Woodville bedsit plans for Clock Roundabout are given the green light

Councillors have approved plans for bedsits next to one of Derbyshire's most congested roundabouts, with soundproofing required to block out traffic noise.

The plans, approved by South Derbyshire District Council at a meeting on Tuesday, will see a former funeral directors facing the Clock Roundabout in Woodville turned into a nine-room bedsit.

Some concern was raised about the complete lack of parking for the would-be residents and with no on-street parking at what is one of Derbyshire's most notoriously congested and traffic-prone junctions.

Concern was also raised about the impact of noise on the residents of the would-be bedsits at the property, on the corner of High Street and Hartshorne Road, from traffic and from surrounding businesses, including Woodville Box Club and the New Inn pub.

Highways officials at Derbyshire County Council found that the bedsits would result in fewer vehicles entering and leaving the site, which they felt was preferable.

Steffan Saunders, the council's head of planning, said: "A scheme of noise mitigation is required for protecting occupants of the development from neighbouring public houses and industrial units.

"It is about what is or is not reasonable adjacent to a busy road, a main roundabout into the centre of the district

"The expectation is not that there is no noise at all but that that is kept to reasonable parameters."

A condition has been attached to the application which says a scheme of noise mitigation must be provided before any bedsits can be occupied and that this is to protect "those living in the bedsits from traffic or other external noise sources" including "public houses and industrial units".

Mr Saunders described the site as a "a very prominent location on one of the main thoroughfares into Swadlincote".

He said: "It is proposed that this scheme is acceptable, does propose a good and productive reuse of the building and will bring the building back into reuse, will not result in any harmful impact on character, on neighbours or on highways safety

"The individual units are very small and would appeal to people that do not have families – it is not family accommodation and is not suitable for that – individuals, potentially young professionals, who either do or intend to work in the Swadlincote area and is part of the mix and balance of housing within the area which extends right the way up to family housing."

Cllr Lisa Brown said: "There tends to be limited car use with the sorts of takers for this kind of accommodation. There is a need for low cost accommodation like this in the district and it does make sense to regenerate and revitalise vacant buildings within the district."

She said she had previously been a bedsit tenant as a student and young professional and had not owned a car at the time.

Cllr Steve Taylor welcomed the addition of a condition for "sound proofing" to be installed at the property.

He said: "I'm confident that if it is young professionals they probably would have a car.

"This site is adjacent to Woodville Club. In better times, hopefully, when Woodville Club is up and running and there is noise and disturbance from that club…would potentially provide a problem for residents.

"By introducing this HMO (house in multiple occupancy), the potential residents would be able to make a complaint about the noise being emitted from Woodville Club."