Homes plan rejected

PLANS for the development of a site in a quiet residential area have been turned down.

Members of North Herts District Council's planning control committee have rejected proposals to develop the site in Heathfield, Royston.

The decision came after a residents' protest over the scheme which was described as being out of character with the area.

Royston town councillor Rod Kennedy, a resident in Heathfield, who led the residents' protest, told the committee: "We want a good acceptable design, not one which looks as though it came from grand designs."

The residents were angry over plans to demolish a bungalow on the site and build a five-bedroom property.

Cllr Kennedy said residents did not object to the development of the site, but that the current proposals were "out of keeping" with the area.

He said the planned property would be "over-dominant" on the corner site.

Cllr Kennedy continued that residents were willing to talk to the developers over the kind of proposals which would be suitable for the site.

"We consider there is the kernel of an acceptable design within the proposals," he said. "But changes are required to satisfy the aspirations of residents for Heathfield's unique character to be preserved."

Cllr Kennedy suggested that a decision on the proposals should be deferred to enable talks between residents and the developer.

But the committee decided to reject the proposal in spite of a report from planning officer Naomi Reynard which said the plans should be given the go-ahead.

In her report she said she believed that the scheme did not "necessarily strike a discordant note" in the area.

The committee, however, decided to refuse the plan because of its excessive scale and the unacceptable dominate visual impact on the street scene.