Rodbourne. Developer Vinesh Aggarwal's plan to convert a disused office block in Rodbourne has hit a snag.

Mr Aggarwal of Willenhall near Wolverhampton had asked for prior consent from Swindon Borough Council to convert the block in Percy Street into 70 or more flats.

But that has been refused on the grounds that some of the flats would not be big enough according to national minimum standards for housing, and some would not receive enough natural daylight.

Planners also said there was not sufficient parking for the flats, not enough cycle storage.

Mr Aggarwal is still free to make a full planning application, which is a longer , more expensive process to show how he might address those concerns.

Lawn: Rajesh Singh is hoping to make a splash at his house at 5 Balmoral Close. The property has a swimming pool and Mr Singh wants to be able to run private swimming lessons there.

He says lessons will be offered between 4-7pm on weekdays only and group lessons to a maximum of four people. they will last 30 minutes. He says there is space for six cars to park off road, but anticipates no more than four customer cars.

Gorse Hill: A building firm's office can be converted into a flat, and the extension to its side can be extended again. Currently 156 Cricklade Road is used as an office, and the extension as a store. Now J Johns' plan is approved, the office- the ground floor of a house originally, can become a flat, the office will take the store space and the new extension created as another store for the office.

Blagrove: Waylands Volvo garage in Great Western Way can knock down its existing building and build a new one, including workshops, VAT facilities and valeting space.

The company had previously been granted permission to refurbish the buildings but Volvo said it wanted to knock them down as they were too outdated and did not reflect the company's image and put up new.

Extensions: Applications have been lodged to build extensions to houses or outbuildings or to convert garages and lofts into habitable rooms at: 6 Hexham Close, Toothill; 21 Gamekeepers Close; St Andrews; 10 Bessemer Close, Rodbourne Cheney; 6 Spur Way, Stratton St Margaret; 8 Kelly Gardens, Abbey Meads; 63 Eastbury Way, Redhouse; 32 Leverton Gate, Broome Manor; 112 Upham Road, Old Walcot; 45 Deburgh Street, Rodbourne; 19 Field Rise, Old Town, 4 Doyle Close, Taw Hill; 40 Linslade Street, Rodbourne.

The owner of 14 Sword Gardens, in Rushey Platt, a Mr Wescombe has applied for retrospective permission to put up a single storey rear extension to the property. That means the building has already been constructed. If permission in refused, Mr Wescombe could ultimately be required to demolish the building.

Extensions and conversions have been approved for 9 Parklands Road, Old Walcot; 10 Harbour Close, Moredon; 9 Burns Way, Upper Stratton; 39 Parklands Road, Old Walcot; and 23 Norman Road, Gorse Hill.

Planners refused N Mahmoud's plan to build a second rear extension on top of the first at 22 Meadowcroft as well as a two-storey side extension and a canopy at the front of the house.

Planners said the building would be two big and would have an unacceptable impact on neighbours, and would take too much sunlight from one of the next door houses.

The house was given permission for a two-storey side and single floor rear extension in 2016. The one at the rear was built but the one at the side was not.

Size was also the issue for planners who refused Martin Bebe's plan to build a two-storey garage, workshop, and home office at Combe Rise in Broad Bush, Blunsdon. They said it was too tall for local planning rules and appeared to be separate dwelling and not an outbuilding of the main house.