Revised plans to demolish the former Office Outlet store on Sealand Road, Chester and replace it with a self-storage facility have been refused on the grounds it is too large and blocks the city’s skyline.
Applicants Lok’n’Store, which have been in the self-storage business for 25 years, originally submitted plans for the site, at the junction of Stadium Way, in May 2020. But, following objections and concerns raised from highways and the Environment Agency, planners went back to the drawing board and submitted further information along with revised proposals for a three-storey, 12.6-metre building.
However, Cheshire West and Chester Council have refused the plans, saying the building’s height and massing “would intrude upon a strategic view of the city” and would “not respect local character”. Nearby residents had objected to the plans, calling it “overbearing” and “out of scale in terms of its structural appearance in relation to the residential properties”.
Lok’n’Store had planned to open the Chester site next year if it had obtained planning permission. A planning statement that the existing, vacant seven-metre Office Outlet unit (formerly Staples) would have been demolished, to be replaced by the new business. The new building would have been contemporary with a “crisp, modern appearance” in a colour scheme reflecting Lok’n’Store’s brand of white, tangerine and silver.
Planners added that “from time to time”, larger HGVs such as 10-metre rigid vehicles and articulated vehicles would visit the site, but such visits would be “highly infrequent” and managed accordingly by staff on site. Access would have been granted via Arthur Street, with the existing access road via Stadium Way removed.
A planning officer’s report recommending refusal included an objection from a ward member who said: “The approach to Chester city centre along Sealand Road provides significant views of the city’s skyline. The proposal would be sited among significantly lower buildings and its scale would dominate the area surrounding it and obscure the view of the city.
“The proposal has little architectural merit and also harms the key views of the city for people approaching from Sealand Road. This includes visitors using the Park and Ride services and approaching from the North Wales border. It is an important and busy route.”
The planning officer noted: “The views show that the building would be seen for a significant length of Sealand Road. From a distance of approximately 280 metres (travelling towards the site), the proposed views show that the building would block a section of the city’s skyline (including Northgate Church spire, vegetation, and recent city developments such as the University of Chester mixed use building at the Fountains Roundabout, and canalside residential development).
“The impact of the loss of the city skyline is compounded by the design which is bulky and fails to enhance this key approach into the city.” The officer also noted there are existing self-storage businesses in the Sealand Road area – Big Yellow Self Storage, and the under-development Storage King on Hartford Way.
