Councillor’s Diss plan refused
A Diss builder and town councillor has had his application to develop and change a site in the centre of the town refused.
The application, submitted by Harold Rackham for 36 Mere Street, is to build a new unit for use as retail or a cafe, a new home over the unit, change of use of part a shop to mixed use, minor alterations to the ground floor of the listed building, as well as the rebuilding of the yard wall with associated parking.
Mr Rackham, a member of Diss Town Council, had both his application for full planning permission and an application for listed building consent refused by South Norfolk Council’s planning committee on Wednesday.
In her report, planning officer Claire Curtis recommended councillors refuse the application, stating that the specific design, size and scale of the proposed frontage of the building would have an adverse impact on the setting of the adjacent and adjoining listed buildings. She added that the development would not enhance the character of the conservation area and would be detrimental to visual amenities.
The loss of the London Plane Tree in the existing car park, which is a feature within the conservation area, was also considered detrimental to the character and appearance of the heritage asset.
In the design and access statement, Mr Rackham said the development offered a completion to the bottom end of Mere Street by in-filling the vacant street-frontage in an important location for the look of the town. He said the new shop would brighten up the whole corner and form a continuous street frontage for shoppers, adding that the current drive to improve this end of the town centre cannot be achieved without a suitable development on the vacant land.
The application was backed by Diss Town Council, but was recommended for refusal by the landscape and conservation officer.
Mr Rackham did not wish to comment on the decision or what he planned to do next.
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Weather for Diss
Wednesday 22 May 2013
Today
Cloudy
Temperature: 3 C to 14 C
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