41 BELLE VALE ROAD. Application Ref. 13F/1173 has been submitted to erect timber structures in the side garden - alongside the old railway embankment - for use as a cattery (housing up to 9 cats). We shall not be submitting comments on this proposal, but we feel that the plans deserve wider publicity so that the views of local residents can be taken into account. The City Council's deadline for comments is 22nd July.

42 GATEACRE BROW. Application Ref. 13F/1537 has been submitted "to erect 9 apartments (variation to planning permission 06F/0294)". At the time of writing, the application drawings were not yet available on the City Council's website. However the owners of the site, Mike and Sue Friar, have given us this description of what is proposed:

"When the banks ran out of money, we had to bring the [Brewery Gardens] building work under construction to a finished but usable state. This meant disconnecting what we call Phase 2 from Phase 3. Phase 2 being the new-build apartments that adjoined The Brew House, and Phase 3 being the 9 new-build apartments at the rear of the site. The new-build Phase 3 now requires the equivalent of the gable end to be redesigned so that Phase 3 will stand alone and not be connected to the original buildings.

"The Phase 3 floor plan remains the same. We have the opportunity to slightly reposition Phase 3 on the site, due to the site having been mis-measured by the original architects. The separation distance between The Brown Cow and the Old School (St Stephen's Court) has now been improved and increased by one metre. The size of all the apartments and floor plan of Phase 3 is the same. All the original requirements and conditions have been fulfilled. The new planning application will allow us to continue with what was originally given planning approval and we will then complete the site as per the original permission. Our aim is to complete the site a.s.a.p., and therefore enhance the village further."

When Planning Application 06F/0294 was originally submitted, we said that, while we fully supported the demolition of the old felt factory sheds and the conversion of the Listed former brewery building to residential use, we felt that the proposed new-build apartment block at the rear of the site was too tall and that a 'mews style' housing development would be preferable. Planning permission for the whole development was, however, granted by the City Council in August 2006.