Starship Enterprise to land in Penarth? (From Penarth Times)

Starship Enterprise to land in Penarth?

ANGRY Penarthians have slammed plans for a new building which they say resembles the Starship Enterprise.

Penarth-based developers Insight have made a new application to the Vale planning committee to demolish the GM2 building near the Railway public house, and replace it with a residential building containing 24 apartments and space at ground-level for a commercial unit.

Ray Mellor, of the Plymouth Road Action Group (PRAG), said: "There are lots of issues, but first and foremost I think the design is awful.

"It's gun-metal grey and looks like the Starship Enterprise. It's completely inappropriate for this part of Penarth.

"The proposed site abuts the conservation area and the plans are very much out of keeping with the beautiful buildings of Victorian Penarth, including the grade II listed Turner gallery opposite.

"The commercial unit really constitutes an extension of the town centre into a well-established residential community. The type of planning permission applied for could mean a fast-food outlet going there, with all the refuse and anti-social behaviour problems that might bring. There is already a chronic shortage of parking spaces on Plymouth Road."

"Double parking all the way down the road means we already have serious congestion problems. There are only 20 underground parking spaces in the plans whereas the people in those flats will bring twice that number of cars to the area - greatly exacerbating the problem we already have.

"It is also far too high and will invade the privacy of people living in the Roxburgh Court and Cwrt Jubilee flats."