2/5/2008

Local News in Fleet

Plan to develop derelict eyesore

Plans to build offices on an eyesore site left derelict for many years have been lodged with Hart District Council.

Farnborough-based Gregory Gray Associates has applied for permission to redevelop the former Shotts nightclub site in Bourley Road, Church Crookham.

Hart District Council approved plans for an office and light industrial use on the site in 2005 but until now the scheme has never been taken up.

The site, next to the Peter Driver sports ground, was once a gym before it was sold and turned into the snooker club Frames, prior to becoming Shotts.

But the nightclub was gutted in a £1.8million arson attack

in February 2000, and demolished the following August following complaints from local people who branded the building a death trap.

The site was to have been turned into a medical centre by partners at the Richmond Surgery, who wanted to relocate from their current practice in Fleet.

However, the plans were withdrawn in November 2004 due to a lack of funding.

Plans were also drawn up for a day nursery and 24-space car park after the burnt-out nightclub was demolished but the applicant withdrew for safety reasons, as the site is adjacent to the Farnborough Airport Public Safety Zone.

The latest application proposes a mix of office and light industrial uses in line with the plans approved in 2005.

A design and access statement prepared by Gregory Gray Associates states the applicant proposes to name the new development The Peter Driver Business Park in memory of the Common-wealth medal winning local sportsman.

It said the application aimed to provide a high quality development consistent with the setting of the gateway site.

The statement points out that the site currently comprises the derelict remains of the former Shotts nightclub and provides parking for users of the adjoining Peter Driver sports ground and an area for recycling bins.

“In its present form the site does not enhance the appearance of the area,” it states. “If anything it seriously detracts from it.”

The statement says that the office buildings will blend in with the nearby historic buildings at Tweseldown Racecourse.

The development will collect rainwater from the roofs of the buildings and the courtyard area in an underground tank to provide water for the toilets and irrigation.

It will also boost the local economy.

A travel plan prepared by Odiham-based highway consultants Bellamy Roberts said the number of staff employed by the small businesses on the site would be low. The report claimed employees would not generate much traffic during the working day.

Each business unit will have shower and changing facilities for staff to use in a bid to encourage cycling and walking to work.

There will also be covered and secure cycle parking on the site.

However, the application has come under fire from Hart district councillors on the Fleet and Church Crookham Planning Advisory Group.

Chairman John Pearson said the group has objected because of massing and poor design.

“There is also a road safety concern relating to this gateway location,” he said.

The group is also concerned about the adequacy of drainage provision on the site.

Crondall Parish Council has unanimously recommended refusal of the application.

Its official objection letter states: “The overall appearance of the buildings is considered to be totally unsympathetic with regard to the close proximity of residential dwellings and the rural surroundings.”

Hart district planning officers are still considering the scheme, which is set to go before the council’s planning committee at a future date.

First printed in: Fleet News and Mail