£150m 'new heart' plan for Derriford looks set to be rejected

A £150MILLION scheme which has been described as a "new heart" for Derriford is in jeopardy.

The developers yesterday accused Plymouth planners of "changing their minds" over plans for the north of the city.

Wharfside Regeneration (Devon) Ltd wants to develop the "North West Quadrant" of the Derriford Hospital estate.

Their plans would see 356 homes along with shops, offices and restaurants and a hotel.

Members of Plymouth City Council planning committee are being recommended to refuse the outline application at their meeting today.

Planning officers say the scheme fails to take into account how the council wants the north of the city to develop.

The 6.6 hectare site lies to the east of the Derriford roundabout. It is bounded by Derriford Road, the Derriford Hospital loop road and western perimeter road, Morlaix Drive, the ambulance station and the Norwich Union office building.

John Oxley, a director of Wharfside Regeneration, said yesterday: "We have had extensive discussions with planners and the Highways Agency.

"We have held public consultations and had no objections from the public and nothing but positive vibes from the hospital.

"We had one of the largest developers in the country lined up and prepared to invest.

"We can't understand why, after all this time, the council has changed its mind."

Mr Oxley said Wharfside would appeal to the Secretary of State if the council turned down the application.

"Our architect is apoplectic over the recommended refusal," he said.

Wharfside bought the 6.6 hectare site near Derriford Hospital in April 2006.

At present the land is used for car parks and blocks of former hospital accommodation which are being demolished.

The northern Rowans building is used as a children's day nursery and an office base for the applicant.

The company wants to build: 82 three-bedroom houses, 54 one-bedroom flats, 104 two-bedroom flats, 53 three-bedroom flats, 32 two-bedroom duplexes and 31 three-bedroom duplexes.

There would be a large supermarket, other shops, cafes, restaurants, bars and takeaways. There would also be offices, a bookshop, café, library and community facility, and a multi-storey car park.

The developers are proposing a new hotel on the site, plus care homes and other healthcare facilities. The residential densities are high, partly reflecting the large number of flats and duplexes, ranging from 65 dwellings per hectare to 160. The masterplan includes areas of open space and a proposed pond.

The outline planning application has been held up for about a year while the developers negotiated with city planners over whether the scheme can be made more in keeping with the council's own Derriford and Seaton area action plan.

The city's vision for Derriford and Seaton has changed over the past year, but includes a major shopping centre near Tavistock Road. The Highways Agency says that not enough evidence has been given to assess how the development will affect the road network, in particular Manadon roundabout and Forder Valley link road.