Appeal 3323804

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for porch to the front of the property at [site address] , Wicken, [site address] [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, [name]/2022/2040/FUL, dated 24 October 2022, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision.

The materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development 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: 22038-SP01-0, 22038-PL05-0 and 22038-PL08-0.

The appeal property is one of a pair of semi-detached houses. They each face onto a different road and have a dissimilar appearance. Contrary to the Council’s assertion, they do not have a strong symmetry. The surrounding area contains a mix of semi-detached pairs of houses and bungalows. Those which form the immediate visual context of the appeal property are arranged around a green. For the most part, these properties have a similar architectural style, but with varied detailing, including some which have pitched roof porches.

The proposed front porch extension would project around 2.5m from the front elevation and would be 5m wide. The design would not reflect that of other buildings in the locality and would significantly alter the appearance of the property. Nonetheless, the house is plain, of no particular architectural merit and there are no local design features that would be lost or altered. An existing side extension projects beyond the front elevation which is itself set back behind the gable of the neighbouring [address]. These features would reduce the impact of the porch extension which would not extend along the entire width of the frontage and would be set well back from the road. For these reasons, the resulting front elevation would not be unduly prominent. It would not jar with the overall simple form of the neighbouring properties or otherwise adversely affect local character.

I conclude that the proposal would not harm the appearance or setting of the appeal property or its neighbours. The appearance of the development when viewed from the green would be acceptable. The proposal therefore complies with the aims of Policy SS2(1.a.) and SS2(1.b.) of the Local Plan Part 2, and Section 12 of the NPPF which collectively and in summary require high quality development that fits with its surroundings. There would be no conflict with the similar overarching aims of the [name].

For the reasons set out above, the appeal is allowed. A condition is necessary requiring the use of matching materials to preserve the character and appearance of the surrounding area. I have included a condition identifying the approved drawings for the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning.