Appeal 3279333

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for single storey rear extension and addition of first floor including dormers to front and rear at [site address] , Bickley, Bromley [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref: DC/21/01819/FULL6 dated 13 April 2021 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 following approved plans: W113-01; W113-02; W113-03 [name]; W113-04; W113-05 and W113-06.

The materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted shall be in accordance with those listed on the application forms dated 13 April 2021 and shown on Plan W113-03 [name].

I undertook an unaccompanied site visit but am satisfied from that site visit and from all the information before me, that I have all the information I require to make my decision.

I have noted that the appeal was submitted using the description of development proposed by the Council, namely single storey rear extension and addition of first floor including dormers to front and rear. I consider that this more accurately describes the proposed extensions and alterations and have therefore used it in my description of the proposed development and in the

The main issue in this appeal is the effect of the proposal, and in particular the roof alterations and front extension, on the character and appearance of the local area.

The appeal property is a single storey property on the south side of [address] in a predominantly residential area. There is a wide mix of both bungalows and houses as well as chalet bungalows and some of the houses are detached and others semi-detached. The appeal property has a detached bungalow of similar scale and design to its immediate west and a pair of two storey semi-detached houses to the east.

The proposed extension would add a single storey, flat roofed extension with a roof light to the rear across the full width of the existing property. The ridge line to the main roof would be increased and the hipped roof would become a gable end roof to enable first floor accommodation to be introduced with dormers to the front and to the rear roof slopes. The existing front projecting bay would be widened and extended upwards to first floor under a pitched roof. The existing garage is shown to be demolished.

The single storey rear extension would be of modest scale in terms of its proposed depth and height. The proposed dormer windows to the front and to the rear would be set well within the new roof slopes and would not appear dominant features in the new roof slopes.

Nonetheless, I agree with the Council that as a result of all the changes, and in particular the changes to the roof form and the forward projecting bay, there would be a material change in the appearance of the building. However, that needs to be viewed in the context of the very wide variety of dwellings already existing in the street. [name] agree that the existing property and adjacent bungalow are of a similar scale and design, I do not consider that they are read as making a particular contribution to the street scene. The variety of building scales and designs is the key feature of the locality with no one building or pair of buildings appearing overly dominant in the street scene.

The proposal would be well designed to respect the surrounding varied townscape. I consider that the proportions of the property as extended would remain modest and would not be a dominant feature within the varied street scene. The proposals indicate that the materials would change from the existing, but I consider that the proposed materials would be appropriate within the street scene and the Council has raised no concerns in this regard.

I am therefore satisfied that the proposed extensions and alterations would respect the character and appearance of the local area. There would be no conflict with Policies 6 and 37 of the Bromley Local Plan and Section 12 of the National Planning Policy Framework, all of which amongst other things seek a high quality of design which respects the local context. I have also taken into account the further policy references included by the Appellant in his statement, in so far as the information has been provided, and am satisfied that the proposal would accord with these policies and SPGs.

The Council has proposed a number of conditions in the event of planning permission being granted. In respect of conditions, I agree that the proposed materials should be the subject of a condition to protect the street scene. However, the application forms indicate that there would be a number of changes to the proposed materials compared with the existing and these are also set out on Plan W113-03 [name]. I have therefore drafted the condition accordingly to reflect what is proposed. A condition should be imposed to list the approved plans for the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.

For the reasons given above and having regard to all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed.