COUNCILLORS overturned the advice of their officers and refused permission for a four-storey development close to a canalside bar.
The issue arose at the Tower Wharf development site next to Grade II-listed Telford’s Warehouse in Raymond Street, Chester.
Developers CTP, in conjunction with British Waterways, told the city council they were proposing to build the four-storey offices as an alternative to a three-storey scheme approved in 2003 as part of the larger waterside development at Tower Wharf.
A similar four-storey application was rejected last year on the grounds the offices would appear dominant from the ancient city walls and would not respect the setting of Telford’s Warehouse, the city's planning board heard.
The resubmitted scheme was mostly identical to the previous plans apart from minor alterations to the layout of the car park, according to planning officers.
The board agreed on a 12 - 0 vote the application should be rejected.
