Romsey Labour Club site plans ‘out of character’ say councillors

New plans seeking to increase the number of apartments on the site of the Romsey Labour Club building have been branded “out of character” and a “significant blow” to the community by councillors.

Comments closed on Monday, June 6 for the application which proposes to partially demolish the building and create 43 serviced apartments.

The city council approved the building of 36 serviced apartments on the site off Mill Road in 2019, but that permission expired in April. Now the developer has reapplied for permission, with an increased number of 43 apartments.

This latest application has raised concerns for Romsey councillors.

Cllr Dinah Pounds (Lab, Romsey) said: “The latest proposal for developing Romsey Labour Club does not address any of the concerns already voiced by Romsey councillors. The development is out of character for the area which forms part of Romsey’s conservation area.

“[Some] 43 tiny single-aspect, serviced apartments crammed onto the site with no green space for residents in no way meets a local need and fails to meet the basic standards we would expect to be provided for people to live in. The parking proposed for bikes is insufficient and there is no car parking at all which will impact negatively on the surrounding streets already heavily used for parking.”

Cllr Mairéad Healy (Lab, Romsey)added: “The proposed 43 serviced apartments not only does not meet any local housing need whatsoever in our area – for serviced apartments – but would also represent a significant blow to our community in destroying what is an important and historic landmark in our area.

“There is significant local opposition to this and I don’t see how the developers can move ahead without consulting with our community on the buildings future. Personally, I think the site should be developed to serve local community needs and would welcome a discussion on how that can be achieved.”

Meanwhile charity Cambridge Past, Present and Future has warned of the effect on building’s historical importance as it was opened by Ramsey MacDonald in 1928. It said: “When many of the residents supported the General Strike in 1926, the area became famous for its strong union membership and socialist leanings, and was often referred to as ‘Red Romsey’.”