Appeal 3293582

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a front extension providing new attached garage and porch at [site address] , Bekesbourne [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, [name]/21/02738, dated 11 November 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: BR/2221/PD/01A, BR/2221/PD/02A, BR/2221/PD/03A, BR/2221/PD/04, BR/2221/PD/05

The external finishes of the development hereby permitted shall match in material and colour those of the existing dwelling.

The main issue is the effect of the development having regard to the character of the dwelling and the surrounding area.

The appeal site comprises a two-storey, end-terrace dwelling with off-street parking spaces to the front, sited on [address]. The immediate vicinity is residential in nature, with the boundary of the Patrixbourne Conservation Area (CA) running along the rear of the site.

The proposed extension would span most of the front elevation of the dwelling and project beyond the existing facade in two staggered elements; by approximately 2.5 metres for the porch and 6.5 metres for the garage. It would incorporate a large area of flat roof with dummy pitched features around the edges. _________________________________________________________________________________ __________________________________________________________________________________________

There is no prevailing architectural style to houses in the locale; the neighbourhood is characterised by dwellings of various size, appearance and detailing. There is no set building line on either side of the road, with the appeal property sited considerably further back from the public highway than the adjacent residence at [address].

The site has a limited impact on the streetscene, being tucked behind other built form and in the corner of the cul-de-sac. This notwithstanding, it retains one of the largest frontages of any of the dwellings in [address] in terms of width and depth. At my site visit I also observed a large single storey rear extension with flat roof to [address], which is visible from the public domain and of similar scale and design to that proposed by this appeal.

With this context in mind, and given the single storey nature of the proposal, I consider that the scheme would be appropriate to its location. The staggered nature of the development would serve to break up the facade, and the variety of built form within the streetscene would ensure that the addition would assimilate without causing undue harm to the spatial quality of the area. I am satisfied that the large extent of flat roof, whilst not ideal, is within the bounds of acceptability when all planning considerations are taken into account, and there would be no adverse impact on the setting of the CA.

I therefore conclude that the proposal would not cause an adverse effect on the character and appearance of the existing dwelling and surrounding area. It would meet Policy DBE3 of the Canterbury District Local Plan July 2017, which seeks to secure new development of acceptable scale and appearance. It would also be consistent with the advice in the National Planning Policy Framework, which states that good design is a key aspect of sustainable development.

Given the above, the appeal succeeds.