House plans for Cottingham pub car park set for approval

An artists impression of what the house would look like.

Plans for a three bedroom house on a Cottingham pub car park look set to be approved.

Corby Council’s planning officer is recommending the planning committee give the go ahead on Tuesday to the ironstone and brick new dwelling on part of the Spread Eagle pub car park.

The decision would be controversial as the parish council, Northamptonshire highways and a number of residents are against the plan as they say the loss of the car park would cause traffic flow problems.

The car park is in the centre of the village and stands close to an unusual five star junction.

In the report to councillors planning officer recommends the scheme should be allowed to go ahead.

It says: “The proposed development is considered to be of an acceptable design, size and siting in relation to the site and this part of Cottingham and Middleton Conservation Area; resulting in no loss of amenity to any adjoining properties or highways safety.”

As well as the house the applicants William Masson and Thomas Southall are asking for permission to create a new access to the site from School Lane and also to provide a new pedestrian link from the High Street.

It goes on to list eleven policies of the national planning policy framework that the National Planning Policy Framework that the proposal complies with.

However the local highways authority has told Corby Council it cannot support the planning application because the likely resultant parking on the highway would case obstruction at the complex junction where the house would be sited close to. They say if the planning committee does give permission then a number of conditions should be attached including that none of the windows of the house should open outwards onto the public highway.

A number of representations from local residents have been sent in objecting to the plan, citing issues such as the remaining 12 spaces that would be left after the house is built would not be enough to accommodate pub users.

However the agent for the applicant has rebutted each objection.

The Spread Eagle is one of two pubs in the village. It re-opened in April 2018 after being closed for a few years. An application to knock down the pub and build a house on the land was refused by the council in 2017 as they said the community asset should remain.

This is the second time this current car park site application has been to the planning committee. A decision was deferred in December as the councillors said they should go on a site visit before making a decision.