Athey Street flats approved despite safety concerns

Plans to convert an Athey Street office block into flats have been approved despite councillors expressing safety concerns.

The application to convert Marburae House on Athey Street into four apartments was approved by six votes to five at the meeting of the northern planning committee.

Some councillors expressed concern that tenants in the flats with inner bedrooms would have to go through other rooms to escape in the event of a fire.

However, planning officer Paul Wakefield told them: “The fire safety aspect is covered by building regulations, so it shouldn’t really concern members at this particular stage. It’s the planning issues that we’re obviously concerned with.”

Several councillors said they couldn’t support the scheme.

Macclesfield councillor Fiona Wilson, said: “I find myself very surprised that we’re agreeing a planning application but we can’t put in arrangements for the fire safety of the people living there, so I will not be supporting this application.”

Macclesfield councillor Nick Mannion, (a member of Cheshire Fire Authority), said Cheshire Fire and Rescue Service (CFRS) had made their concerns very clear in the report to the committee.

The report from CFRS states: “Observe that bedrooms to flats one and two are inner rooms where emergency egress is through another room. An inner room is not permitted for bedrooms.”

Cllr Mannion said: “I have major concerns regarding the use of those inner rooms. They’re store rooms, basically… and Mr Wakefield said that can be dealt with under building control.

“We have a duty to whoever lives in those properties and sleeps in those properties, has the best chance of getting out of them in the, hopefully very remote, chance of a fire breaking out.”

The matter had also been highlighted by ward councillor Liz Braithwaite who addressed the committee as a visiting member.

She said: “Regarding the floor plans, CFRS clearly state that inner rooms are not permitted for bedrooms. What is the point of an application coming into this committee when the plans in front of you cannot possibly be adhered to?”

Cllr Braithwaite also raised the issue of parking in the area where ‘three times this year an emergency ambulance has been unable to turn into Crown Street West due to parked cars’.

An earlier scheme to convert the building into six flats had been refused.

Cllr Jefferay proposed the application be approved and this was seconded Cllr Michael Beanland.