Plans to build family homes in the back of pub car park refused

Plans to build three new homes at the back of a popular Kettering pub's car park have been thrown out by the council.

North Northamptonshire Council (NNC) has blocked an application to construct the two-storey residential properties to the rear of The Woolcomber, on St John's Road. This is the second time housing plans for the site have been turned down after a similar scheme was rejected in June of last year.

Punch Partnership Limited (PML) suggested using the very back of the venue's parking space to construct a trio of three-bed homes, with their own private garden and residential parking space. The applicant contended that the activity of the public house would remain the same with the extra housing and that the scheme would even benefit the wider local economy.

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The homes could only be reached through the existing car park access road. To make up for the removal of patron parking spaces at the rear of the building, plans indicated a reconfiguration of parking bays to serve more clients at the front of The Woolcomber.

This would equate to 25 parking spaces for the rest of the pub, including four staff bays and three disabled spaces, a reduction of five spaces from the current layout.

The plans received seven letters of objection from neighbouring residential properties and businesses along St John's Road, raising issues with access issues for residents and emergency services, overdevelopment of the area, privacy of existing homeowners and parking overflow onto the street.

NNC refused permission for the plans on Thursday, June 13. Planning officers wrote that the siting and layout would not result in a development that "functions well" or "adds to the overall quality of the area".

It questioned if the proposed homes would provide adequate living conditions for future tenants and called access to the dwellings through the car park "contrived" and "lengthy".

The refusal notice cited an unacceptable bin drag distance, likely difficulties in accessing and manoeuvring into car parking spaces and a potential conflict with commercial vehicles servicing the pub.