PLANS for a 24/7 commercial development on the site of a Basingstoke retail park have been refused after planning chiefs said it would be “dominant and intrusive”.

Equation Properties lodged an application to develop the 3.24-hectare Brighton Hill Retail Park, in Winchester Road, asking for permission to erect two buildings for commercial and office use.

In August it was granted permission to demolish the existing buildings on the site, but last week Basingstoke and Deane Borough Council refused its application to redevelop the land.

The existing McDonald’s restaurant and drive-thru would be the only retail unit to remain on the site.

READ MORE: Noise concerns over development of Basingstoke retail park as plans submitted

In its decision notice, the council said: “The proposed development would represent overdevelopment of the site by virtue of the siting, scale and massing of the buildings and the inclusion of 4m high acoustic fencing.

“The proposed development would have a dominant and intrusive appearance on a prominent gateway site, resulting in the loss of openness and verdancy of the area causing harm to the character of the area and the street scene.”

The application received 25 objections from residents, including a petition, and further concerns were raised by borough councillors which aired issues with traffic, the scale of the development, and noise.

Council officers said that the development would cause an “intrusive effect on neighbouring residents living conditions”, and Equation Properties had submitted “insufficient information” to determine that this would not be the case.

SEE ALSO: END OF AN ERA: Basingstoke retail park set for demolition this month

The report continued: “The application has not satisfactorily demonstrated that the proposed development can be carried out without leading to detrimental impacts upon highway safety with particular regard to the provision of adequate HGV access into the site, right turn lane deceleration length, pedestrian visibility across the site’s access, insufficient junction modelling data and insufficient information regarding the proposed amendments to the fast food drive thru layout.”

The two buildings would have been subdivided into eight different units of varying sizes. It is not known which companies would have taken over the units.

According to Equation Properties, the development will be a “huge benefit to the local economy” delivering between 220 to 415 full-time jobs.