Planning officials have refused a five-storey office block in Hamilton.

The Development Applications Board ruled the proposed building in Brooklyn Lane was contrary to the City of Hamilton Plan 2001.

Applicant Randy Stafford of Stafford Flooring planned to demolish an existing building and cut into 40 feet of rock face to level the site with Canal Road. The 3,912 square foot office and retail complex would have been situated behind the Bulls Head parking garage next to Butterfield & Vallis.

However the DAB said the maximum number of storeys on the site was four with a ten-foot setback. A five-storey block would have needed an additional 40 percent setback for five feet of the building's frontage.

The DAB said: "The proposal does meet the street level setback of ten feet and does provide the additional setback but is non-compliant on the number of storeys. The Corporation of Hamilton has been consulted and does not recommend the application for approval.

"The application is not considered to be reasonable."