Appeal 3276726

The appeal is allowed, and planning permission is granted for proposed first floor side extension, fenestration alterations and material alterations to existing house. New dropped kerb and driveway to be constructed to the front of the existing house, at [site address] , Haddenham [postcode] , in accordance with application Ref: 21/00561/APP, dated 10 February 2021 and subject to the conditions in the attached schedule.

The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the surrounding area.

The appeal site is occupied by a two-storey detached dwelling situated on a corner location. The building is faced in brickwork and cladding and presents its gable end as its principal elevation. The immediate surroundings primarily consist of detached dwellings of a similar scale with similar facing materials, however, the house types do differ in their specific architectural appearance. In addition, although gaps between buildings are prevalent, where they exist, they differ in scale. Due to the variation in the sizes of gaps between buildings and the differing architectural appearance of the buildings themselves, the existing street scape does not exhibit any particular uniformity or demonstrable architectural rhythm. Despite this, the consistency of scale and facing materials combine to generate a pleasing suburban environment to which the appeal site makes a positive contribution.

The proposal would introduce a first floor extension to the side of the existing dwelling. Accordingly, the extension would be located within an existing space between buildings. The Council confirm that the extension would be well proportioned and sympathetic to the host dwelling, a conclusion with which I entirely agree. However, their concerns manifest themselves in the loss of space between buildings.

In this regard, the extension would be substantially set back from the front of the property. In addition, the building itself is set demonstrably further back from the road than the neighbouring house. Accordingly, due to the proposed set back of the extension and the staggered building line of the existing houses, the increased bulk of the building would be considerably set back from the mass of the neighbouring property. As a consequence, an appreciable degree of space would be retained between the existing buildings, thereby having the effect of preserving a visual gap. Although the gap would be partially filled, due to the relationship between the two buildings, this would not be in a manner that would appear cramped within the street. Consequently, the proposal would be sympathetic to the composition of the existing street scape, and on this basis, it would cause no harm to the setting of the adjacent conservation area.

Accordingly, for the reasons identified above, I conclude that the proposal would not harm the character and appearance of the area. It would therefore comply with Policies GP9, GP35 and GP53 of the Aylesbury Vale District Local Plan (2004), emerging Policies BE1 and BE2 of the Vale of Aylesbury Local Plan (2017), and guidance contained within the [name] on [name]. Taken together, these seek amongst other things, development which respects the appearance of the dwellings and its setting, and does not cause harm to the significance of heritage assets.

In light of my findings set out above, conditions are necessary in the interests of precision and clarity to establish the time limit for the commencement of development as well as to list the approved drawing numbers. Condition 3 is necessary to ensure a suitable finish for the proposed extension, and conditions 4 and 5 are necessary in the interests of highway safety.

Subject to these conditions, the appeal should be allowed.

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

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following drawing numbers: 22; 21 C; 20 F;

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

No other part of the development shall be occupied until the new means of access has been constructed in accordance with the approved drawing and constructed in accordance with the Buckinghamshire Council guide note “[name] the Public Highway”.

The scheme for parking and manoeuvring indicated on the submitted plans shall be laid out prior to the initial occupation of the development hereby permitted and that area shall not thereafter be used for any other purpose.