Brack ‘stumped’ following Liverpool rejection

The developer behind plans for 290 flats in Vauxhall has been left “scratching his head” following the city council’s decision to refuse the proposal and has asked the Secretary of State to intervene.

Liverpool City Council rejected Brack Construction’s proposal last week, citing eight reasons for refusal. The decision came out of the blue from the perspective of the developer, who was under the impression the issues raised by the council had been resolved.

Ed Brack, founder of Brack Construction said: “This has left me scratching my head, as we had resolved six of the eight issues prior to submission in discussion with the council and agreed to address the other two as planning conditions within the S106 agreement.

“We were told that the application would be supported with a positive recommendation for the July 28th committee, but now this. I’m stumped, if I’m honest.”

In response to Brack’s claims, a Liverpool City Council spokesperson said: “When dealing with planning applications the council will seek to work positively with the applicant.

“In discussing this application, a number of amendments were indeed made by the applicant. However, in coming to a final position, the outstanding matters were so fundamental that it was not possible to resolve these within the scope of the application.”

The scheme is two years in the making. Credit: via Merrion Strategy

A request has been sent by Brack’s project team to the Secretary of State for the decision to be called-in. Brack also said plans to appeal the refusal, adding that the process has left a sour taste.

“The decision flies in the face of two years’ proactive and positive engagement and brings into question the purpose of going through the pre-app process,” he said.

“During that time, we have had no internal consultation objection within the planning department and have worked constructively together and have responded positively to all requests and changes.”

The plan is to redevelop five acres previously occupied by Our Lady of Reconciliation Primary School – later renamed Trinity RC Primary School – into 290 homes across six blocks.

Brack grew up in Vauxhall and was a pupil at the school that used to occupy the plot, facts that mean he has an agenda that goes beyond profit.

“Anything I bring forward here is very much designed to improve the area,” he said.

“My company will own and operate this development, to reinforce that point, and of the several thousand households that were invited to comment on our application, only eight objected.”

One of the council’s reasons for refusal was a lack of affordable housing. While the developer had initially proposed no discounted homes on viability grounds, Brack said he had confirmed in writing to the council the scheme would in fact include affordable housing. It understood a registered provider was in talks to deliver a policy compliant 20%.

The scheme proposes 145 parking spaces. Credit: via planning documents

Brack was also puzzled by Liverpool’s assertion that the scheme’s design would be “overly dominant”

“A pre-app and two years of detailed discussion and amendments essentially make this as much the council’s design as mine,” he said.

It appears that much of the debate in relation to the scheme is focussed on how much weight should be given to the recently adopted Pumpfields and Limekilns supplementary planning document.

Brack’s site falls within the SPD area and one of the city council’s reasons for refusal states that the proposal would “fail to reflect the design principles, frontage treatment, building typologies and spatial structure envisaged by the SPD”.

The developer said its project “incorporates the requirements of the new SPD” and that it had sent drawings and evidence to the council to this end “a while ago”.

Pegasus is advising on planning matters and Studio256 is leading on design.

To learn more, search for reference number 26F/0871 on Liverpool City Council’s planning portal.