Decaying abandoned house to become mini estate after plans approved

A sprawling abandoned detached house with a swimming pool in the back garden could soon become a mini estate after plans were approved.

Plans were submitted for the property at Granville Road in Birkdale to be demolished and replaced by a block of flats and three houses earlier this year by Argyle Developments Ltd.

The building has been “empty for some time” according to a planning officers report, with a similar development also being built at the site of a neighbouring property along the road, which sits close to the seafront.

According to planning documents submitted to Sefton Council as part of the application, the houses would be detached four-bedroom properties, with the apartment block including ground level parking and individual terraces.

Nine objections had been received to the application from people living nearby, with concerns including “over-population” in the road as a result of the development, the scale of the building being “unsympathetic” to the surrounding area as well as concerns over parking pressures in the street.

In a planning report released this week, officers stated that while the proposal was  “relatively contemporary in its aesthetic” and “not immediately characteristic” of nearby houses it would not be “uncommon when adopting a wider view.”

Officer said the size of the development meant it would not generate “significant” car movement and any potential overshadowing to neighbouring properties “would not amount to substantial harm.”

While the development would result in the loss of some trees, the report stated that these were of low quality, with an “acceptable” landscaping scheme proposed by the developer which would included good sized trees and greenery.

Approving the plans, officers concluded the development would “not cause any significant harm to the living conditions of future occupiers or neighbouring properties.”