A BID to demolish and replace a former Jehovah’s Witness building with five three-bed homes in Westbury Leigh has been rejected by town councillors.
The application proposes demolition of Kingdom Hall at 66a Westbury Leigh – which members of the town council’s highways, planning and development committee described as a “hideous” building. Built in 1976, it became redundant in the past year and was put on the open market.
However, the committee voted unanimously against the new 2.5 storey dwellings on grounds including that the development’s size, mass and bulk was too large for the plot and would be damaging to the community’s unique and distinct character.
Proposing refusal, cllr Gordon King said, “Westbury Leigh is one of the oldest and visually pleasing communities in Westbury, with a number of listed buildings of merit, interspersed with green spaces and trees.
“The community’s linear nature and development has been incremental and somewhat sprawling in nature, with a clear and distinctly unique identity unlike that of any other community in Westbury.
“Westbury Town Council recognises and endorses the character of this settlement which is important and necessary for protection.”
He added that the council was concerned the plan was out of keeping with the community and would erode rather than enhance its identity and unique character. Removing trees which line the front of the hall would erode the amenity people derive from them and harm the street scene, he said.
“No other building has front dormers or is 2.5 storeys in height, adding to the dominating nature of the development.
“Replacing significant and important trees at the front of the roadside with trees at the rear is a significant example of the potential erosion of the visual amenity and identity of the settlement.”
Driving and garaging arrangements in the plans were extremely restricted and could lead to cars having to reverse onto the highway, cllr King said.
Cllr Sheila Kimmins said, “We are being asked to approve five three-bedroomed houses with no gardens and as we have heard from the recent pandemic that we are all experiencing, gardens are extremely important. These houses have no gardens whatsoever.”
The proposal was out of character with the area and would tower above the area, she added.
Cllr Mike Kettlety said, “I don’t disagree with anything Cllr Gordon King has said but we have to accept it’s a truly hideous building we are left with and it really needs developing. The building needs knocking down – it needs something done which is more in keeping with the character of the area.
“How on earth did they get planning permission for this building in the first place? It’s dreadful.”
Cllr Brenda Pyne accused the applicant of solely wanting to maximise return on the development without looking at the aesthetics of the design.
Speaking against the bid, cllr Nick Pyne said, “If we are going to go green, we have to start tempering the design for profit with proper designs and proper buildings.”
Members voted in favour of cllr King’s proposal to refuse, with the addition of cllr Kimmins’ point about the gardens.
