Appeal 3271064

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a rear single storey orangery at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 20/03224/FUL, dated 9 December 2020, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision.

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plan Ref. 19QUEENSPLAN688.

The materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted shall match those of the existing dwelling.

The main issue in this case is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the host dwelling and the surrounding area.

The appeal relates to a large detached dwelling. It sits within a suburban road which is home to dwellings of a variety of sizes and designs; many of which have been extended and altered extensively.

The appeal dwelling has recently been the subject of a two storey extension across the full width of its rear elevation. The proposal seeks to add an orangery across about two thirds of the extended rear elevation, which would www.planningportal.gov.uk/planninginspectorate project a further 3 metres. According to the Council’s calculations, this would see the cumulative depth of the rear extensions project some 9 metres from the original rear elevation.

From what I can deduce, the original dwelling was reasonably large, sitting within a deep plot. The existing two storey addition projects beyond the main rear elevations of the detached dwellings located either side. However, the proposed orangery would not project significantly beyond the single storey rear section of the nearest neighbouring dwelling, No. [address]. Against this context, I am satisfied that the proposed orangery would not appear overly large or out of context, even when considered cumulatively alongside the two storey addition.

In this particular situation, I conclude that the proposed orangery would not harm the character and appearance of the host dwelling or that of the surrounding area. In such terms, there is no conflict with the overall aims of policy CS01 of the adopted [name], policies H9 and ENV39 of the adopted Bexley Council Unitary Development Plan or the Council’s Design and Development Control Guidelines Note 2 (Extensions to Houses) which collectively promote high quality design that reflects and, where possible, enhances, its context and does not amount to over-development.

In addition to the standard conditions which limit the lifespan of the planning permission and direct that the development takes place in accordance with the approved plans, the Council has suggested a condition to ensure the external finishing materials of the extension match those of the host dwelling. I agree that such a condition is necessary to ensure a visually acceptable development. In allowing the appeal, I shall impose these conditions.