Appeal 3301121

The appeal is dismissed.

It was apparent from my site visit and the plans before me that there are a number of inconsistencies through the existing and proposed plans. Nonetheless, I am able to see that the appellant has confirmed that the Council’s decision should be based upon the plans as submitted, and I have therefore considered the appeal on this basis.

The main issue is the effect of the proposed development upon the character and appearance of the area and that of the host dwelling.

[site address] is a prefabricated single storey dwelling with timber detailing, and a slate and tile roof. It is located on a quiet rural lane, set back from the roadside. The dwelling appears to have been extended in a number of ways, resulting in a variety of rooflines and appearance of the dwelling. The overall character and appearance of the dwelling is that of a single storey dwelling which remains low in height, with no current additions to the roof.

Neighbouring properties are similar in scale, height and appearance and I was able to see some alterations and additions to these neighbouring properties. The character and appearance of the area and nearby properties is relatively uniform, being single storey properties which have on the whole, simple rooflines which tend to have hipped gables and limited additions to roofs.

The proposed development would increase the height of the existing dwelling from 4.9m to 6.37m to its highest point. The proposal will introduce two gable features to the front elevation, with two flat-roofed dormer windows to the rear elevation. Two rooflights are shown to the side elevations. The proposals would also appear to include the inclusion of an extension to the roof via tile hanging below the eaves level, running around all elevations.

The proposed gabled elements to the front elevation are of a steep pitch, which would be at odds with the existing shallow roof, resulting in a top heavy addition to the dwelling. In addition to this, the increased height of the building would result in a steeply pitched roof set behind the gables, including a tiled element below. The increase in height, the gables and the increased extent of roof and its pitch would be in contrast to the character and appearance of the host dwelling and the properties along this stretch of [site address] . The proposed development, given its width and height would appear dominant within the street-scene, and would detract from the distinctive character and appearance of the area.

Policies CH3 and CH9 of the Local Plan1 expect a high quality of design of all new development. This includes (amongst other things) a positive contribution to the area, and be of high quality in terms of relate sympathetically to surroundings in terms of scale, density, height, layout and materials. This is supported by the Council’s Urban Design SPD2 which expects extensions to relate appropriately to the parent dwelling’s character and style, dimensions, materials and finishes of the parent dwelling and the character of the neighbourhood. Paragraph 3.12 of the SPD goes on to confirm that an extension with a roof pitch can look out of place.

I note that the development would provide an element of some symmetry to the existing, however given the inaccuracies of the plans it is not possible to properly assess in detail the impacts. It is understood from the proposals that the appellant wishes to rectify the poorly built additions to the existing dwelling whilst maintaining the spacious nature of the plot, nonetheless these factors do not overcome the overall harm described above.

For the reasons given above I conclude that the appeal be dismissed.