Decision to be made on 10 apartments at former sports club site in Rotherham

Members of Rotherham Council's planning regulatory board are expected to make a decision on an application for 10 apartments at a former sports centre.
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Applicant Mr M Hanif wants to transform the vacant land at Rockcliffe Road, Rawmarsh, into a three-storey brick building, made up of three one-bedroom and seven two-bedroom apartments, along with 11 off-road parking spaces.

The land has stood vacant since the previous private members’ club was closed and been demolished last year.

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In a report to the board, officers have recommended the application be refused.

Rockcliffe Road, RawmarshRockcliffe Road, Rawmarsh
Rockcliffe Road, Rawmarsh

Six objections have been received by the council, on various grounds including; excessively large number of units relative to the site area; concerns about overlooking and loss of privacy to the houses opposite; and on-street parking being reduced for users of the nearby allotments and residents.

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The report says: “It is considered the character of the surrounding area consists predominantly of two-storey terrace and some semi-detached properties in a traditional design and scale.

“It is considered the creation of a three-storey apartment block with a large number of windows and entrance doors in the front elevation does not reflect the surrounding urban grain of Rockcliffe Road.

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“The amount of land available for development is restricted and the council’s landscape team have expressed concerns with the proposals in their current form as limited information has been provided on future landscaping details and amenity areas.

“It is unclear from the plans whether there is any existing vegetation on site, nor whether this has been assessed for retention.

“Overall, the proposal is not considered to make a positive contribution to the character and appearance of the surrounding urban area.

“The council is critical of the submitted scheme which is considered to be of an overly dominant scale with large massing of the building, has an excessively large number of windows and front glazing, lack of meaningful outlook to the rear windows and limited amenity space.

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"The front car parking area appearing as a solid mass of built form further indicates the scheme appears as overdevelopment for this site.

“The application is recommended for refusal.”

Councillors will make a decision at a meeting of the planning regulatory board on June 4.

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