Shooting club objects to plans for new homes to be built at site of former care home

East Riding Theatre and Beverley Target Club are among the 21 objectors to the homes on the site of the former Minster Towers care home, in Lord Roberts Road. Beverley Town Council, which has also objected, stated the homes would cut the number of parking spaces for users of the theatre and shooting club which both neighbour the site.

Applicants Reynolds 2000 Ltd stated in their plans they would build a car park with 47 spaces as part of the 24-home development on the former care home site. The Minster Towers building and two parking areas on the site with a total of 165 spaces would be demolished to make way for the new homes. A block of public toilets which are scheduled for closure would also be knocked down.

The development would feature seven four-bedroom homes, nine with three bedrooms and eight with two. The site lies south of the town centre, between Beverley Magistrates’ Court and Wednesday Market within a conservation area. The Town Council stated in its objection the development would harm views of Beverley Minster, as well as cutting the number of parking spaces.

It called on East Riding councillors to reject the application when it comes before them for a planning hearing.

The Town Council stated: ” As it currently stands, the main body of the application is for unremarkable cul-de-sacs of generically designed houses that are more suited to out-of-town developments. This is not a suitable design to reflect the historic nature of nearby streets and buildings or enhance views of the Minster.

“The East Riding Theatre and Beverley Target Club are already established on the site and will suffer without having either enough parking or loading bays next to them. This is particularly important for the Theatre, as designated bays directly next to the building enable touring productions to load and unload technical and stage equipment.”

Developers stated in their documents the plans would bring an under-used site back into the urban fabric of Beverley.

It said: “The careful considerations of environmental, historic and social aspects of the site and its surroundings have been at the forefront of the design process. The decision to demolish Minster Towers was taken early in the design process. Its outdated building fabric, awkward floor plan and poor aesthetic value are not conducive to successful redevelopment.

“The spaces which surround the Minster Towers care home and the Lord Roberts Road car park have no townscape merit and where visible from public locations within the conservation area could be considered harmful.”