Back in October, applicant Atlas Planning Group applied to add an extra floor to Alexandra Wharf in Ocean Village, which in turn would accommodate for an extra four two-bedroom flats to be built.
But on the application page, 35 residents and a ward councillor slammed the plans and made their objections.
Despite the issues raised, the plans have been approved by Southampton City Council officers.
One person living in a nearby tower worried that their neighbourhood will turn into a “building site” again, and another cited “a loss of light” for those living nearby “given the additional height”.
Councillor Sarah Bogle joined residents in opposing the plan, also citing issues of overlooking, over-development and that the extension would be out of character for the area.
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The councillor for Bargate also noted that the extra floor could have an impact on amenities at Alexandra Wharf and the local area, putting extra strain on waste services and cycle storage.
Cllr Bogle previously told the Echo: “I have liaised with a number of residents at Alexandra Wharf, all of whom have been strongly opposed to this proposal to add a floor to this block.
A previous application for four four-bed flats was refused in December 2022 because of the “design and character” of the building.
The decision was appealed but with no success.
Another person objecting lives in Moresby Tower, a 26-floor building nearby.
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The resident said: “The proposed increase of height will reduce views from our building as well as reducing privacy for some flats in Moresby Tower who will be overlooked by the proposed flats.
“Residents of Moresby Tower have already lived through a period when Alexandra Wharf was built, when the area was a building site.”
The same resident said the proposed works will “again make the immediate area round Moresby Tower a building site for a long period” and bring works “traffic, noise, dust, high level cranes”, therefore reducing the “ambiance of living here during this period”.
Planning documents say that the impact of the extra floor on the location has been “carefully considered through 3D modelling, specialist light studies and visualisation reviews” in a bid to prove it would not look out of character.
Other documents attached go on to say that “the scale of the new proposal is considered to be entirely appropriate to the setting”.
