Plans for £11.5m development on Manchester’s Curry Mile rejected

Plans for 42 flats on Manchester’s ‘Curry Mile’ have been thrown out. The four-storey development in Rusholme, which features 5,500 sq ft of commercial and restaurant space on the ground floor, has been rejected.

The former tyre-fitters on the corner of Wilsmlow Road and Grandale Street, where the scheme is proposed, is currently home to the Huqqa Lounge café.

Manchester-based developer Views, which owns the site, put forward the scheme worth £11.5m which comprises six new ground floor commercial units, 12 one-bed, 27 two bed and three three-bed flats. But Manchester city council officers refused planning permission for the scheme last week citing the lack of parking and increased traffic among their reasons.

Views senior development manager Patrick Sheridan said the developer is ‘disappointed’ about the decision which it is currently considering appealing. He said: “We are disappointed to learn our proposals for 98 Wilmslow Road have been refused, despite the positive feedback from the local community and us having responded to requests from planning officers to make several changes to the scheme since our original submission.

“We felt the amendments and additional information submitted demonstrated the high-quality and appropriate scale of the scheme, which would not have negative impacts on adjoining properties or the community.

“We are now reviewing our options, including taking the matter to appeal, and we expect to decide in the next few weeks.

“The local area currently suffers from excessive on street parking, during the day and in the evenings, however Manchester City Council are in the process of implementing a Residents Parking Zone (RPZ) to tackle this issue.

“We commissioned parking surveys of the local area and it was concluded up to 100 on street parking spaces will become available once the RPZ is implemented.

“In addition, as part of our planning application we proposed a car club bay adjacent to the site, two years free car club membership and £40 driving credit for each new resident, as well as restricting new residents from applying to the Council for an on-street parking permit.

“We remain very excited about our plans for 98 Wilmslow Road.

“Our proposals will deliver much needed new homes and a retail offering to support this ever growing, diverse and vibrant Manchester community.”

Five reasons for refusal were listed in the decision notice published last week.

Firstly, the proposed development would increase demand for on-street parking in an area already experiencing highly levels of demand, it said.

Secondly, the location of windows close to the northern boundary of the site  could prevent the redevelopment of the neighbouring site, the notice stated.

The development would also increase activity on the surrounding residential streets through ‘comings and goings’, vehicular movements and noise, it said.

The third floor apartments would fail to provide an adequate standard of living due to limited access to natural daylight and sunlight, the notice also stated.

And the siting and scale of the development which would back on to the pavement in Wilmslow Road would be an ‘over-dominant’ feature, it said.

A Manchester City Council spokesperson said: “Every planning application is robustly assessed on its own merits, having full consideration to local and national planning policy frameworks – and site considerations.”