Design and Access Statement Second Floor Addition Planning Application

Design and Access Statement Second Floor Addition Planning Application 62, Fawcett Road, Portsmouth, PO4 2UA Mr. T. Du Plessis 10th May 2021 Critchley Architecture AndDesign Ltd, The Old Brewery, 15E South Street, Havant, PO9 1BU 2 0.0 Contents 1.0 Generally 2.0 Physical Context 3.0 Social and Economic Context 4.0 Involvement of Local Interests 5.0 Amount 6.0 Design 7.0 Access 8.0 Sustainability MHC/sar/20014 62 Fawcett Road, Portsmouth, PO4 2UA 3 1.0 Generally 1.1 This Design Report forms part of a Planning Application to Portsmouth City Council, to add a second floor to 62, Fawcett Road, Portsmouth PO4 2UA. The proposed accommodation is for a self contained one bedroom flat. 1.2 No other purpose is anticipated or accepted. Copyright of this report remains with Critchley Architecture And Design Ltd. 1.3 The proposal is to extend and adapt the roof space of the building to provide a one bedroomed flat. Reference should be made to the planning submission drawings for details of the proposals, re: 20014 ‐ 101 B Location and Block Plan 211 B Existing Floor Plans 311 A Existing Elevations 421G Proposal Ground + First Floor Plans 432 Proposed Second and Roof. 531 A Proposal Elevations 1.4 The subject proposals were prepared under the objectives of the National Planning Policy Framework of February 2019. Of the policies, we were mindful of the following: Paragraph 11: Plans and decisions should apply a presumption in favour of sustainable development. Section 5: Delivering a sufficient supply of homes. 59. To support the Government’s objective of significantly boosting the supply of homes, it is important that a sufficient amount and variety of land can come forward where it is needed, that the needs of groups with specific housing requirements are addressed and that land with permission is developed without unnecessary delay. 68. Small and medium sized sites can make an important contribution to meeting the housing requirement of an area, and are often built‐out relatively quickly. To promote the development of a good mix of sites local planning authorities should: c) support the development of windfall sites through their policies and decisions – giving great weight to the benefits of using suitable sites within existing settlements for homes. MHC/sar/20014 62 Fawcett Road, Portsmouth, PO4 2UA 4 Section 11: Making effective use of land. 117. Planning policies and decisions should promote an effective use of land in meeting the need for homes and other uses, while safeguarding and improving the environment and ensuring safe and healthy living conditions. Strategic policies should set out a clear strategy for accommodating objectively assessed needs, in a way that as much use as possible of previously‐developed or ‘brownfield’ land. 1.5 From The Portsmouth Plan, adopted 24 January 2012 Housing Delivery “4.1 Portsmouth is a built up city with tight boundaries, numerous physical constraints and no greenfield sites available for development and as such there are a limited number of locations for new housing sites. However, the city needs to provide more homes to cater for the natural increase in population, a decrease in household size and to house those people on the council’s housing register. Additional homes are also needed to support economic growth. Providing a large number of new homes in the city is in line with the PUSH strategy of focusing new homes in urban areas to regenerate the cities and to relieve pressure on the surrounding countryside. 4.2 New development in Portsmouth should help it become a more sustainable city so the first choice for housing is in locations that are close to public transport routes (or where public transport improvements can be included as part of the development) and every day facilities. Therefore the focus for development to deliver the new housing will be at the strategic sites of Tipner, Port Solent &Horsea Island, Somerstown& North Southsea and the city centre. Opportunities for housing also exist at the district centres above shops and within the secondary frontage areas. Further housing development will be distributed across the city as a whole and will take place through conversions of existing buildings and the redevelopment of previously developed land. In order to help provide for the need for additional housing, high densities will be promoted in the city and town centres, on sites close to public transport routes / networks and on the strategic sites.” 2.0 Physical Context 2.1 Fawcett Road is typical of the dense terraced housing developments of the late Victorian Period. Generally, the immediate area retains the original terraced layouts. 2.2 The site is in a terrace of 16 similar buildings. Originally built of brick, with slate roofs, and two storey stone bay windows. The frontage is directly on to the public footpath. The ground floor is currently retail Class B1 Use. There is a small rear yard MHC/sar/20014 62 Fawcett Road, Portsmouth, PO4 2UA 5 accessed from a narrow alley along the back of the block, returning to the street at the end of the block. 2.3 The adjacent neighbourhood is generally flat and level. Fawcett Road runs North/South, therefore the site runs East/West, with the frontage to the East. 2.4 The site is 0.2 Km from Fratton Railway Station with regular Southern and South Western train services to the region and to London. Adjacent to the station is Fratton Road with regular and comprehensive bus services around Portsmouth. 2.5 The site is not within any designated areas or considered by the Environment Agency to be at risk of flooding. 3.0 Social and Economic Context 3.1 The area around the site was developed progressively through C.19 to provide mass housing for the rapid expansion of HM Naval Dockyard in Portsmouth. 3.2 The area has a typically high density, mixed population of small families, students, young couples, and retirees who have lived locally all through their lives. 3.3 Fawcett Road itself has small shops to both sides. The area surrounding the site is predominantly residential. The city centre is easily accessible by public transport, and Southsea Common and Sea Front within walking distance, this is a popular area for city workers to live in. 3.4 With the high density and good local facilities car ownership is relatively low. Cycling is popular transport, aided by the flat terrain. 3.5 Within easy walking access of the site there are: Shops and supermarkets Professional services Sports and recreation facilities Community facilities Childcare and a range of Schools Pubs and Restaurants 3.6 Portsmouth has a housing requirement for additional small scale accommodation, for young families and ‘singles’ still living with their parents. The city has virtually no available land remaining for new housing developments. The proposal provides new MHC/sar/20014 62 Fawcett Road, Portsmouth, PO4 2UA 6 accommodation within the existing building stock, without any additional land requirement. 3.7 Considering all the above, the site is considered to be in a highly sustainable location. 4.0 Involvement of Local Interests 4.1 The proposal is consistent with numerous other second story additions and conversions in the immediate neighbourhood. 4.2 The proposal is entirely consistent with all the development policies for the area. 4.3 Designed within the existing building ‘envelope’, and in the same format as the lower floors the proposal is not considered to be ‘un neighbourly’. 4.4 A previous Planning Application, Reference 20/00517/FUL, for a full length rear dormer was refused on 19th January 2021 for the following reason: “The rear dormer owing to its relative scale, siting and appearance, would introduce a discordant feature to the original roofscape of the property, resulting in an unattractive and incongruous addition detrimental to the established character, form and pattern of development in the locality of the site.” 4.5 Noting other similar developments in the locality, the Applicant had a meeting with The New Neighbourhoods Team Leader ‐ Mr Nick Lloyd‐Davies, as a result of which the subject revised proposal has been prepared. 5.0 Amount 5.1 The eastern part of the ground floor is an existing Use Class B2 Unit, fronting on to Fawcett Road, which will be retained. 5.2 The western part (rear) of the ground floor is a self contained one bedroom flat which will be retained. 5.3 The first floor is a self contained two bedroom flat. This will be retained with minor alterations to the staircase to access the new #2 floor. 5.4 The proposal is for a self contained one bedroom flat of 40.0M2. MHC/sar/20014 62 Fawcett Road, Portsmouth, PO4 2UA 7 6.0 Design 6.1 NPPF Section 12: Achieving well‐designed places “127. Planning policies and decisions should ensure that developments: a) will function well and add to the overall quality of the area, not just for the short term but over the lifetime of the development; b) are visually attractive as a result of good architecture, layout and appropriate and effective landscaping; c) are sympathetic to local character and history, including the surrounding built environment and landscape setting, while not preventing or discouraging appropriate innovation or change (such as increased densities); d) establish or maintain a strong sense of place, using the arrangement of streets, spaces, building types and materials to create attractive, welcoming and distinctive places to live, work and visit; e) optimise the potential of the site to accommodate and sustain an appropriate amount and mix of development (including green and other public space) and support local facilities and transport networks; and f) create places that are safe, inclusive and accessible and which promote health and well‐being, with a high standard of amenity for existing and future users46; and where crime and disorder, and the fear of crime, do not undermine the quality of life or community cohesion and resilience.” 6.2 Character The character of the locality is of small scale Victorian terraced housing.

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