The replacement of a dwelling house at 22 Farr Hall Drive with six apartments looks as if it will be given the go ahead when Wirral Council's Planning Committee meets on Wednesday evening.

The developers, Hassett Homes, will demolish the existing home on the large corner plot, and build a 2 and 3 storey development with associated parking and landscaped gardens.

Planning officers have recommended approval of the scheme, while acknowledging the receipt of a petition containing 69 signatures and 70 letters of objection.

In 2020 a similar planning application for the site was rejected for several reasons, including "the living conditions of occupiers of neighbouring properties and future occupiers of the proposal with regards to privacy, light and outlook; and the character and appearance of the area."

This proposal had attracted 126 public comments, 94 of them local objections, while the majority of the 32 supporters lived well beyond the immediate area.

Rejection sent the developer back to the drawing board to re-work the scheme, and their revisions have found favour.

In their memo to the Planning Committee, officers now say: "The proposed development would preserve the character and appearance of the surrounding area and safeguard neighbouring residential amenity and not result in any harm in terms of highway and biodiversity matters. As such the development accords with the objectives of Wirral's Unitary Development Plan and the National Planning Policy Framework."

Among many concerns raised by the most recent petitioners and objectors was car parking. The development will have six off-street spaces, one per apartment. Council officers note:

"It is acknowledged that the level of proposed parking accords with the SPD4 [parking] standards; however, it appears low for the number of bedrooms within the total number of apartments.

"It is therefore likely that some additional or overspill parking would occur within Farr Hall Drive. Wirral Highway officers are satisfied in this instance however that any overspill parking can be accommodated within Farr Hall Drive as the carriageway directly adjacent to the development is approximately seven metres wide along this section and therefore allows moving vehicles to freely pass parked cars within the road."