THE head of Winchester preservation watchdogs has been outlining in more detail the reason the city council was successfully challenged over the £150 million Station Approach scheme.

The City of Winchester Trust took action against the council decision to give permission to the scheme next to the railway station.

The council accepted it was wrong and agreed to pay the trust’s costs, currently undisclosed.

In the latest trust newsletter chairman Keith Leaman expressed surprise at the council stance.

Mr Leaman wrote: “We considered that there were a number of planning application infringements which had been disregarded as well as the fact that Historic England, the South East Design Review Panel, the National Park Authority among others had all queried the context, density and height of the scheme.

“All the comments sent to WCC were not dissimilar in their content and one would have thought at least some of them would have sounded a warning bell, particularly as some had legal implications.”

The trust’s problems with the submitted scheme included:

• height and bulk leading to overdevelopment;

• The development overpowers housing in Gladstone Street and also has an inactive frontage along this street;

• The scheme is out of context with the surrounding conservation area, particularly when it would be viewed from the other side of the valley in which the centre of Winchester sits.

• The scheme overpowers the Record Office and its setting.

The city council has said very little about the legal setback. In a brief statement, a spokesperson said: “Winchester City Council has received an order from the High Court which confirms the outline planning permission for the Station Approach application has been quashed.”