Appeal 3301998

The appeal is dismissed.

The description of the proposed development is taken from the application form. The Council’s decision notice describes the proposed development as “conversion of garage to habitable accommodation, roof alterations including increase in ridge height and barn-hip extensions, construction of front and rear dormer windows, rooflights and alterations to fenestration.”

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 detached bungalow with first floor accommodation provided by front and rear dormers. It has gardens to the front and side and a driveway to the side, providing access to [address]. At the time of the site visit, the dwelling was largely covered by scaffolding and weather protection.

The appeal property is located in a prominent position, on the inside bend of a corner plot along [address]. The topography of the area is such that the dwelling is situated considerably higher than dwellings on the opposite side of [address]. I also observed, during my site visit, that the main frontage of the dwelling is situated much closer to [address] itself than other dwellings along the same side of the Road. These are factors which add significantly to the prominence of the property in its surroundings.

The surrounding area is residential and is characterised by the presence of one and two storey detached dwellings set back from the road behind front gardens and parking areas and with long gardens to the rear. Dwellings appear to sit comfortably in large garden plots and the presence of set-backs, hedgerows, gardens and planting provides for a pleasant green, open and spacious character.

During my site visit, I noted that, whilst many dwellings have been altered and/or extended, such changes tend to appear in keeping with the host property and the surrounding area.

The proposal would replace the dwelling’s existing modest hipped roof form with a considerably taller and bulkier roof. I find that this would combine with the dwelling’s prominent siting to result in the creation of a roof that would appear unduly bulky and overly dominant in its surroundings.

The harmful impact of this would be exacerbated by the presence of three dormers – which would, due to their varying sizes, introduce a sense of discordance with the new roof. This discordance would be most noticeable to the front elevation facing [address], where the roofscape would appear prominently and the two differently sized dormers would appear awkward against and in contrast with, the more symmetrical appearance of the proposed ground floor fenestration. 10.Further to the above, the proposed large front dormer and the proposed rear dormer would draw further attention to the prominence and bulkiness of the roof as a result of their considerable width. 11.Taking the above into account, I find that the proposed development would harm the character and appearance of the area, contrary to the National Planning Policy Framework; to Core Strategy1 Policy CP12; to DMP2 Policy DM1; and to Policy 2 of the Chorleywood Neighbourhood Development Plan (2020), which together amongst other things, seek to protect local character.