The district council has doubled down on its opposition to "obtrusive" and "overly dominant" plans to turn the car park in Talisman Square into a block of flats.

Warwick District Council (WDC) last year refused planning permission for the multi-storey building which would have included 43 flats and two shops.

Developer Cobalt Estate has since appealed the decision, asking a planning inspector to revisit the application.

But now WDC has submitted its case, saying the refusal should be upheld.

"The first reason for refusal relates to the scale, height, bulk and mass of the proposed building," the council's statement of case said. 

"The council considers that the proposal would result in an unduly dominant and visually obtrusive form of development that fails to respect the prevailing character of the surrounding built form. 

"As such, the proposal would not integrate successfully with the town centre and would harm the character of the area."

Councillors last year criticised the amount of parking included in the plans (image by James Smith)

WDC also criticised the parking provision for the proposed development, saying the "inadequate" number of spaces would "result in a significant increase in demand for on-street parking within the local area".

When the appeal was submitted by Cobalt, a company spokesperson said: "The planning committee refused planning permission for reasons that had not been raised with us at any stage of the process. This was very disappointing.

"After seeking advice, we have decided to submit an appeal against the planning committee's decision.

"Cobalt Estates has owned Talisman Shopping Centre for 23 years, and during that time we have worked with the council to improve the centre for all. 

"This has involved a major modernisation of all elements of the scheme originally developed in the early 1970s, the construction of a new youth centre and the introduction of Waitrose to the town centre. 

"We have more recently worked with our tenants through the Covid pandemic to keep the centre alive and successful.

"We are keen to complete the process we started on 23 years ago by completing this scheme on the final undeveloped part of the centre, and encourage new residents to live in the centre of Kenilworth."

Cobalt was previously given permission for a similar development on the car park (image by James Smith)

However, the council was clear in its opposition to the development.

"In summary, the council considers that the proposal would fail to make a positive contribution to the character and quality of its environment through good design. 

"This is principally due to the proposed building not respecting surrounding buildings in terms of scale, height, form and massing. 

"The building would appear as an overly dominant and incongruous addition that is at odds with the prevailing character of this part of the town centre. 

"This would cause significant harm to character of the area."

A planning inspector will consider the arguments for and against before making a decision on whether to overturn the decision or not.

See the full appeal documents here.

An artist's impression of the proposed flats (image via planning application)