Elderly residents in leafy 'Garden City' area of Wakefield 'intimidated' by new bungalows plan

Plans to build a pair of bungalows either side of an existing house on Flanshaw Lane, branded "Garden City" by locals, have attracted 24 objections.

But local councillors approved the scheme by a majority vote on Thursday.

Speaking at a virtual planning meeting, which was streamed live on YouTube, neighbour Rachel Wilson said the building work would make the road more dangerous.

She said: "Many of the local residents in this area are old and vulnerable.

"They find this application very intimidating.

"We've already got a lot of traffic issues on Flanshaw Lane. We've got 'keep clear' signage that isn't always adhered to.

"Recently we had a traffic incident which caused injury on Flanshaw Lane."

Mrs Wilson raised concerns about parking problems along the road, but officers said there was enough driveway space for at least two cars per bungalow.

Objectors also suggested the bungalows would look out of place, citing the large spaces between other homes in the area and the garden walls that line the street.

But the developer, Allen Walker, told the meeting the bungalows were "much needed" and would be the "same colour" as the existing home in between.

He added: "We have done everything we can in line with both policies to ensure these applications met the requirements.

"We've applied for two homes - one for myself to live in and one for my son to live in. The bungalow in the middle is being renovated and will become 'for sale'. "

Councillor Kevin Swift backed the objectors, saying that the area was called Garden City with good reason.

"The area has got a very pleasing appearance and a very unified appearance.," he said.

"The character of that area is dependent on the fact it's quite leafy and the boundaries (between gardens and the pavement) are defined by the little two foot walls.

"What we've got here is something that's absolutely and totally out of character."

But Councillor Swift was one of only four councillors to vote against the scheme, with nine voting in favour.

The meeting had earlier been disrupted for 40 minutes after technical problems prevented Mr Walker from speaking.

Local Democracy Reporting Service