PLANNING councillors have overruled their officers and committee chairman to approve a controversial redevelopment of a filling station and car lot in Christchurch.

Owners of the Priory Motor Works concern on the corner of Bridge Street and Stony Lane South had twice been refused permission and lost an appeal in a bid to demolish the garage and build flats and offices on the site.

And a revised bid for outline planning permission for 30 flats in a 2 -storey L-shaped block around the frontage of the site was also recommended for refusal by town hall planning and housing officers.

While admitting the proposals would improve the appearance of a gateway to the historic heart of the town, officers advised that building on the garage site in isolation would compromise longer term redevelopment of the whole area, including unsightly gas holders and a curtain factory.

But after hearing that agreement had been reached over the allocation of nine flats for social housing, members of the borough's planning committee voted to grant outline consent.

Chief planning officer David Jobbins said: "It was a finely balanced decision. While it reduces the options for future development of the adjoining sites the gas holders are likely to remain for some time in the future and members wanted to be pragmatic."

"They felt the benefit of developing affordable housing was sufficient to approve it."

First published: October 19