Appeal 3323635

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a single storey side extension to approved study extension and first floor balcony at [site address] , WINDSOR, [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 22/01030/FUL, dated 6 January 2023, and the plans submitted with it, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than three years from the date of this decision.

The materials to be used in the external surfaces of the extension hereby permitted shall match those used in the existing building.

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: Block and Location Plan dwg no. 3772/200 [name], Proposed Ground Floor Plan dwg no. 3772/201 [name], [name] and Second Floor Plan dwg no. 3772/202 [name] and [name] dwg no. 3772/203 [name].

[name] note the proposal is a resubmission of a previous application, I have deleted the superfluous words ‘revised submission’ from the description of development in the banner heading above as they are not an act of development.

The main issue is whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt having regard to the National Planning Policy Framework (the Framework) and any relevant development plan policies.

The appeal site comprises a detached 2 storey dwelling and detached garage on a generous plot set back from [address].

The Framework identifies that the fundamental aim of Green Belt policy is to prevent urban sprawl by keeping land permanently open. It goes on to state that inappropriate development is, by definition, harmful to the Green Belt and should not be approved except in very special circumstances. The Framework further establishes that the construction of new buildings in the Green Belt should be regarded as inappropriate, subject to several exceptions as set out in paragraph 149. One such exception being the extension or alteration of a building provided that it does not result in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building.

Policy CS9 of the Core Strategy Development Plan Document adopted February 2008 (CSDPD) sets out that the Council will maintain the Green Belt boundary within Bracknell Forest and protect the Green Belt from inappropriate development.

Saved Policy GB1 of the Bracknell Forest Borough Local Plan adopted January 2002 (LP) allows for the limited extension of existing dwellings only in very special circumstances where acceptable, among other things, in terms of scale, form, effect, character, and siting. The supporting text to Policy GB1 indicates that the Council will normally consider any increase to be disproportionate if it exceeds 40% of the gross floor area of the original building and that account will also be taken of a range of other factors.

The Framework does not provide a definition of disproportionate additions and therefore an assessment of whether a proposal would amount to a disproportionate addition over and above the size of the original building is a matter of planning judgement.

The proposed single storey side extension and first floor balcony, when combined with previous additions to the dwelling, would result in an increase in floor area of approximately 51% to the dwelling. Whilst this would add further to the dwelling, the proposals are of a very minor scale. Moreover, due to their modest size, sympathetic design, and siting, the proposals would have no perceptible effect on the appeal site or its surroundings. As such the extensions overall would accord with the policy wording of Policy GB1 and would not represent disproportionate additions in this particular case.

I therefore find that the cumulative increase in size of the dwelling by virtue of the proposals, together with the previous extensions, would not result in disproportionate additions over and above the size of the dwelling as first constructed. For these reasons, the appeal proposal would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt as defined in the Framework. Accordingly, the proposals would not conflict with Policy CS9 of the CSDPD, Policy GB1 of the LP or aims of the Framework which seek to protect the Green Belt.

Standard conditions relating to the commencement of development and specifying the relevant plans are necessary to provide certainty. I have also imposed a condition to require the materials to be used in the external surfaces of the extension to match those in the main dwelling, in the interest of the character and appearance of the area.

For the reasons given above, the appeal is allowed, subject to conditions.