An application for prior approval to turn the unoccupied offices at 136 South Street into two flats has been refused by Havering Council’s planning department over concerns noise in the area would result in “substandard accommodation”.
Under the proposal, the two one-bedroom flats would have been located on the first and second floors of the building, above adult gaming centre Lucky Star.
The planning officer’s report reveals that the application was refused partly because of concerns that the “potential noise” from the gaming centre would “unacceptably impact on living conditions”.
The report said: “In the absence of satisfactory information, it would be likely that the future occupiers of the site would suffer from undue noise from the commercial activities in close vicinity, which would unacceptably impact on their living conditions.”
Also mentioned as a refusal reason was the impact of the development on traffic.
The planning officer concluded that, because the future tenants of the flats would not be exempt from the nearby residential parking zone, the proposal would have an “adverse impact upon the free flow of traffic and the safety of highway condition”.
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Prior approval is used to determine if permission is required for developments where a formal planning application is not needed.
This application would also have seen a refuse store and space for eight bikes at the back of the building, in Atlanta Boulevard.
The officer’s report argued that it was “unclear” how rubbish would be collected from this storage facility at the site, and therefore this could have “potential adverse implications” on the servicing of the development.
Three other prior approval applications to convert the offices into flats were refused by Havering Council between September and November last year.
