Appeal 3290338

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for an outbuilding at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application Ref 21/07215/FUL, dated 21 July 2021 and in accordance with the following conditions:

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

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;

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plan: 21/0210/01 [name];

Two bird boxes should be incorporated into the development hereby permitted and be retained for the lifetime of the development.

The description of the proposed development is taken from the application form. In its decision notice, the Council refers to the proposal as a “detached carport/store.”

The main issue in this case is the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area.

The appeal property is a two storey detached dwelling located on a large garden plot in the countryside. It is close to a cluster of dwellings and buildings to the east and agricultural fields to the north and west.

The dwelling is set well-back from the road behind a large parking area, which itself is located behind a wide grass verge. The appeal site is largely surrounded by tall trees, hedgerows and planting. During my site visit, I noted that the presence of evergreen and deciduous trees and tall hedgerows combine with the setting back of the appeal property to largely obscure the front corner of the property, where a large container is located, from view. The proposed outbuilding would be located in this corner.

Also during my site visit, I noted the presence of outbuildings associated with dwellings – in many different forms – to be characteristic of this rural area. Consequently, outbuildings do not draw attention to themselves as unusual or uncommon features. Further, within the vicinity of the appeal site, I also noted the presence of very large buildings – associated both with farming and with commercial operations – as well as with major infrastructure works. Such features are not of a domestic scale, but the presence of hedgerows, trees and the undulating nature of the land mean that even such large buildings do not appear unduly dominant within their surroundings.

The proposed timber outbuilding would be modest in dimensions and taking the above into account, would be partly obscured from view, especially outside of the winter months. The careful selection of materials ensures that the proposal would appear ancillary to [site address] and I find that it would make effective use of a small part of a much larger area of hardstanding to the front of that dwelling.

Further to the above, glimpses of the proposal would be seen in the context of other nearby buildings and within an area characterised by the presence of a wide range of outbuildings.

Taking the above into account, I find that the proposed development would be sympathetic to local character and would respect its surroundings. Consequently, it would not harm the character and appearance of the area and would not be contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework, to Wycombe District Local Plan (2019) Policy DM35, or to the Council’s Householder Planning and Design Supplementary Planning Document (2019), which together amongst other things, seek to protect local character.