding advice had been updated adding more data on likely one in thirty year flood levels including likely water depth and flow rates.
Council officers had decided that the flood escape plan – for residents to walk down the street and over the town bridge to Boot Hill, or to stay put and sit it out, were not acceptable.
Portland councillor Pete Roper warned the committee not to underestimate the danger of flood – telling them he had been caught in a flood where he used to live and had almost been knocked off his feet by the flow of water, even though it was only up to his knees. He described it as one of the most terrifying experiences of his life.
Fellow Portland councillor Paul Kimber warned it would be going down a slippery slope to ignore the flood advice from professionals.
Agent for the scheme, Simon Howard-Dobson said the proposals gave significant benefits for existing and new residents including better insulation and ventilation and a re-vamped exterior.
He said the most likely flood risk, which he said was still a low probability, was from tidal flooding which was known about, and warned about, well in advance, giving residents plenty of time to leave, or to decide to stay put and wait for 3-6 hours until the water subsided. None of the living spaces are on the ground floor.
He said the mature trees, which are against one side of the building, could be dealt with by negotiation with the landowner and should not be a reason for refusing the development.
The meeting heard that would need to be trimmed back during construction to allow scaffolding to be put up, and would then need to maintained away from the side of Brenda Dench House.
Eggardon Cllr Neil Eynseck made the proposal to reject the scheme in line with the recommendation from officers. He said although the proposals were better than the existing building too many problems remained which needed sorting out for it to go ahead.
The application for the changes came from Weymouth Investments Ltd which has suggested that it might have another proposal for the building which is named after a former Weymouth Mayor who died from cancer in 1995 while in office.