CONTROVERSIAL plans to build apartments on derelict land within Leicester Street roundabout have been approved.
The building, which will be between two to four storeys in height, will house 16 apartments and will be located next to the former Megabet bookmakers.
The currently vacant bookmakers is soon to become an NHS eye clinic after proposals for a change of use were given the go ahead.
Revised apartment plans submitted to Cheshire West and Chester Council in September last year supersede a 2017 application which featured 12 flats, and offer design changes as well as a fresh layout.
The ground floor site plan of the apartments
After the Guardian revealed the revised plans, many residents stated their dismay over what was being sought.
One resident branded the application as ‘ridiculous’, adding: “Northwich does not need any more housing in a stupid place like this.”
Another said: “This nice plot should have been planted with trees and wild-flowers as a sanctuary for animals, birds and insects and it could be a source of oxygen and fresh air for the town.”
Cllr Sam Naylor commented: “The site is a gateway to our town and so it has to be pleasing on the eye and attractive to people who are visiting.”
The ground floor will comprise of five apartments of between one and two bedrooms, with six similar apartments located on the first floor.
Elevations of the apartment block looking at the roundabout from Station Road
A second floor will contain five apartments, with an additional residence located on floor three facing the town centre.
Vehicle access will be to the east of the site leading to an 18-space car park.
A planning statement submitted in 2017 said: “The proposed one and two-bedroom apartments should enhance the choice of housing in the community.
“The site is now derelict and doesn’t utilise its full potential, therefore the applicant wants to use the site for residential as a more viable alternative.”
While similar plans were approved in 2011, the permission lapsed and the recent attempts reflect wholesale changes made to the roundabout’s design.
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