Two contentious planning applications in Coulsdon Town have been heard recently by the Planning Committee. Residents spoke passionately about their concerns and - supported by their local Coulsdon Town Councillors - were delighted when both were refused.
The Planning Committee met on Thursday to consider an application for 39 homes in a seven-storey block at 1-3 South Drive.
The Committee regretted that while the scheme would have delivered affordable homes for rent there were many other reasons why the application could not be approved.
On a street of mainly two-storey semi-detached households, there would have been no precedent on South Drive or the Avenue for a building of this size. The proposal was not in a location identified for such buildings and while South Drive may be near the town centre, it is clearly a residential road outside the town centre.
Residents are not opposed to the principle of development of this site. Their concerns were with its overdevelopment. One of the sites in this application already has permission for nine flats and development of that scale would be more acceptable.
The building would have been unsympathetic to its surroundings and nearly 500 residents agreed as that is the number who registered their objections.
This win for residents follows another result at the meeting of the Planning Committee two weeks ago, when an application for a four-storey, 20 flat proposal at 5 Smitham Downs Road was refused.
The proposal was an overdevelopment of the site and out of character with its surroundings. The footprint of the development would have increased fourfold on the existing building, while the five-storey height would have looked out of place in its context.
Hundreds of objectors locally made their feelings known by registering their opposition to the plans.
Similarly, residents feel a smaller development might work on this site but certainly not something of the size proposed.
Coulsdon Town Councillors would welcome the developers coming forward with alternative plans for both sites and are open to dialogue with them and residents on this.
