Land Adjacent To 54 Rock Hill Bromsgrove Worcestershire B61 7LP

1. 1.The proposed site layout, including the formation of an under croft car parking area, would result in an unacceptable impact on highway safety. The under croft structure would significantly restrict visibility for both drivers and pedestrians at the access point, creating a heightened risk of pedestrian vehicle conflict. In addition, vehicles exiting the under croft would be required to cross the centre line of Rock Hill in order to join the carriageway, introducing additional conflict with oncoming traffic and increasing the likelihood of vehicle to vehicle collisions. As a consequence, the development would result in significant harm to highway safety and would have a detrimental impact on the safe and efficient operation of the local highway network. Accordingly, the development would be contrary to Policy BDP16 of the Bromsgrove District Local Plan, paragraphs 115, 116 and 117 of the National Planning Policy Framework, and the provisions of the Worcestershire Streetscape Design Guide, all of which require new development to provide safe, well designed layouts and highway arrangements that do not compromise the safety of pedestrians, cyclists, or other road users.
2. 2.Insufficient information has been submitted to allow a full and robust assessment of the highway impacts of the development. In particular, the application fails to provide: o Vertical visibility splays, o Vehicular tracking to demonstrate the usability of parking bays 1 and 4, and o Clarification of the TRICS data used to derive the proposed vehicle trip rates. In the absence of this essential information, the Local Planning Authority cannot be satisfied that the development would operate safely, nor can it conclude that there would be no resulting harm to highway safety or the wider highway network. The proposal therefore fails to comply with Policy BDP16 of the Bromsgrove District Local Plan, paragraphs 115, 116 and 117 of the National Planning Policy Framework, and the requirements of the Worcestershire Streetscape Design Guide, all of which require development to demonstrate safe and suitable access and ensure that highway impacts are fully understood and acceptable.
3. 3.The proposed development, by reason of its siting directly at the back of the pavement, the prominence of its gable feature, the under croft car parking void on the front elevation, the lack of legibility created by the side facing entrance, the use of obscure glazing to the front elevation, the poor internal layout arrangements, and the absence of adequate natural surveillance over the car parking area, would result in a cumulatively poor standard of design. The proposal would fail to integrate appropriately within the residential context, would not be in keeping with the established character, appearance or quality of the local environment, and would fail to enhance or contribute positively to the distinctiveness of the area. As such, the development conflicts with the design objectives of BDP1 and BDP19 of the Bromsgrove District Plan, Section 12 of the National Planning Policy Framework and the Council's High Quality Design SPD, which requires new development to achieve high quality, legible and contextually appropriate design.
4. 4.The proposed development would fail to provide an acceptable standard of residential amenity for future occupiers. Unit 1 would rely on obscure glazed windows to serve habitable rooms and would also experience a loss of privacy due to the position of the communal access stairs directly adjacent to its openings. Unit 2 would similarly rely on obscure glazed windows to habitable rooms, resulting in inadequate outlook and poor internal living conditions. Furthermore, Units 4 and 6, while being dual aspect, would have an unacceptably poor outlook to the rear owing to the rock face located approximately 0.95 metres from the elevation, creating an oppressive and enclosed environment. Taken together, these factors result in a cumulatively poor standard of design that fails to ensure a high level of amenity for future occupiers. The proposal therefore conflicts with Policies BDP1 and BDP19 of the Bromsgrove District Plan, which require development to deliver high quality design and secure appropriate living conditions, as well as the overarching principles of the National Planning Policy Framework relating to well designed, healthy and safe places.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

B61 7LP

Date validated

16 December 2025