Plans for a three-storey block of flats on a prominent site in Rayleigh are to be decided at a public inquiry.

Rochford District Council rejected the scheme by Marden Homes for 15 flats on the site of two semi-detached houses in the High Road.

Members said the scale and bulk of the development was out of character with homes nearby and it would be an over-dominant element in the street scene, representing a form of over-development.

They added that the number of parking spaces proposed for the flats was too low and that the spaces shown on the plan were under-sized.

In addition, the amenity of nearby residents would be affected because there was not enough space to allow proper landscaping at the rear of the planned block.

The public inquiry is the result of an appeal by the developers against the council's decision.

Published Monday, January 27, 2003

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