Appeal 3312172

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a two storey side extension at [site address] , Bristol, [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application Ref 22/02933/H, dated 13 June 2022, subject to the conditions set out in the attached Schedule.

The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the host property and its surroundings.

The property is sited at the end of a terrace of 5 dwellings. Another similar terrace is sited immediately to the south. Other properties on the same side of the street include a bungalow, and two pairs of semi-detached dwellings, one more recently built than the other. On the other side of the street a similar disparity in house types is apparent, albeit that terraced housing is the most common form.

The appellants intend to demolish the garage to the side of their house. The garage is of a rather utilitarian appearance and its removal to my mind is regarded as a benefit of the scheme. The garage would be replaced by a two-storey extension, which would be set down from the main ridge and set back from the main elevation. Amended plans submitted during the determination, at the Council’s suggestion, showed a hipped rather than the gabled roof as originally proposed.

The Council’s officer report describes the appeal property sometimes as a semi-detached dwelling and sometimes as being part of a terrace. The distinction is significant in the context of the Council’s SPD1, which advocates different design approaches on different house types. In brief, however, the Council 1 Supplementary Planning Document Number 2 – A Guide for [address] Alterations and Extensions considers the extension to be too wide in relation to the width of the host property and that the set-back and set-down to be insufficient to achieve the objective of visual subservience.

A similar extension has been carried out at No [address], and this appears perfectly satisfactory in the street scene. Alterations and extensions have taken place at the other end of the terrace, and immediately next door to the south. Whilst these do not match what the appellants have in mind, they signify that the original appearance of some local houses have undergone significant changes, which have been assimilated into the local scene over time, and which play a part in forming local character.

To my mind, the submitted design would achieve subservience in the context of the built form to which it is attached, and I share the officer view that since the extension would fall short of the side boundary by about a meter, the terracing effect feared by some residents would be avoided. Overall, I find the revised design to be acceptable and the proposal, in my view, would sit acceptably in its visual and spatial context without causing the harm feared by the Council.

Accordingly, I conclude that the proposal would not materially harm the character and appearance of the host property or its surroundings. Thus, the development conforms with all relevant design provisions and requirements in respect of development of this type contained in policies BCS21 of the Bristol Local Plan, [name]; and policies DM26, DM27 and DM30 of the Bristol Local Plan Site Allocations and Development Management Policies.

In the interests of visual amenity, I shall impose the Council’s suggested condition in respect of external materials.

It is also necessary, in the interests of certainty, that the development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans.

All other matters referred to in the representations have been taken into consideration, including the references to the Framework2. I have also considered the representations made by several local residents; some of the points raised have been dealt with above.

I note that the local representations made in respect of living condition issues were assessed in some detail in the officer report on the application. I have no reason to disagree with the views expressed by officers, for the same reasons.

No other matter raised outweighs those which led me to my conclusions.