A FORMER press building in Foxton will be developed into housing to the disappointment of the parish council. The application has been given planning permission to turn the Burlington Press site at Station Road and the High Street, into eight houses and f

A FORMER press building in Foxton will be developed into housing to the disappointment of the parish council. The application has been given planning permission to turn the Burlington Press site at Station Road and the High Street, into eight houses and four affordable flats. It means the Station Road factory buildings will be demolished apart from the majority of the facade and a two-storey office building, which is sublet to another company. The parish council refused the application because they said it will have a major impact on the structure and nature of the village as well as a deleterious effect on traffic and the use of village facilities. Cllr Dudley Pusey, chairman of the parish council, said: "The parish council is extremely disappointed. We consulted the village and the majority of people opposed the application. "There will be a visual impact and a serious traffic impact at the heart of the village because we already have traffic movement problems due to parking. There will also be noise pollution, front doors opening directly onto the pavement and the general density of the development. "We are also concerned about the visual impact of the development. Although we appreciate the facade as it is, to raise the roof by a couple of metres and then put a two-story house on the end near the war memorial will make it far more dominant and the appearance of the facade will change. "The development is, therefore, just completely wrong." District councillor Deb Roberts said: "There was nothing in planning terms to say that it could be refused. And if it had been refused it was quite likely the applicant would appeal. "You can only turn things down on good valid points. "I think because the facade is being kept it won't be such a large change like it would have been if the whole factory had been knocked down. "The area already has a busy factory site so I don't think there will be much of a change. However, we will keep an eye on parking in the area." Cllr Roberts added that she hopes four of the affordable flats will be accessible to people living in Foxton.