Neighbours object to dad building flats for his kids due to lack of parking spaces

Neighbours are objecting to plans of a local father to build flats in Mangotsfield for his children due to a lack of parking spaces. Three garages behind a row of houses will be knocked down and replaced with two one-bedroom flats.

But people living nearby the plans, on St James Street, fear the new flats would overlook into their properties, as well as impact on parking spaces. However both flats would each have a car parking space.

Councillors on the development management committee at South Gloucestershire Council voted to grant permission for the plans on Thursday, February 15. They heard from a resident and the local ward councillor, who raised fears about overdevelopment.

Labour Councillor Ian Boulton, co-leader of the council, said: “Concerns were raised about the cramped site, overdevelopment, and nearby properties fear they will be overlooked. They feel that the parking is insufficient, and we would like some reassurance that this doesn’t contravene the council’s policy.”

John Sutton, a neighbour objecting to the plans, added: “It’s ill conceived, it’s too big, it would overlook my property, and it’s totally the wrong site. There would be no space to park and it would create a lack of privacy. This area was once just back gardens.”

The developer building the flats said he was not working for a large house building company, but said it would be a “family development”. He added he was hoping to get his children onto the housing ladder one day.

Alan Britton, the applicant, said: “All the parking spaces comply with the guidelines set out, and in fact I would say they are slightly bigger than what is necessary. I’m not Wimpey or Bovis Homes, this is a family development so I can maybe get my children onto the property market. We’re not here to make money, it’s just something we’re hoping to do to benefit our children.

“The three garages are used at the moment by three different people, so the volume of traffic I don’t think will increase. Instead of three people coming to the garages, there would be two people. The actual traffic movement will be reduced, rather than increased.”

Conservative Councillor June Bamford added: “I think it would be a great improvement. If the site is in such a mess with rats and goodness knows what, this can only be an improvement. You do expect a degree of overlooking, we are in a semi-urban area."