PLANS to build 39 apartments in the town centre have been approved despite fears over the scale of the development.

Chesro Limited’s outline planning application came before the council’s development management committee during its virtual meeting on Wednesday.

The scheme proposed the construction of an eight-storey building for up to 39 apartments on land adjacent to the BT Exchange building, south of Stanley Street.

The site will be made up of three three-bed, 11 two-bed and 25 one-bed apartments.

Furthermore, the plans include the development of around 112 sq m of commercial use on the ground floor.

It would permit use for a wide range of uses for this space including retail, food and drink, financial services, fitness and health services.

The site is currently used for car parking with a small substation located on part of it.

It has previously benefitted from outline planning permission for a five-storey office development, but this permission lapsed without being implemented.

Cllr Tony McCarthy (LAB – Rixton and Woolston) said there ‘will be no tears shed’ if the BT building ‘comes down’ at some point.

Cllr Peter Carey (LAB – Fairfield and Howley) said he felt the scheme was not of the right scale for the location.

“I’m sorry but I just don’t see this the way that some of the speakers have outlined the project tonight,” he added.

“We’ve got a major problem here and that’s the telephone exchange – and the sooner that’s gone the better.

“There may not be any plans immediately to do anything with it but, equally, the properties along that road to the southern side of Wilson Patten Street, they’re all limited like buildings, and in future I expect to see redevelopment proposals to do way with most of them and to re-do the whole of that area in the longer term.

“What we’re putting here is not setting the right sort of scale or quality of outlook that I think we should be looking at, which fits in with the buildings to the west of Wilson Patten Street.”

Cllr Steve Parish (LAB – Chapelford and Old Hall) also shared his views.

He said: “Mr Smith’s used to be opposite and that was a fairly big building so I’ve got no problem with the scale of it, I must admit.”

The application was approved subject to conditions and a section 106 agreement, as recommended by officers.