Hotel demolition application refused by council (From Watford Observer)
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Application to demolish The Long Island Exchange, Rickmansworth, refused by Three Rivers District Council
11:12am Tuesday 15th January 2013 in News
By Ben Endley, Senior reporter
Councillor David Sansom, Councillor Paula Hiscocks and Peter Waters, Rickmansworth & District Residents' Association
An application to demolish Rickmansworth’s only remaining hotel and replace it with 92 homes has been refused by Three Rivers District Council.
The Long Island Exchange - formerly the Victoria Hotel - has been a landmark in the town since before 1888 and is believed to pre-date Rickmansworth Station which it stands opposite.
The bid to locate 87 flats and five town houses on the site of the hotel in Victoria Close prompted almost 250 comments to the council from residents and interested parties.
The application was turned down in late December without ever reaching the council’s planning committee.
Reasons for the council’s refusal include the scale of the proposed building, its inadequate parking and turning space for delivery and emergency vehicles, the lack of contribution towards affordable homes and the increased strain the development would put on local amenities.
However Councillor Paula Hiscocks, who sits on the planning committee at Three Rivers and campaigned for the building to be locally listed, says she expects Keay Homes to re-apply with a modified plan for the site.
She said: "I am really, really pleased but of course I expect they will come back.
"The council are just in the process of locally listing the Prince of Wales pub in Batchworth Heath so I don’t understand why they can’t locally list Long Island Exchange."
Comments(9)
Maceo & Fred
says...
1:53pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Andrew Turpie
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4:29pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Maceo & Fred wrote:Agreed-give job vacancies to those who are locally seeking work and already in housing.
If only Watford Council had as much vision when planning to build over well used allotment land in West Watford with 60 odd houses as part of the Health Campus development.
Come on WBC - it makes sense!
MarsLander
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4:36pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Watford_Chick
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4:40pm Tue 15 Jan 13
MarsLander
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7:28pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Watford_Chick wrote:That's because they are greedy b%^$%^$%^'s.
sadly it willnt matter if it gets local listing look what leukemia research did to York School building!!! - just because they were unable to sell it they destroy it instead!!
Wacko Jacko
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8:00pm Tue 15 Jan 13
Maceo & Fred wrote:Really can't see the connection between 3 rivers turning down an application to overdevelop a hotel site on valid planning grounds and Watford relocating some allotments to make way for much needed new housing and a modernised hospital.
If only Watford Council had as much vision when planning to build over well used allotment land in West Watford with 60 odd houses as part of the Health Campus development.
Not everything in life is to do with Farm Terrace
RobBob
says...
8:45pm Tue 15 Jan 13
According to this article the planning grounds it was turned down on were parking and the increased strain the development would put on local amenities.
Sorry to say lack of parking is not a planning issue especially because of the infrastructure (station and bus links nearby). Also the pressure on local amenities is an issue for the council and not really the planners who only have to offer to pay towards it.
Andrew Turpie
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10:44am Wed 16 Jan 13
Wacko Jacko wrote:It's called maintaining a community, not adding more of a burden to it. We have no school places, no parking spaces around the area.
Maceo & Fred wrote:Really can't see the connection between 3 rivers turning down an application to overdevelop a hotel site on valid planning grounds and Watford relocating some allotments to make way for much needed new housing and a modernised hospital.
If only Watford Council had as much vision when planning to build over well used allotment land in West Watford with 60 odd houses as part of the Health Campus development.
Not everything in life is to do with Farm Terrace
There are plenty of work seekers who already live local who would take employment there. So the houses aren't a necessity.
crazyfrog says...
12:07pm Tue 15 Jan 13