Appeal 3296486

The appeal is dismissed.

Planning condition 1 lists the approved drawings. In the interest of clarity and brevity I have not included this list in the banner heading above.

The Southwark Plan 2019-2036 (SP) was adopted after the application was determined. As the policies in the SP are referred to on the decision notice, the appellant has been able to comment on them. Accordingly, this appeal has been determined in relation to the policies in the recently adopted SP.

The main issue is whether the proposal would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the [address] Conservation Area (CA).

The appeal property is a 2-storey yellow brick Victorian building that was originally a coach house and has been converted to provide residential accommodation on both floors. It makes a clear positive contribution to the character and appearance of [address] and the CA.

To one side of the appeal property is the [name], a light buff brick building of notable architectural merit. On the other side is a mid-20th century building used as a care home. This has a prominent light-grey mansard roof and is set back from the road. On the opposite side of the road there is a group of handsome yellow brick detached houses with slate clad hipped roofs. The front elevation of the appeal property is directly next to the road and proud of the buildings to either side. It is therefore a relatively prominent and exposed element in the street scene.

Planning permission was granted in August 2021 for the erection of a mansard roof extension to provide an additional bedroom and bathroom together with a roof terrace to the rear. The planning permission is subject to a planning condition (No. 3) requiring the front, east and west elevations of the mansard extension to be clad in Natural Welsh Slate. This roofing material is also annotated on the approved drawings listed under planning condition 1.

The appellant seeks the variation of conditions 1 and 3 to allow the roof to be clad in heritage red clay roofing tiles. The appeal property is a stand-alone building that does not form part of a group. Its immediate context includes buildings with a mix of flat and pitched roof forms. However, in the wider area there are many mansards, the vast majority of which are clad in slate and are on top of buildings constructed of yellow brick. Yellow brick and slate are very much the prevailing wall and roof materials in the CA and feature in the houses opposite the appeal property. Cladding the approved mansard addition in red clay tiles would be at odds with the prevailing palette of materials in the CA resulting in clear material harm.

For the reasons set out above, the use of red clay roofing tiles to clad the approved mansard extension at the appeal property would fail to preserve the character and appearance of the CA. The proposal is therefore contrary to London Plan (2021) Policy HC1 and Policy P20 of the Southwark Plan 2019- 2036 (2022), the latter of which states that development relating to conservation areas will only be granted where it preserves or enhances the character or appearance of conservation areas.

For the reasons set out above, and having regard to all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should fail. [planning inspector] INSPECTOR