Derry flower shop approved despite residents’ objections

Concerns have been raised that approval has been issued for a new florists in Derry after it emerged there has been no contact between the applicant and those opposed to the plans.

The application was brought a meeting of Derry City and Strabane District Council’s Planning Committee, held in the Guildhall, due to what a planning officer described as a ‘change of opinion’ in the matter.

The proposal is for the erection of new single storey flower shop unit with five parking spaces at number 1, West End Park, at the bottom of Eastway Road leading to Creggan estate.

A planning officer told the meeting the site was currently occupied by a single storey pre-fabricated building (pictured) that was in use ‘as an unauthorised flower and memorial shop’.

The officer added that a previous application has been submitted for the retention of the port-ca-cabin at the site, but was refused.

A further application was then submitted by the applicant, for a two storey building, which was then amended to a single storey building.

The meeting was told that eight objections were lodged when the two storey building was first proposed, while a further 12 objections were received against the single storey building.

It also emerged at the meeting that a letter in support of the application was received from the SDLP East Derry MLA John Dallat.

The planning officer said the nature of the objections focussed on the new building being detrimental to residential amenity, problems associated with parking and access to the mews lane at the rear of West End Park, which residents use to exit the street.

Other objectors commented that there were issues with rubbish and noise, adding that there was no need for another florist as a similar business was already located directly opposite the site.

The planning officer addressed each issue individually, and said that the Northern Ireland Environment Agency’s Historic Building Unit (NIEA) had no objection to the plans, while Transport NI had stated roads, traffic and parking issues were not enough to warrant refusal of the application.

She added that the ‘mews lane issue was viewed as an issue to be resolved between the two parties involved’, before recommending the application for approval.

The meeting then heard from Daisy Mules, representing the objectors living in West End Park, who said that they had been experiencing difficulties associated with the port-a-cabin since 2000, and that it was ‘almost impossible’ to exit the street on Sundays and especially Cemetery Sunday, when the flower shop was particularly busy.

She added that there was ‘great concern’ over the impact the new shop would have on people attempting to leave West End Park via the mews lane.

Matt Kennedy of MKA Planning then addressed the meeting on behalf of the applicant, who said that no one had ever spoken to the applicant about access issues, and he was more than willing to meet with objectors to ‘resolve the issues’.

Commenting, Sinn Fein councillor Christopher Jackson asked if the outstanding issues could be ‘ironed out’ before they give their decision, but was told by a senior planner that any discussions between their objectors and the applicant were not in their remit and ‘out of planning control’.

The SDLP’s John Boyle said that ‘significant assurances’ would be needed with regards to health and safety concerns during the construction phase, adding that ‘whatever the decision is reached by the committee, it’s not going to keep everyone happy’.

Sinn Fein councillor Tony Hassan then asked that the decision be deferred so that residents could ‘sit down’ with the applicant, adding that thought it was ‘ridiculous’ that the application had been approved without any discussion having taken place between the applicant and objectors.

“I don’t understand how planners can approve this if the developer has not spoken to residents,” he added.

After some confusion on whether or not the matter could be deferred, councillors agreed to defer any decision on the matter until the next meeting of its Planning Committee in October.