®Planning appeal decision
Former Odeon Cinema, 16 Crouch Street, Colchester, Essex, CO3 3ES
demolition of former cinema buildings and the re- construction of the foyer building and the erection of a new apartment block in place of the auditorium to provide 55no. apartments, 2no. retail Units (A1) and 32no. basement car parking spaces
- Authority
- Colchester Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Smith D
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposed development on the significance of the former Odeon Cinema as a non-designated heritage asset and on the setting of nearby listed buildings and whether it would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Colchester Town Centre Conservation Area
What decided it
The significant harm to the non-designated heritage asset (the cinema) and the detrimental impact of the overly dominant rear block on the conservation area's character outweighed the public benefits of housing and retail regeneration.
The public benefits of new housing in a central location, retail units and city centre regeneration were outweighed by the significant harm to the non-designated heritage asset and the conservation area, given the Framework's emphasis on heritage conservation and well-designed places.
Framework references: 202, 203
Plan policies cited: Policy DM16, Policy SP7, Policy DM15, Policy DM9, Policy TC1, Policy TC2
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.