Development Management Report
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Committee and date Item North Planning Committee 6 8th November 2011 Public Development Management Report Responsible Officer: Stuart Thomas email: [email protected] Tel: 01743 252665 Fax: 01743 252619 Summary of Application Application Number: 11/02118/FUL Parish : Oswestry Rural Proposal : Erection of a first floor extension Site Address : The Rock Gibraltar Lane Treflach Oswestry Shropshire Applicant : Mr And Mrs D Wright Case Officer : Vicky Hodgson email : [email protected] Grid Ref: 326011 - 325255 © Crown Copyright. All rights reserved. Shropshire Council 100049049. 2011 For reference purposes only. No further copies may be made. North Planning Committee – 8th November 2011 – The Rock Treflach 11-02118-FUL Recommendation:- Grant Permission subject to the conditions sets out in Appendix 1. Recommended Reason for Approval It is considered that the proposed development is of an acceptable scale and design that will not adversely affect the character and appearance of the existing building or the locality or cause undue harm to the residential amenities of neighbouring properties. In this context the proposed development is considered acceptable and in accordance with saved policy H23 of the adopted Oswestry Borough Local Plan and policy CS6 of the adopted Shropshire Core Strategy. REPORT 1.0 THE PROPOSAL 1.1 The submitted application is for the extension of an existing single storey bungalow called The Rock. The development is to create additional accommodation by raising the roof of the bungalow. The proposed design includes raising 11.15 metres of the roofline by 1.65 metres. The remainder of the roof (6.3 metres) will be raised by 0.6 metres creating a ‘stepped down’ design. The higher section will include dormer windows to the front and rear. 1.2 The design of the extension is amended from that originally proposed which included raising the entire length (17.45 metres) of the roofline by 1.65m to include four dormer windows to the front and three to the rear. 2.0 SITE LOCATION/DESCRIPTION 2.1 The application site is located on Gibraltar Lane within the village of Treflach. Treflach includes a mixture of old and new properties as well as a range of property types ranging from old stone cottages to single storey bungalows and two storey houses. There are several property types in the vicinity of the application site; however it is predominantly surrounded by single storey bungalows. 2.2 The application property, ‘The Rock’ is one of four bungalows constructed during the 1980’s, three of which front Gibraltar Lane; The Rock is situated between ‘The Firs’ and ‘Meadowcroft’. The fourth bungalow, ‘The Willows’ is located to the south-east of The Rock, behind The Firs. A recently constructed bungalow, ‘Tawelfan’ is located to the south-west of The Rock and positioned behind Meadowcroft. Gibraltar Lane rises slightly from the junction with Stoney Road and as such The Rock is slightly elevated above Meadowcroft, The Willows and Tawelfan. The Firs and the other properties on the south side of Gibraltar Lane as well as the adjacent properties on the north side of the lane are slightly elevated above The Rock. 2.3 The Rock is rendered (painted cream) with a concrete tilled roof and has been extended in the past to include a single storey rear extension and detached double garage. The existing building has a footprint measuring 162.45 square metres and is 5.1 metres in height to its ridge. It is situated centrally within a good sized plot and accessed to the north off Gibraltar Lane. Contact Stuart Thomas on 01743 252665 North Planning Committee – 8th November 2011 – The Rock Treflach 11-02118-FUL 3.0 REASON FOR COMMITTEE DETERMINATION OF APPLICATION 3.1 The Parish Council response is contrary to the officer recommendation and both local member and the Parish Council consider that the application should be determined by the Planning Committee. 4.0 COMMUNITY REPRESENTATIONS 4.1 Consultee Comments 4.1.1 Parish Council - Councillors objected to this application after taking planning considerations into account. At the time of the Parish meeting on 28th June 2011 there were 10 objections from residents on the on line planning register and no comments in favour. General amenities - there are 5 bungalows in the area that this application is next to in Treflach. There are no two storey properties. The proposal is for a large extension which will be 2 storeys. The Trefonen, Treflach and Nantmawr Village Design Statement was adopted by Oswestry Borough Council in August 2006 and paragraphs 16 & 19 state that; 'Further developments must respect the characteristics of the villages, particularly with regard to the sense of space. Any replacement dwelling or extension must sit well within its plot, with the footprint similar to the relationship between existing nearby buildings and their sites' and 'The scale or proportion of buildings should complement and reflect surrounding dwellings and buildings' Councillors felt that this application did not meet these criteria’s. To this the PC submitted supplementary comment following discussions with a resident 4.1.2 who attended the meeting and queried their decision because they believed the Parish Council's submission did not reflect accurately the discussions and some of the information presented during the meeting. According to the Parish Council the decision to object was based on a vote from the councillors. Out of 14 councillors, 4 were absent, 3 abstained from voting, 1 councillor supported the application and 6 councillors were against the application hence the earlier comment that the Council objected. The comments also said that there were 10 residents’ comments against the application and none in support but it was pointed out that the end of the consultation period is not until 4th July and there could be more in support by that period. The earlier comment by the Parish Council did state that there were 10 residents’ objections at the time of the meeting. Following the submission of the amendments to the original planning application the 4.1.3 Parish Council raise concerns because the application has created a lot of local interest and some animosity amongst the neighbours in the immediate area. They requested that the application should go before the Northern Planning Committee. The Parish Council fully endorsed a site visit and the full committee looking at this application. Material considerations as to the design, roof line, general amenity and residential amenity should be taken into account. 4.2 Public Comments 4.2.1 The application has raised both support and objections amongst the local community resulting in a total of 71 comments being received. Details of the objection comments and supporting comments are detailed below. 4.2.2 A total of 14 objection comments were received regarding the original scheme from 12 different households. The following concerns were expressed; The surrounding neighbours would experience loss of privacy through Contact Stuart Thomas on 01743 252665 North Planning Committee – 8th November 2011 – The Rock Treflach 11-02118-FUL overlooking. De-value surrounding properties. The Village Design Statement recommends that new development respects character and local distinctiveness, particularly with regard to sense of space. An extension must sit well within its plot with the footprint similar to the relationship between existing nearby buildings and their sites. The proposed scheme does not and is therefore inappropriate. Proposal would set a precedent. The LPA should consider what a great detrimental effect an accumulation of similar proposals would have on a small village like Treflach. The character and beauty of the village should be maintained and not ‘urbanised’ like other villages in the area. Concerns over whether or not the foundations of the single storey property could withstand the increase in roof height. Shropshire Council’s website states that ‘recent guidance in PPS1 now asks LPA’s to require scheme to meet proper standards of urban design, sustainability and sense of place’ – this development would certainly be ‘out of place’. It also states that ‘new developments should be designed to the highest possible standards of the day while respecting the scale, proportion and materials of their surroundings’ – again this development would be ‘out of keeping’ with adjacent properties, being a large property in the midst of smaller bungalows. It also makes reference to ‘general amenity’ being a material planning consideration which is described as ‘the character of a place: its appearance, and even it ambience. Factors that can affect amenity include the siting, layout and external appearance of development’ – this development would certainly not be in keeping with nearby properties and change the look and appearance or street scene of the lane and the village. There is a public interest in protecting the residential amenity of residential properties as a whole. Relevant factors include loss of privacy by excessive overlooking of windows or gardens, loss of light and overbearance by large new buildings that are too close to boundaries – this development does affect other properties in all factors and would have significant relevance on close neighbours and have an adverse affect on nearby neighbours and surrounding properties in the local area. Previous planning decisions are also relevant. On a property no more than 50 metres from ‘The Rock’ it specifically stated that ‘the height of any dwelling erected on the site shall not exceed single storey living accommodation. Reasons: to safeguard the visual amenities of the locality and having regard to adjacent dwellings’ and to ensure that the development was not ‘out of keeping with the pattern and form of development in the locality’. These considerations are extremely pertinent in this case and a reason why this application should be refused as it certainly does not meet the planning considerations with regard to sense of place, scale, residential amenity and proportion.