In our October Newsletter, we reported that the Council’s Planning and Development Committee had refused permission against officer advice at their meeting in October.

At the beginning of November, the scheme was re-presented by officers to the Committee. Officers were very concerned that the refusal could force the developer Romulus to revert to their previous Appeal scheme which had been on hold. This scheme was much worse than the latest revision but the Appeal process would be costly to the Council with no guarantee as to the outcome.

The Committee agreed to withdraw their previous refusal to the amended scheme and it was approved. This is by no means an ideal situation. We and other local groups have complained that the elevational treatment to the amended scheme is still too harsh and monolithic for this location being adjacent to a number of Conservation Areas. The developers have agreed that they will meet with us to discuss alternative treatment but we are still waiting for a meeting to be arranged.