Appeal 3327088

The appeal is allowed, and planning permission is granted for a shed in front garden at [site address] , Woking, Surrey [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, PLAN/2023/0058, dated 19 January 2023 and the plans submitted with it.

The shed is in situ and therefore this is a retrospective proposal.

The main issue is the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area and the host property.

[address] is part of Goldswork Park, a purpose-built 1970/1980s housing estate comprising properties of a similar design and materials, interspersed with communal parking areas, open space, and mature trees. No.10 is located at the end of a terraced row which is set back from the road with parking spaces in front. Each property within the row has a modest front garden which is defined by low boundary treatments. In addition, No.10 has an extended area to the side, which is defined by the high boundary walls to the rear garden of the appeal property and that of No.12, which is part of a terraced row sited perpendicular to the appeal property. As such, while the shed is in a forward position it does not project in front of the house and is screened by the neighbouring terrace in views from the south.

The front gardens of properties in the area are generally open. They are however used to accommodate residential paraphernalia such as bins and within the terraced row, Nos.2-10, there are two other properties with storage structures to the front, albeit smaller in scale. Additionally, the layout and orientation of properties within the estate vary, and as a result, higher boundary treatments to rear gardens and glimpses of structures within them are also visible from the public domain.

The appeal structure has a typical shed appearance and does contrast with the brickwork of the property. Staining the shed a darker colour would aid integration, but, in my view, it is not a markedly alien form or material within a residential setting. I do however accept that the siting of these types of structures to the front of a property is unusual, and a proliferation of such development could be detrimental to the character and appearance of the planned estate. Nonetheless, in this instance, due to the limited scale of the development which aligns with the height of the boundary wall behind and its corner location, the specific relationship with the surrounding area is such that I do not find that it is highly prominent in the street scene or visually obtrusive to the host property.

I therefore conclude on balance, that the development is not harmful to the character and appearance of the area and overall would accord with policies CS21 and CS24 of the [name] and the aims of the [name] - Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) for development to respect the character of the area.

For the reasons set out the appeal is allowed. As the shed is already in place no conditions are necessary.