DEVELOPERS behind plans for 72 extra care flats and a decked car park in York have lost yet another battle with council planners.

McCarthy and Stone and Henry Boot Developments have been refused plans for a revised scheme at the Chocolate Works on Bishopthorpe Road, York.

It includes apartments of four storeys on a 0.87ha site in the former car park of Terry’s Chocolate Works with decked car parking intended for a third party.

Proposals have been rejected on design grands both by City of York Council and the planning inspectorate.

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York Civic Trust says the scheme “leads to unnecessary conflict between pedestrians and cyclists at the main entrance.”

Furthermore: “The proposed decked car park is felt to be too large and the scheme fails to adequately address access to the site by sustainable means of transport.”

Some 26 letters of objection were also sent to City of York saying the site lacked suitable public transport, the schemes residents would impact on local services and create too much traffic.

The apartments would also overlook and overshadow nearby properties. The site was also greenbelt.

The former councillor Rosie Baker also objected ssaying the development was ‘excessive’ would harm the setting of the Terry’s/Racecourse Conservation Area, and harms view into the City.

Council planners noted the ‘poor design’ of the proposals on a brownfield site, where the principle of development had been established.

They also noted: “A clear need has been established for specialist residential accommodation for the elderly for which there is a significant shortfall particularly in the western quadrant of the City.

“At the same time the City is unable at the present time to demonstrate a five year supply of deliverable sites for housing which the 72 units would partially off set.”

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These considerations would carry ‘substantial weight’ in the planning balance.

However, council planners concluded the resubmitted scheme does not adequately address the earlier reasons for refusal and its continued harm outweighs the benefits of the wider scheme.

The design, they continued, “fails to provide for an active street frontage to Bishopthorpe Road and leaves the development appearing isolated and inward looking.”

This vision was heightened “by the pedestrian access being by a bridge across an alien moat like feature creating a physical boundary with the street frontage.”

Their report further concluded: “As a consequence it appears highly visually contrived and fails to properly reflect its wider context, creating an adverse relationship to the surrounding pattern of development which would give rise to substantial harm to the form and character of the wider street scene contrary.”

Therefore, this did not meet local and national planning policies and should be refused.”