Plans will see 19th century building bulldozed for flats

The proposals by Wessex Planning for the site on Westridge Road include a two-and-a-half-storey building for three one-bedroom, four two-bedroom and one three-bedroom flats.

The current site consists of a 19th-century building which in recent years has been used as a house of multiple occupation for seven people.

It sits between Clydesdale Court and Westridge Road Car Park.

The proposed building design would be ‘unmistakably modern’ and the block would include driveways on the front part of the site.

Westridge Road proposed flats (Image: Wessex Planning)

READ MORE: Plans to turn former tyre shop into 16 new flats given go-ahead

The design and access statement said: “The scale and massing has been carefully considered to fit within the local context which displays a mixture of Victorian properties and more recent 3-storey, pitched roofed apartment buildings.

“The proposed building has been divided into several pitched roof elements with the width of the proposed elements limited to produce well-proportioned gables in keeping with the surrounding buildings.”

Although the application only includes three parking spaces provided, this was accepted as there is an on-street parking available.

The statement said: “The parking survey submitted with the pre-application was accepted as demonstrating that on-road parking spaces were available albeit parking demand in the area is high.

“The proposed three parking spaces were considered acceptable provided they are allocated to certain dwellings rather than being shared. The car park adjacent was considered to provide short-term visitor parking for the site.”

A pre-application proposal included the plans for seven flats but following an inspection visit, a sketch scheme was put forward which moved the parking space to the front part of the site making a space for another flat.

The application added: “The above sections demonstrate that the proposal has taken into account its context and provides a high-quality contemporary development that responds to the forms and scale of the surrounding area, and that is in compliance with all relevant adopted Local Plan policy.

“The advice of the LPA has been sought at the pre-application stage and the positive recommendations contained within that advice have been taken into account in the final proposal. It is therefore respectfully requested that this application is approved without delay.”

A decision is awaited by Southampton City Council.