A PROPERTY developer is making a fresh bid demolish a house in Ilkley and build a modern apartment building in its place.

Earlier this year a planning application to demolish Robin Hill on Clifford Road, Ilkley and build a four-storey, nine-apartment building in its place was submitted to Bradford Council.

Bankhead Group, the applicant, said the apartments would be aimed at people from the “older generation” looking to downsize.

But the application was refused by planning officers, who said the building would be incompatible with the town’s Middleton Conservation Order.

Now the same applicant has submitted a revised scheme for consideration. It is for an apartment block of a similar design and footprint but one storey lower in height and containing six apartments instead of nine.

Bankhead Group say the submission seeks to address the previous reasons for refusal.

However, local residents have lodged objections to the revised scheme saying in their view it still over scaled and inappropriate in design.

Philip and Adelina Lees, of Rupert Road, Ilkley said: "The refusal notice sets out the reasons for refusal and so the new application may be judged by reference to the extent to which it addresses and resolves those reasons for refusal.

"The principal reason for refusal related to the visually incongruous nature of the proposal with reference to its scale, height, bulk, projection of footprint into the garden and its appearance. Together, these “would appear out of keeping with neighbouring buildings” and “cause harm to the conservation area due to the incongruous scale and dominance of the plot”.

"Minor adjustments to the height of the building in the new application appear to be the only gesture that has been made to address these concerns. The bulk, scale, footprint and appearance of the new proposal remain largely as before.

"The reduced number of apartments improves the ratio of on-site car parking spaces however the increase in vehicle movements from and into Clifford Road remain the same.

"As the footprint remains unchanged the potential for detrimental impact on trees has not changed.

"As residents of the adjoining site we can attest from experience that the location is visited during summer months by significant numbers of bats that we have observed over the past 33 years despite the findings of the bat survey submitted with the new application.

"The new application clearly fails to address the reasons for refusal of the earlier application and there can therefore be no justification for approval."

The application can be viewed on Bradford Council's Planning Portal reference: 22/04364/FUL