A DEVELOPER is attempting to overturn the Royal Borough Council’s decision to refuse their plans for 18 flats in Maidenhead.

Applicant Threadneedle Property Unit Trust was seeking that prior approval is not required to convert a two-storey office building, Belmont Place on Belmont Road, into 18 apartments.

The flats will primarily be one-bedrooms, while only one is proposed to be two-bedroom.

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The purpose of prior approval is to seek confirmation from the council that specified parts of a development are acceptable before work can commence. If not required, the developer can proceed.

The existing 27 parking spaces at ground floor level would have been retained. 19 storage units for resident use are proposed in place of the car parking spaces at basement level.

But Royal Borough planning officers ruled prior approval is required and refused as 15 of the proposed flats would not comply with nationally described space standards as multiple flats have no built-in storage, such as cupboard space.

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The developer disagreed with this and formally appealed the council’s decision. An independent planning inspector will now review and examine the application where they could rule in the favour of the applicant.

In the appeal statement, the developer states the flats “far exceed” the minimum space standards and each apartment can “comfortably accommodate” the required level of built-in storage.

They wrote: “With all further conditions met, a condition ensuring the addition of in-built storage would have been welcomed by the appellant to provide peace of mind to the council. However, to refuse the application on these grounds was completely avoidable and unfounded.”