Mystery surrounds withdrawal of homes planned around Weymouth FC stadium
Plans for 32 homes have gone from the planner register
Plans for 32 ‘affordable’ homes alongside the Weymouth’s Bob Lucas Stadium have been withdrawn.
The Lovell Homes planning application, which was opened for public comments in September, has now been removed from the Dorset Councl planning register.
It had requested consent for the homes together with 70 parking spaces off Radipole Lane on a 1.3 hectare site wrapping around the stadium’s existing car parking.
No reason has been given for the withdrawal of the proposals although the application had attracted a number of objections.
Neither Lovell Homes nor their agents, Chapman Lily Planning, have responded to a request for further comment submitted first thing on Thursday morning.
Objections
Several objections to Dorset council had complained about the impact of the loss of car parking on match days, forcing drivers onto nearby roads, with others concerned about the effect of the development on wildlife.
Chickerell town council picked up on the environmental issues in its objection claiming the home would result in the loss of an important “wildlife corridor” and questioned if there was a need for more homes in the area.
Weymouth town council also lodged an objection – concerned about the viability of the football club if parking spaces were to be lost and asking for a planning strategy for the club.
Weymouth Civic Society was also against the housing proposal, describing it as “incompatible” with the football ground use: “The development of this important space adjacent to the existing building and facilities of the stadium would appear to preclude any extension and enhanced provision as may be needed, constricting the club in their plans for the future,” said the Society, adding: “The question may be asked, where is the Olympic Legacy which was so widely boasted for the beneficial expansion of sporting facilities in our area?”
Sport England also lodged an objection claiming the loss of car parking would impact on the club’s viability.
Lovell Homes had wanted to offer 26 three-bed homes and 6 two-bed in a range of detached, semi-detached and short terraces.
They would have been available, if approved, on both an affordable rent and shared ownership basis.
Over the years a number of housing applications have suggested on various parcels of land close to the stadium, including one for up to 170 homes which was rejected in 2013 which would have resulted in the loss of the stadium altogether.
Other schemes have followed, some being taken to appeal, including a 2020 application where a planning inspector expressed concerns about a new, additional access off the roundabout, stating that it could be dangerous for cyclists and pedestrians.
A planning agent for Lovell Homes said at the time of the latest application that the proposals will result in the loss of existing match day parking immediately alongside the stand, although other land has been transferred back to the football club to the north of the stadium which could be used for parking.
The agent, Chapman Lily, based in Wareham, claims that affordable housing outside ‘existing settlement boundaries’ is generally held to be acceptable in planning terms and that the county had at the time of the application, an estimated need for 767 affordable houses each year.
They argued that the scheme would benefit local housing demand and the economy of the area and believe that the homes have been designed to have a ‘comfortable relationship’ with the football stadium with a ‘buffer zone’ between the homes and the stadium itself.