COUNCILLORS have approved residential development for a vacant site in Greenock’s West End.
Inverclyde Planning Board, which visited the site, was in favour of a proposal for flats on overgrown ground beside Glenpark Court, 29 Fox Street, across from Greenock Cricket Club’s ground.
Councillor Stephen McCabe said: “I absolutely think this is a suitable site for development.”
The application involved only the principle of building flats. Consent for detailed design plans will still be required. Twenty-two public objections were received.
Planners had recommended that permission be given. They had stated in their report: “It is acknowledged that within this vicinity, the urban form is varied in terms of location of plots and design. This reaffirms that the plot could be developed without a detrimental impact to the built form and pattern of development.
“This development enables a practical adaption of this vacant site, which conforms to the historical pattern of development and the variety of property types/tenure whereby small tenement flats with rear parking courts are not uncommon within the immediate locality.
“Overall, the proposal does not present overdevelopment of the site, and it is considered there is a sufficient building-to-plot ratio and amenity ground to reflect that of the immediate locality and to conform to the surrounding and traditional built form.”
They added: “The proposed three-storey building would strike a balance in this location, between the two-storey properties on Ardgowan Street and four storeys within Glenpark Court and would not be considered to be visually dominating or out of context in the surrounding streetscape.”
An indicative plan shows a three-storey building with five flats, two with one bedroom and three with two bedrooms, including a penthouse apartment taking up the whole top floor. All would have outside terrace areas.
A statement submitted to Inverclyde’s planning department by Nicolson McShane Architects explained: “Our clients seek consent in principle for the erection of a small block of environmentally innovative flats on their site. In support of this intended application, we have prepared a notional proposal for information purposes to demonstrate how the development might be accommodated on the site and the limited but positive impact that this will have in the public realm.”
It continues: “Our proposal seeks to reconcile the high demand for easily accessible, high quality ‘downsize-friendly’ housing in this sought-after location with the sensitivity and historical importance of the West End.
“We have developed an indicative design for illustrative purposes and to demonstrate our approach to the policies and guidance informing development in the area.”
An application to build seven flats at the site was made in March 2021 but was withdrawn by the applicant before a decision by planners. It had attracted around 25 public objections.
