A controversial plan to develop the former site of the HSBC bank in Teddington into residential accommodation and a new restaurant has been REJECTED by planners, Teddington Nub News can exclusively reveal today (thursday)

The proposal, which included a four-storey building and eight residential units, was defeated by a majority of five votes to two by Richmond planners last night.

Three local residents spoke against the scheme during the 'virtual' 90 minute session and two representatives of the company addressed the meeting in favour of the proposal.

The scheme, proposed by Unico Developments, was turned down because of the height of the development and the impact on the the immediate surroundings in Cedar Road.

Cllr. Richard Baker, who spoke at the meeting, said today:"The issue was predominantly to do with the mass and the size of the building in a conservation area. Design did come into it but it was the size and scale of it that the committee was really concerned about as well as the brickwork.

"There were over 70 letters of objection to the scheme and there was a real worry about it in the area. I referred to it as trying to pour a quart into a pint pot and the restaurant was a concern because it was so large. Is there really a need for another restaurant in Teddington?"

Lib Dem Councillor Martin Elengorn, Chair of the Environment, said today:"The issue was not so much the restaurant but more to do with the shape and size of the building which was regarded as being generally being too tall and too bulky."

A full written judgement will be delivered at a later date.

It is understood the developers do have an opportunity to appeal against the decision or submit an amended proposal for the site.

Local residents had objected claiming the development was simply too large for the site and would have significant impact on the surrounding community.

The planning application was first submitted back in April 2019 and received strong opposition from residents on Cedar Road (adjoining the site) as well as various business and community bodies including the Teddington Society and the Teddington Action Group.

Over 70 objections were raised.

The petition, which opposed the development, said:"As a community we are not against developing our high-street and given the current unprecedented situation, it is even more crucial that we support the vibrancy and growth of our high street.

"However development without careful consideration of impact will do more harm than good. Looking at the application there are significant challenges with this proposal.

"Briefly, the design proposal is not in keeping with housing standards as well as the aesthetic of the high street. Currently there are no four-storey buildings and this breaches some fundamental height considerations.

"The design also doesn't clearly address a number of basic building regulations like a wheelchair accessible unit. Crucially, a few of the flats will overlook some residents' gardens and worryingly, these will also overlook the Bright Horizons' nursery gardens. As a parent with children attending the nursery, this is concerning.

"This objection is not against development of the site, clearly development is necessary and welcome. The objection is to a design that makes no consideration for the current residents and its impact on the high street which is a conservation area.

"We ask that you please support our objection to this proposal, as it feels like the developers have not responded to previous concerns that were submitting back in April 2019 and are opportunistically using this very unsettled period to push through a development which favours profit over the impact on the Teddington locality and its residents."

The application was described as the following:

Demolition of existing building to facilitate the erection of part 4 storey part 3 storey building comprising A3 restaurant use at basement and ground floor and eight residential units (6 x 1 bed and 2 x 2 bed) on upper floors with associated hard and soft landscaping, parking, cycle and refuse stores