Residents lose flats battle (From Echo)

Residents lose flats battle

6:52pm Friday 8th June 2007 in News By Jon Austin

RESIDENTS are furious that plans for a huge flats complex branded "monstrous"

have been approved on appeal.

Butie Ltd has been granted permission by the Government planning inspectorate to build a fivestorey tower block of 84 flats with ground-floor restaurants and shops in Runwell Road, Wickford.

Residents, who fought the project on grounds of overdevelopment, are appalled and feel it has been passed without them having their say.

Butie was first refused permission by Basildon Council in August last year. It appealed and asked for a hearing by written correspondence.

A second similar planning application was turned down earlier this year. Butie appealed and residents were gearing up to fight the plans at a public inquiry on June 12. However, Butie has now won the first written appeal and withdrawn the inquiry.

Reg Iles, president of the Wickford Lawn Tennis Association, which is right next to the site, said: "We heard the appeal had been withdrawn and thought it was good news, but further inquiries with the council found the first had gone through without a hearing and we were unable to make representations."

Alan Ball, chairman of Wickford Action Group, added: "It seems like it has been passed through the back door. We thought the council was dead against it and would have wanted a full hearing." Both applications were panned by members of the development control committee, who threw them out.

Council leader Malcolm Buckley admitted he did not like the proposal, but said he was not against the principle of the type of development and said it would not compromise the £100million masterplan for the town.

Council spokesman Ray Mckay said: "It is the applicant's decision on the type of appeal hearing.

"The council could object, but it would have to be backed by good reasons which did not exist."

The firm and its agent, Denis Tyson Associates, from Romford, were unavailable for comment.