Changes have been made to plans for a King’s Lynn car dealership to be demolished and replaced with housing, as the town’s councillors and civic society continue to express reservations.
Plans to demolish the Favorit Motor Company showroom on London Road, and replace it with a three-storey block, had first been lodged with West Norfolk Borough Council in 2020.
Owner Paul Ketteridge assured customers his business had no intention of closing in the immediate future and would remain operational for some time, even if permission for the change is eventually granted.
The proposed scheme would see the construction of two two-bed town houses, two four-bed town houses, three two-bed maisonettes, one one-bed maisonette, one two-bed flat and seven one-bed flats - and it has since undergone some design changes.
Concerns had been raised by council officers over a lack of privacy for potential residents of the new development, as existing buildings would face into it.
The windows have therefore been moved to the side of the development with fake window placements proposed to ensure that the back of the building does not appear blank.
Two parking spaces have also been added to the development.
The proposals also include two commercial units.
In a statement, the King’s Lynn Civic Society wrote: “Although we remain sceptical about the commercial units (access and therefore business viability) and the size/arrangement/‘liveability’ of some of the apartments, we recognise that the design team have addressed many of the previous issues we raised about design in relation to the conservation area setting.”
The new plans were discussed at a meeting of the borough’s King’s Lynn area consultative committee on Thursday (May 19).
At the meeting, Conservative councillor Lesley Bambridge raised concern about the height of the development, saying that most neighbouring properties were only two storeys high.
“There are so many flats in King’s Lynn that aren’t selling,” she also warned.
“There’s one development that I understand is going to be used for AirBnB, because they can’t sell them.”
Mr Ketteridge said there were a number of buildings higher than two storeys along London Road.
He added that his architects had been working constructively with the council to ensure the proposed development would meet their requirements.
The council is due to issue a decision by June 2.
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