Changes agreed to apartment scheme on former contaminated petrol station site

The alterations have been approved by borough council planning officers, without the need for the application by Luton-based Merchant Taylor to return to the local authority’s development management committee.

There are changes “to circulation cores of stairways and communal walkways, to the floor plans and slight adjustments to the elevations”, according to LBC’s planning portal.

The land at numbers two to 12 Guildford Street has been decontaminated after 51,000 litres of petrol leaked out to enable the flats to be built there, the committee was told in December 2022.

Applicant Merchant Taylor submitted revised full plans for the properties as part of a mixed-use redevelopment on just over half an acre, with two commercial units on the ground floor, amenity space and bicycle storage.

A report to the committee said there would be 70 one-bedroom flats, 94 two-bed apartments and 13 three-bedroom properties, with a central courtyard.

There are three blocks proposed, one increasing from five to eight-stories in height, another from ten to 12 stories, while the other is a four-storey building.

“An updated fire strategy report required changes to the stairs, walkways and corridors, with alterations to the floor plans and access routes throughout the site,” said the planning case officer.

The project was heavily revised from an initial application submitted a year earlier, councillors were told two years ago.

“All 177 flats would have access to the three generously proportioned roof terraces situated across the development,” according to principal planning officer Graham Dore at the time.

“It’s a high quality design which would respect the surrounding historic Plaiters’ Lea conservation area setting and see the redevelopment of a long vacant and significantly harmful site,” he explained.

“The application came with a desktop study, a phase two site investigation and a remediation strategy to get ahead of all the contamination issues.

“The scheme provides a safe and attractive living environment for individuals and families. There’s no parking provision.

“Three representations were received about the original application a year ago, but none for the revised version.”

Labour Farley councillor Dave Taylor, who chairs the committee, referred to the brownfield site being empty for more than 20 years and being a petrol station before.

“A considerable amount of fuel leaked out causing concerns, so is the site safe now?” he asked at the planning meeting.

Director and founder of Benchmark Architects Mark Doohan replied: “We began the design process by talking to the Environment Agency to ensure the site could be developed without affecting the ground aquifer below, which was impacted by the contamination from the petrol station.

“In fairness, that was made safe to the standards back then. We’ve been monitoring the site during the last year. All of those details have been part of the application process.”

Liberal Democrat Barnfield councillor David Franks suggested the situation had improved, saying: “The leakage was 51,000 litres of lead free petrol. What wasn’t put right at the time was the issue, but apparently it’s been completed now.”