AN ‘in principle’ planning application for a block of 12 flats on a site off Pennsylvania Way, Portland, has been rejected by Dorset Council.

The outline proposal was for the north western corner of the site off Pennsylvania Way, an area which already has consent for six houses.

Access to the plot would be from Pennsylvania Way,  the entrance to which is opposite the Pennsylvania Castle and the Cove Park Holiday homes. The overall site, previously the Perryfield Works, saw permission granted in 2008 for 66 homes, with the application site given consent for six homes in 2011.

The latest application sought to use that 6-home site for a three-storey block of flats with 12 parking spaces. Each of the flats would be two-bed, one ensuite, with a bathroom and lounge/kitchen area.

The ground floor flats were proposed to have a garden area and those on the second floor a Juliet balcony at the rear.

Said an agent acting for the developer: “In view of the clear need for new housing that is established in both national and local planning policy, the site clearly lends itself to redevelopment to make a more efficient use of the land and deliver more new homes… the proposal has been designed to respect the appearance, form and scale of the adjacent buildings and the pattern and layout of development in the vicinity, without harming the visual amenity of the street scene or the character of the area.”

Portland Town Council objected to the application claiming the use of the site would be inappropriate with the site part of an Important Open Gap.

Weymouth Civic Society also objected claiming the development would be out of keeping with the area. It told council planning officer: “The proposed block of flats is particularly tall and excessively prominent. The roof with its pointed end elements is very high, on the scale of a fourth storey. We are concerned that it could be altered to incorporate additional flats on this limited site.”

A Dorset Council planning case officer agreed with the comments about the scale of the proposal, adding that the application also lacked any details about ‘affordable’ homes, which would be expected for a development of its size.