A bungalow in York could be demolished to make way for two new apartment buildings, according to plans submitted to the City of York Council.
Planning company O’Neill Associates have proposed building a total of nine residential flats at 45 Hempland Lane, Heworth.
The site will consist of two buildings – one containing five flats and the other four.
The scheme also includes 11 parking spaces, a bin and cycle store for each building, and landscaped amenity space around and between the proposed structures.
Should the plans go ahead, the detached bungalow at 45 Hempland Lane would be demolished. It also comes with a stand-alone garage, a driveway, paths, and a rear garden.
Planning documents describe the current building as “set within a substantial curtilage area, which is atypical of the prevailing character of surrounding suburban housing located within more modest plots.”
The two proposed apartment buildings would be positioned to the south of a new private drive extending from the existing access point, adjacent to the northern boundary of the site.
Building 1 will have an external footprint of 162 sq m and will house four units, consisting of two one-bed apartments, and two two-bed apartments.
Building 2 will be larger, with an external footprint of 219 sq m. It will house five units, with three two-bed apartments, and two three-bed apartments.
Each of the nine apartments would have one parking space, with an additional visitor space allocated to each building.
According to plans, the scheme will “make a positive and meaningful contribution to meeting the recognised housing need in York.”
Concerns over views
However, some neighbours have raised their concerns with the proposed development.
One neighbour feels the conditions of the area will only be worsened with the new build.
The objection states: “This is a very wet area & more buildings & cement driveway will only make the problem in the area worse.
“It’s heavily laden with clay. Also the large size of the structure would certainly obscure neighbours’ views & also make their houses shaded.”
They also questioned whether “this type of building” was appropriate for the area.
Two further objections came from another neighbour, who also has concerns regarding the potential shade the buildings could create over the existing properties.
“The application is very comprehensive, but doesn’t include any shading analysis,” he wrote.
“As our property is directly due North of the development, please can the applicant be requested to provide a shading analysis?”
This neighbour also feels the consultation period of 21 days is too short, as it includes both Christmas and New Year holiday periods.
Another resident who lives on Hempland Lane is concerned about the potential loss of privacy.
In their objection, they stated that the apartment blocks would be overlooking their home and garden: “We will not be able to use our garden to its full potential (which we have done for 24 years) due to the overbearing apartment block, the additional lighting on the buildings, the frequent visits to the bin store and the increased traffic visiting these apartments.”
They added, “this will have a huge impact on our mental health and the biodiversity of the surrounding wooded wildlife area and any wildlife that visits our gardens.”
Additional concerns also include the urban-style design being out of character with the surrounding area, as well as security risks.
“There is a proposed access road directly attached to my back garden, which anyone can access from Hempland Lane, also there is a new additional entrance on the site directly into the allotment area.
“The positioning of the bin store would mean that there is nothing to deter or prevent people accessing the roof of the bin and cycle store and gaining access to my garden and the back of my property.”
You can read and comment on the plans here.