COUNCILLORS have unanimously rejected controversial plans for a self-storage warehouse tonight, in the face of officers’ recommendations to grant approval.

Members of City of York Council’s planning sub-committee said the building - proposed for land next door to homes and an Aldi store in Water Lane, Clifton Without - was too big and overbearing for local residents.

Planning officials had said the proposed height of the eaves had been lowered by a metre and they considered the scheme has been amended sufficiently to address concerns about the residential amenity of neighbouring properties.

But scores of residents had objected to the scheme, with one branding the building a ‘monstrosity,’ and several attended the meeting to speak out against it.

Catherine Allen said proposed landscaping would not offset the detrimental impact, and Andrew Stanley said his concerns were because the building was ‘so huge’ and to an ‘horrendous design.’

A third resident said it was ‘completely unacceptable.’ Rawcliffe and Clifton Without Cllr Stuart Rawlings said the strength of feeling in the local community was such that a queue of residents wanting to speak could have formed out of the committee room door.

He said the warehouse would mean a 10 metre high steel clad wall and was ‘totally unacceptable.’

Mike McCarthy, of storage company MJ McCarthy, which was behind the application, said it was was a ‘respected Yorkshire business’ and the warehouse would lead to lower levels of additional traffic than many other commercial uses.

Cllr Ann Reid said the committee should reject the scheme not because of noise or traffic but the overbearing massing, and this was echoed by other councillors including Peter Dew and Dave Taylor, who said: “I wouldn’t want a building of that scale at the bottom of my garden.” Cllr James Flinders said: “It’s too big.”

The committee’s decision was described afterwards as ‘refreshing’ by delighted resident Catherine Allen but Cllr Rawlings warned the applicant could appeal. When asked by The Press it it would appeal. Mr McCarthy declined to comment