PLANNING experts at the council have said revised plans for a new neonatal unit in Chester would have ‘no significant detrimental impact’ on a neighbour’s garden.

They have now recommended the £2.6m plans for the Countess of Chester Hospital site are approved at a crunch meeting on Tuesday (December 4).

It comes after the planning committee narrowly rejected the previous plan in October when one resident of Bache Hall Estate complained the facility would block sunlight to her garden.

She said this would turn it into an “overshadowed, dank space” where she and her dogs “would not be able to enjoy the heat of the sun”.

It prompted a significant backlash in the community with more than 20,000 people signing a petition set up by city mum Niamh Hocking, whose son Jasper was born 11 weeks premature at the Countess.

Hospital chiefs resubmitted plans that would see the new single-storey building moved further away from the resident’s garden boundary creating a 2.4 metre gap.

A fence and a row of hornbeam trees would also be planted along the boundary.

In documents published ahead of the council meeting, planning officer Nick Smith recommend the plans for approval.

He writes: “It is considered that subject to the recommended conditions there will be no significant detrimental effect upon the residential amenities of nearby neighbouring properties in terms of noise, loss of privacy or loss of light.

“There would be no loss of parking provision as a result of the proposal, and no unacceptable harm to highway safety or network capacity. The design of the building is acceptable in terms of visual amenity.”

The petition will be presented to the council ahead of Tuesday’s planning committee meeting. CWaC has received four letters opposing the plans and 18 in support.

The existing neonatal unit was built in 1974 and is said to have become out-dated.

The new building would not only be packed with life-saving technology, it would also focus on providing space, privacy and as much comfort as possible for babies and their families.

Three possible sites were identified for the new unit, but bosses at the hospital said only the one that linked directly to the current maternity unit was workable.

The total cost of the proposed new unit is £2.6 million. Of this, £1.8 million would be gifted by the Countess charity to the NHS trust that runs the hospital with the remaining £600,000 having been spent on running the appeal and its associated costs.

The money was raised through the Babygrow Appeal over around five years. Major events in the city that have helped raise cash for the new unit include the Santa Dash, Duck Race, and MBNA Chester Marathon.