CALLS have been made for an application for 14 flats on the Weymouth Marsh Garage site to be decided by councillors – rather than a council officer.

The application has also attracted public comments complaining that the height and size of the proposed blocks are too large and would overlook homes in Garabaldi Road.

Local Dorset Council member Brian Heatley says that while he welcomes a brownfield site being re-used for housing there are just too many units proposed for the Weston Road site. He has also asked for the application to be taken out of the list to be decided by a planning officer alone, calling on the proposals to go before councillors.

“This proposal should be considered by the planning committee and not be delegated. It involves an essentially political judgement between the strong housing case for additional units of this type as against the street landscape and amenity objections for existing residents…

“I acknowledge the strong case for more housing of the type proposed, and accept that brownfield sites like this should be used, being greatly preferable to greenfield sites.

“However, I think the proposed development is a considerable over development of the site. Unlike the report from the landscape officer, I do not think a three story development going right up to Garibaldi Road at the northern and eastern end fits in well with the existing buildings. While there is a three storey block of flats on Weston Road to the west of the site, it would be more consistent with the smaller houses in Garibaldi Row to gradually reduce the height of the development towards the East,” he said.

Steve Elsworth, who rents out a property in the Row, says he supports the Marsh Garage application and the idea of low-cost housing, but like Cllr Heatlety said the existing proposal would just be too much: “It is with regret that I have to object to this application. There’s a simple reason: it’s too large, too overwhelming, will dominate the neighbourhood and blight the lives of the people living in Garibaldi Row. The application says that the neighbourhood will welcome the demolition of the parking and the construction of new accommodation: I can tell you that this is not true. They will hate it.

“Currently Garibaldi Row is fronted by a one-storey wall, which will be replaced by a three-storey building, rammed right in their faces. The occupants of the new building will be staring into the bedrooms of Garibaldi Row. Any natural light Garibaldi currently enjoys will disappear. Garibaldi residents will be sitting in the shadow of a three-storey dominant nightmare of a building, stuffed to the rafters with unfortunate inhabitants, rammed together like chickens in a battery farm. It’s a recipe for disaster.”

Weymouth Town Council has also objected on grounds of overlooking, the buildings being too high for the area, the loss of daylight for neighbours, not having enough parking spaces for 14 flats and asks for more two-bed units. Its comments are similar to those submitted by Weymouth Civic Society which also objects to another application for flats nearby.

Other public comments also refer to the site and size of the development with some also mentioning the lack of parking for 14 flats.

Taylor Gray Homes say the flats would all be one-bed, in two blocks, each three storeys high built of red brick with a slate roof. Their application asks whether the development is likely to be agreed in principle.