The City of Westminsters planning committee voted to refuse the 20-storey canalside scheme Make's third iteration for the plot on Tuesday evening (21 January), going against the advice of its own planning officers to approve.The 605-bedroom proposal for Unite Students and building merchant Travis Perkins features two linked towers on a plot which sits between the Grand Union Canal and the Westway flyover. It had been set to replace an existing Travis Perkins yard on the site, while providing new facilities for the company at ground floor and mezzanine levels.Make had adapted the design following Westminster City Councils refusal of its previous design, on the advice of planning offices, in early 2022 splitting the mass into two towers and cutting 163 of the proposed bedrooms.AdvertisementBut Westminster councillors insisted the new scheme was still not sufficiently different to warrant their approval and created, they said, more harm than benefit to the borough. They upheld two out of three of the same reasons for refusal namely, the visual impact and residential mass of the development.Several councillors argued that the scheme would have a major negative impact on local residents and amenities, in particular on the residents of two neighbouring apartment blocks, Sheldon house and Dudley House.Speaking at the planning committee, one councillor said the proposal had a lot to be admired in terms of things [the design team] has sought to include and sought to address ... however, the underlying point here is the huge impact [] on surrounding residents.Another councillor said the benefits would not outweigh the acknowledged harm to surrounding heritage assets and amenities, insisting: I just don't think its sufficiently different from the previous scheme, which actually came forward with a recommendation for refusal.And a third councillor agreed: Given that our own housing needs allowances say we dont have a need for student accommodation in Westminster, I dont think we can justify the impact on residents in that area.Advertisement Source:Make Architects/design and access statementMake Architects all-new Baltic Wharf designs, featuring 605 student bedrooms, which was submitted to Westminster City Council in May 2024More than 100 objections had been lodged against the Make proposal, mainly over scale, arguing that it was overbearing and showed little change, height-wise. from the previous design (at a maximum height of 90.2m the latest proposal is just 0.5m lower in height than the previously refused scheme).Objectors also strongly opposed the use of land for student accommodation instead of housing, along with associated concerns over noise and anti-social behaviour.However, Westminster planning officers had argued that, while the latest redesign was still a substantial building, the re-arranged massing with two distinct towers instead of one block had created a more interesting architectural composition, improving the overall visual impact and making it more sympathetic to the views and sunlight benefit to local residents.Regarding objections to the building use for student housing, officers concluded that a desire for an alternative use is not a valid reason for refusal. They insisted that the public benefits of the proposed scheme, including major financial contributions, outweighed any harm caused.As well as 30 per cent affordable bedrooms on site and a 3.1 million payment towards Westminster councils affordable housing fund, public benefits were set to include a 683,000 payment towards employment programmes and 200,000 for cycle hire facilities, secured via a Section 106 agreement.The refused design, submitted for planning in May 2024, was Makes third design proposal for the Baltic Wharf site.The practices initial submission, in 2021, featured a stepped 22-storey block providing 843 beds. Make later amended the scheme to reduce its height, producing a 20-storey design with 768 beds but Westminster Council refused the amended 26,000m2 proposal in early 2022 on the advice of its planning officers, insisting that it would have a significant negative impact on neighbouring buildings.The latest design featured two carefully designed, distinct and separate buildings, connected by a podium level, which would have housed accommodation for students at Westminster-based Kings College London.According to the design and access statement, a brick-built gable end the last remaining original element of canalside architecture at this location was to be retained and celebrated.The scheme included a new canalside path, creating for the first time a continuous link along the canals north bank between Maida Vale and Paddington.A Unite Students spokesperson said the company is 'disappointed' that the application was refused despite the officers recommendation of approval, and will now be 'considering next steps with all parties'.Make Architects has been contacted for comment.