Planning officials have rejected a bid to build five houses behind a popular Montrose hotel.
Angus Council refused the Park Hotel scheme after environmental health officials objected to the development.
They said the popular premises had failed to prove people living in the new homes wouldn’t be disturbed by early morning hotel deliveries and late-night functions.
The application site is at the rear of the hotel and accessed from Mill Street.
It is currently a run-down piece of ground with sheds and a garage which are surplus to requirements.
The proposal involved a row of new-build three or four-bedroom townhouses.
Historic inspiration for Park Hotel project
Planning agents Crawford Architecture said the two-storey design had been inspired by Montrose history.
“Town houses are a traditional element in the historic centre and Mid Links of Montrose,” the firm said.
“There is a lack of good quality, modern and sustainable town houses in Montrose town centre due to a lack of available land.
“This is an ideal situation for this type of development.
“The design has taken its inspiration from the nearby town centre where one of the predominant historical features is the ‘Gable Ends’ of Montrose.”
The site is not currently allocated for housing.
Following an official objection from the council’s environmental health department, the plan was rejected under delegated powers.
‘Agent of change’ principle
The refusal decision highlighted the ‘agent of change’ principle in determining the application.
It places responsibility for mitigating any detrimental impact of noise on neighbours with those carrying out new developments.
The council handling report stated: “The Park Hotel is a long-established facility and has a function suite.
“It is a wedding venue with a function space.
“The hotel advertises that it hosts tribute nights involving amplified sound within its function suite.”
But officials said the Park Hotel’s noise impact assessment failed to address their concerns.
They feared residents in the new homes would be disturbed by early morning hotel deliveries and late-night musical entertainment.
And a planned 2.4 metre boundary wall would not mitigate noise for first-floor bedrooms, the report added.
“A requirement for such a high boundary treatment surrounding a garden area is symptomatic of the unsuitability of the site for housing,” it said.
A development of around 20 flats was approved for the site in 1996.
But the council said that was not a material consideration.
“The development plan framework has been replaced in the intervening 28 years and the policy approach to housing close to noise generating uses has evolved,” officials added.
“The existence of an expired planning permission has no weight as a material consideration in the determination of the current application.”
The Park Hotel may now consider an appeal to the area’s planning review committee.
Conversation