APPLICATION NUMBER: WD/D/18/000961

APPLICATION SITE: The Retreat, Godmanstone DT2 7AG

PROPOSAL: Application for approval of reserved matters for Appearance, Landscaping, Layout and Scale in relation to Outline Approval WD/D/17/001442

APPLICANT: Mr & Mrs Cleal

CASE OFFICER: Emma Telford

WARD MEMBER(S): Cllr F Horsington & Cllr T Yarker

RECOMMENDATION SUMMARY: Approve

1. DESCRIPTION OF SITE:

1.1 The application site is located west of the A352 and is within the garden of the existing property The Retreat. The Retreat is a corner plot and therefore the site is located to the rear of the dwelling but would face onto the A352. The Retreat is positioned to the south of the application site and is a relatively modern dwelling constructed of flint with a thatched roof and has an ‘L’ shaped floor plan. To the east of the site is the A352 and beyond the neighbouring property of Crains Cottage which is set lower than the road. The neighbouring property to the west is Snowberry and to the north Bamboos.

1.2 The application site is located within the defined development boundary for Godmanstone, within the area of outstanding natural beauty and adjoins the Godmanstone conservation area.

2. DESCRIPTION OF DEVELOPMENT:

2.1 The applicant seeks permission for the reserved matters for appearance, landscaping, layout and scale following the approved outline application WD/D/17/001442. The proposed dwelling would be accessed of the A352. It would be two storey with dormer windows on the roof at the rear. It would be constructed of flint and brick for the front elevation with render for the remaining walls and natural slate for the roof. The topography of the site means at the rear the property would be one and a half storeys above ground level.

3. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY:

Application No. Proposal Decision Decision Date WD/D/17/002927 Application for approval of reserved Refused 25/06/2018 matters for Appearance, Landscaping, Layout and Scale in relation to Outline Approval WD/D/17/001442 WD/D/17/001442 Outline application for the erection of Approved 10/10/2017 a new dwelling in garden with off road parking and a new vehicular access

4. RELEVANT PLANNING POLICIES:

4.1 National Planning policy Framework (NPPF) 2012 (updated 2018)

As far as this application is concerned the following sections of the NPPF are considered to be relevant:

5. Delivering a sufficient supply of homes 12 Achieve well designed places 15. Conserving and enhancing the natural environment 16. Conserving and enhancing the historic environment

Decision taking:

Para 38 – Local Planning authorities should approach decisions on proposed development in a positive creative way. They should used the full range of planning tools available, including brownfield registers and permissions in principle and work proactively with applicants to secure developments that will improve the economic, social and environmental conditions of the area. Decision-makers at every level should seek to approve applications for sustainable development where possible.

4.2 Adopted West Dorset and Weymouth & Portland Local Plan (2015)

As far as this application is concerned the following policies are considered to be relevant:

 Int1. Presumption in Favour of Sustainable Development  Env1. Landscape, Seascape and Sites of Geological Interest  Env2. Wildlife and Habitats  Env4. Heritage Assets  Env10. The Landscape and Townscape Setting  Env11. The Pattern of Streets and Spaces  Env12. The Design and Positioning of Buildings  Env16. Amenity  Sus1. The Level of Economic and Housing Growth  Sus2. Distribution of Development  Com7. Creating a Safe and Efficient transport Network  Com9. Parking Standards in New Development  Com10. The Provision of Utilities Service Infrastructure

4.3 Cerne Valley Neighbourhood Plan

As far as this application is concerned the following policies are considered to be relevant:

 Policy 1  Policy 2  Policy 4

5. OTHER MATERIAL PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS:

5.1 Supplementary Planning Document

 Design and Sustainable Development Planning Guidelines (adopted 2009)  Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty: A Framework for the Future AONB Management Plan 2014 – 2019  Cerne Abbas, Charminster, Sydling St Nicholas & Godmanstone Conservation Area Appraisal  West Dorset Landscape Character Assessment 2009  DCC Parking standards guidance

6. HUMAN RIGHTS:

Article 6 - Right to a fair trial. Article 8 - Right to respect for private and family life and home. The first protocol of Article 1 Protection of property

This Recommendation is based on adopted Development Plan policies, the application of which does not prejudice the Human Rights of the applicant or any third party.

7. PUBLIC SECTOR EQUALITIES DUTY:

As set out in the Equalities Act 2010, all public bodies, in discharging their functions must have “due regard” to this duty. There are 3 main aims:-  Removing or minimising disadvantages suffered by people due to their protected characteristics  Taking steps to meet the needs of people with certain protected characteristics where these are different from the needs of other people  Encouraging people with certain protected characteristics to participate in public life or in other activities where participation is disproportionately low.

Whilst there is no absolute requirement to fully remove any disadvantage the Duty is to have “regard to” and remove OR minimise disadvantage and in considering the merits of this planning application the planning authority has taken into consideration the requirements of the PSED.

8. CONSULTATIONS:

8.1 Natural England - Natural England has no comments to make on this application.

We have not assessed the application and associated documents for impacts on protected species.

8.2 Cerne Valley Parish Council - The Cerne Valley Parish Council reiterates its objection to this application. It is felt the revised plans are no more than a tweak and that the original points of the objection remain.

The proposed dwelling is still far too imposing on the street scene. The vehicular access is still awkward and potentially very user unfriendly. The mass is too much for the location, and whilst not a planning consideration there is something quite weird about the external staircase to the side. What is the un-named space behind? Is it a small sunken garden to allow light into the bedroom? There is absolutely no need for this external staircase - it is one of the key features which makes the design not fit in with the surrounding village houses.

I do not believe that the residents of Godmanstone will find this iteration of the design any more acceptable than the last. They object to the principle of a house at that location, the mass, and the access. None of those fundamental problems have been addressed satisfactorily.

8.3 DCC Highways – The County Highway Authority has NO OBJECTION, subject to the following conditions:-

Before the development is occupied the first 1.0 metre of the vehicle access, measured from the rear edge of the highway, must be laid out and constructed to a specification submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: To ensure that a suitably surfaced and constructed access to the site is provided that prevents loose material being dragged and/or deposited onto the adjacent carriageway causing a safety hazard.

Before the development hereby approved is occupied the parking and turning areas shown on the submitted plans must have been constructed. Thereafter, these areas must be permanently maintained, kept free from obstruction and available for the purposes specified.

Reason: To ensure the proper and appropriate development of the site and to ensure that highway safety is not adversely impacted upon.

INFORMATIVE NOTE: Dorset Highways The vehicle crossing serving this proposal (that is, the area of highway land between the nearside carriageway edge and the site) must be constructed to the specification of the County Highway Authority in order to comply with Section 184 of the Highways Act 1980. The applicant should contact Dorset Highways by telephone at Dorset Direct (01305 221000), by email at [email protected], or in writing at Dorset Highways, Dorset County Council, County Hall, Dorchester, DT1 1XJ, before the commencement of any works on or adjacent to the public highway.

8.4 DCP Technical Services – With regards to the above application, I have no objections or further comments to make.

8.5 DCP Trees Officer – No comment.

8.6 All full consultee responses and representations can be viewed on www.dorsetforyou.com

9. REPRESENTATIONS:

9.1 Twenty-nine third party responses were received in response to the application, two in support of the application and twenty-seven objecting to the proposed works. The reasons in support of the application are set out below:

 The proposal will add to housing stock in the local area  The proposed architecture is fitting for the varied landscape in Godmanstone

9.2 The reasons for objecting to the application are set out below:

Design -  Proposal dominates the small plot  Overpowering of neighbouring properties/street scene  Property too high for the site  Scale of property out of character with the existing properties in the Conservation Area  Out of keeping with the village setting  Does not reflect the existing character of the settlement as a whole  Out of character and scale with the rest of the village exacerbated by the elevation position  Loss of the existing hedgerow would be detrimental to the rural image  Retaining wall would ruin the streetscene and would be overbearing  Dominate view on approach into the village and would be overbearing and all encompassing  Oversized property in the context of surrounding properties  Impact on setting of heritage assets, the character of the conservation area and the AONB  Loss of trees

Neighbouring Amenity –  Neighbouring property opposite is sunken down and the application site is elevated from the highway therefore the proposal will tower over property opposite  Overlooking and loss of privacy due to the height of the proposed dwelling

Highways/Access –  Access onto dangerous pinch point of the A352  Safety issues for residents in particular school children  No turning space for cars so they will have to back out onto the main A352 road  Concerns over the visibility splay for the access  Designated car parking spaces are 2.4m wide at the rate car sizes are increasing these could well turn out to be inadequate in this location  No parking space for delivery vans post construction which would then block the road or be forced to park in the driveway opposite

Neighbourhood Plan –  Contravenes the Cerne Valley Neighbourhood Plan policy 4 regarding the density level

 Precedent for garden developments  No provision for on-site energy generation

 PLANNING ISSUES:

10. Principle of development  Visual Amenity, Conservation Area and Setting of the Listed Building  Residential Amenity  Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty  Access and Parking  Community Infrastructure Levy

 PLANNING ASSESSMENT:

11.1 Principle of Development

The principle of erecting a dwelling on the site was established under application WD/D/17/001442 which granted outline planning permission with approval of access only. The application is located within the defined development boundary and therefore in line with policy 1 of the Cerne Valley Neighbourhood Plan. All other matters were reserved; this scheme now seeks approval for siting, design, materials and landscaping.

Concerns were raised regarding the proposed density of the proposal and the compliance of the proposal with policy 4 of the Cerne Valley Neighbourhood Plan. The policy reads that …proposals for new development will be need to demonstrate that they reflect the character and density of the existing settlement as a whole. The supporting text states that future new build in the village will not exceed 3 dwellings per acre or part acre plot. However the supporting text does go on to say that the density principle will have to be determined against the merits of each planning application; it is not intended to be definitive but rather more a guiding principle. The principle of a dwelling on the site has been agreed under the outline permission WD/D/17/001442. The surrounding properties vary in plot size and so do the positions of dwellings within their plots and the proposed plot size is not considered to be out of character of the density of the existing settlement as a whole as required under policy 4.

11.2 Visual Amenity, Conservation Area and the Setting of the Listed Building

The current application has been amended in response to concerns raised regarding the previously refused application WD/D/17/002927. The proposal being considered is a two storey dwelling constructed of flint and brick for the front elevation and render with brick quoins for the sides and rear elevation and natural slate for the roof. The topography of the site means that the rear of the property above ground level would be single storey.

The application site is positioned adjacent to the Godmanstone conservation area, it is located in close proximity to the listed Manor Cottage and opposite the important local building Crains Cottage. However the property Crains Cottage does provide some separation from the proposal on the setting of the listed Manor Cottage. The application site sits on an elevated position with the land to the west of the A352 sitting higher than that on the east. The local vernacular building materials of bands of flint, cob, chalk block, thatch, clay tile and slate are prevalent amongst the historic buildings in the village. The proposed dwelling would be constructed of flint for the front elevation which is considered to reflect the local vernacular. The previous application WD/D/17/002927 was refused as the proposed dwelling would not reflect the local rural character of Godmanstone and would appear incongruous and overbearing within the rural street scene. The proposal has been amended, the integral garaging which resulted in a more town-house design has been removed with living accommodation provided on the ground floor and parking spaces provided to the front of the dwelling. The removal of the integral garaging also meant the proposed dwelling could be reduced in height resulting in a two storey dwelling with roof lights. The depth of the proposal has also been reduced and the boundary wall adjacent to the road has been replaced with hedging. The amendments made are considered to overcome the previous refusal reason (WD/D/17/002927) and result in a proposed dwelling which is considered to be reflect its rural location.

11.3 Residential Amenity

The proposal involves the erection of a two storey dwelling with rooflights on the roof slope. The topography of the site means at the rear above ground level the dwelling would be single storey again with roof lights on the roof slope. To the south of the proposed dwelling is the neighbouring property the Retreat, the application site forms the rear of the garden of the Retreat. There would be window proposed on the south elevation that faces the Retreat however it would serve the stairs to the play room. The rear of the Retreat is separated from the proposal by the remainder of the garden and is set within a large plot. To the west (rear) of the application site is the neighbouring property, Snowberry. The positioning of the properties means that Snowberry is not located directly to the rear of the proposal and it also has significant garden to the front of the property. The rear garden of the proposed dwelling would provide separation from the rear of the dwelling from the neighbouring property of Snowberry and the topography of the site means the west elevation of the proposal would be single storey with roof lights on the roof slope. To the north of the site is the single storey dwelling, Bamboos. The property Bamboos is set back within the plot and therefore the proposed dwelling would be located adjacent to the front garden of Bamboos. There are no windows proposed on the north elevation that would face Bamboos and the proposed dwelling is set back from the boundary and the existing trees located within the plot of Bamboos would provide further screening of the proposal from Bamboos. To the east of the site (front) is the neighbouring property of Crains Cottage. Crains Cottage is positioned so the side elevation is immediately adjacent the A352 with the front elevation of the property facing north. The proposed dwelling would be located opposite the front garden, in line with the front elevation of Crains Cottage. The positioning of the properties means the proposal is not considered to overlook the windows of Crains Cottage. The front elevation of the proposal does face the front garden of Crains Cottage and an outbuilding however the outbuilding does not have windows on this elevation. The front garden is not the only garden of Crains Cottage with further land positioned to the side of the property and the position of the front garden adjacent to the road means it can to some degree already be overlooked from the road. Furthermore, the proposed dwelling would be set back within the plot with 6m between the front of the dwelling and the road and the road would provide further separation between the properties. The proposal has also been reduced in height from the previous refused application WD/D/17/002927. Given the above the proposal is not considered to have a significant adverse impact on the living conditions of occupiers of the neighbouring residential properties.

11.4 Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty

It is considered that the proposal will not harm the character, special qualities or natural beauty of the Dorset Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty as the proposal involves the erection of a dwelling within the built up area of Godmanstone with existing dwellings on all sides. The proposal does involve the loss of the hedging alongside the A352 however the access has previously been approved under the outline application. As part of the proposed landscaping scheme part of the hedgerow is to be retained.

11.5 Access and Parking

A large number of concerns have been raised regarding the access to the site due to its location off the A352. The access was approved under the outline application WD/D/17/001442 and DCC Highways held no objections to the proposal subject to highway conditions.

11.6 Community Infrastructure Levy

The adopted charging schedule only applies a levy on proposals that create a dwelling and/or a dwelling with restricted holiday use. All other development types are therefore set a £0 per square metre CIL rate.

The development proposal is CIL liable.

The rate at which CIL is charged is £100 per sqm. The CIL charge is approximately £16,770. Confirmation of the final CIL charge will be included in a CIL liability notice issued prior to the commencement of the development Index linking as required by the CIL Regulations - (Reg. 40) is applied to all liability notices issued, using the national All-In Tender Price Index of construction costs published by the Building Cost Information Service (BCIS) of the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors. CIL payments are index linked from the year that CIL was implemented (2016) to the year that planning permission is granted.

11. CONCLUSION/SUMMARY:

12.1 The principle of erecting a dwelling on the site was previously approved under the outline application WD/D/17/001442. It is considered that the proposal has an acceptable impact on the area of outstanding natural beauty, visual amenity, residential amenity, setting of the conservation area and listed building and highway safety.

12. RECOMMENDATION:

Approve subject to conditions

1. The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:

Location Plan received on 09/05/2018 Proposed Floor plans, Sections and East Elevations - Drawing Number TR 2018 002A received on 09/05/2018 Proposed Elevations - Drawing Number TR 2018 003B received on 09/05/2018 Proposed Street-Scene - Drawing Number TR 2018 004 received on 09/05/2018 Proposed Site Plan & Landscaping - Drawing Number TR 2018 001B received on 28/06/2018

REASON: For the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

2. Before the development is occupied the first 1.0 metre of the vehicle access, measured from the rear edge of the highway, must be laid out and constructed to a specification submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

Reason: To ensure that a suitably surfaced and constructed access to the site is provided that prevents loose material being dragged and/or deposited onto the adjacent carriageway causing a safety hazard.

3. Before the development hereby approved is occupied the parking and turning areas shown on the submitted plans must have been constructed. Thereafter, these areas must be permanently maintained, kept free from obstruction and available for the purposes specified.

Reason: To ensure the proper and appropriate development of the site and to ensure that highway safety is not adversely impacted upon.

4. No development above the Damp Proof Course (DPC) level of the dwelling shall take place until details and samples of all external facing materials for the walls and roof shall have been submitted to, and approved in writing by, the Local Planning Authority the development shall proceed in strict accordance with such materials as have been agreed.

REASON: To ensure a satisfactory visual appearance of the development.