Plans to demolish the former Embassy Club building in Long Eaton and replace it with a three-storey block of 16 one-bedroom flats have been approved by Erewash Borough Council’s Planning Committee following a lengthy debate over privacy, parking and the impact on neighbouring homes.
The development will see the existing building on Lawrence Street demolished and replaced with a new apartment block containing 16 one-bedroom flats, together with a communal courtyard area.
While councillors ultimately backed the scheme, the meeting heard detailed objections from residents living immediately next door to the site, who argued that the impact on their home had not been properly assessed.
“We’re not against development”
Speaking to the committee, neighbouring residents stressed that they were not opposed to the redevelopment of the site itself.
Instead, they argued that the council had failed to properly assess the impact the new building could have on their home, particularly in relation to daylight, privacy and overlooking.
One resident told councillors that the proposed three-storey building would sit just over a metre from side-facing windows at the property, including a bathroom window and a child’s bedroom window.
The committee heard concerns that the new development would replace the existing stepped roofline with a much taller structure and that no formal daylight assessment had been carried out.
“We’re not asking members to choose between housing and our home,” councillors were told.
“We’re asking for housing to be delivered responsibly.”
Residents argued that no internal inspection of the affected property had been undertaken and questioned whether sufficient evidence had been gathered before concluding the impact would be acceptable.
Concerns over overlooking and noise
Neighbouring residents also raised concerns about the communal courtyard proposed alongside their garden boundary.
They argued that future occupants of the flats would be able to overlook parts of their property and questioned why safeguards used in previous planning approvals on the site had not been replicated in the current application.
The committee heard concerns about privacy, overlooking, noise from the communal courtyard and the potential impact on a young family living next door.
Residents asked councillors to either refuse the application or strengthen conditions to provide greater protection for neighbouring homes.
Parking and construction concerns
Other local residents also spoke against the proposal.
Concerns were raised about parking pressures in surrounding streets, the lack of dedicated parking provision for residents, construction traffic and disruption during demolition and building works.
One resident argued that nearby roads and public car parks were already under pressure and questioned where future residents and visitors would park.
Another said the scale of the building would appear out of character with surrounding development and raised concerns about construction activity in a tightly constrained urban location.
Councillors divided
Councillor Howard supported the application, arguing that one-bedroom flats were needed in Long Eaton and could help reduce pressure for HMOs.
He told the committee that councillors frequently say they would rather see flats than HMOs and said the development would provide accommodation that is currently in short supply.
Councillor Prince was less convinced.
He described himself as “torn” over the proposal and criticised the scale of the building, the lack of parking and the fact the development occupied almost the entire site.
He questioned whether the design was appropriate for the surrounding residential area and indicated he could not support the scheme.
Additional protections added
During the debate, councillors discussed the concerns raised by neighbouring residents and agreed additional safeguards before granting approval.
These included strengthening boundary treatment requirements and introducing obscure glazing to certain corridor windows to reduce overlooking towards neighbouring properties.
The application was subsequently approved.
The decision clears the way for the demolition of the former Embassy Club building and the construction of 16 one-bedroom flats on the site, although concerns remain among some nearby residents about the long-term impact on neighbouring homes.