Proposed extension to Victorian former doctor's surgery rejected by Rotherham Council

Mordechai Blum applied to raise Phoenix Court from two to three storeys with rooms in the roof on Blyth Road in Maltby \_ taking the building from nine to 13 apartments.

A previous application for a smaller upward extension was turned down by the council and dismissed on appeal in 2021.

RMBC felt the proposal would be overbearing for neighbours and also objected to the cladding, which did not match the original stonework.

The applicant switched to a new architect, who drew up new plans to raise the roof by 3.3 metres and use natural stone and brick more in keeping with the host property.

RMBC senior development manager Chris Wilkins said: “All in all, we feel it’s a much better match in terms of the materials and design.

“We feel that overcomes the inspector’s previous concerns. They have done a much better job.”

There were 11 objections, including from Maltby Town Council, whose chairman Cllr Chris McMahon called the planned extension a “monstrosity”.

He added: “The proposed plan may look better than the first obnoxious plan but it will totally destroy that Victorian building.

“You will not even be able to see what it used to look like at all.

“We think it should be protected.”

Cllr McMahon also raised the issue of parking problems on Blyth Road, which has frequent HGV use and is increasingly used as a rat run to the A1.

“Two extra parking spaces doesn’t even help with the existing flats, let alone the extra building that’s going to go up,” he said.

Simon Gammons, highway development control officer at the council, said the increase in parking spaces from 13 to 15 was “sub-standard” to RMBC’s usual requirements.

But he said the council was willing to accept this given the sustainable location near Maltby’s centre \_ and pointed out that there had been no parking complaints on this section of Blyth Road.

A neighbour raised a concern about a problem sewer pipe which crosses her land and has become exposed.

She said the mess at the back of Phoenix Court \_ away from the Blyth Road frontage \_ was “horrendous”.

She added: “There’s debris. It’s a playground for vermin.

“There are rats in there and the weeds are taller than me.”

But one current resident of Phoenix Court spoke in favour of the plans, saying the building was impressive and should be preserved.

“It’s been here for 130-plus years,” he added. “This will extend it’s life for generations.”

The proposals were rejected by four votes to three last Thursday morning. Planning board member Cllr Jenny Andrews said: “That building is beautiful and I think putting another layer on will totally alter the look.

“It’s quite iconic in Maltby and I think this will detract from the building. It’s an attractive area and I think this will destroy the look of it.”