Appeal 3330328

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for a change of material to front elevation garage door at [site address] , City of Westminster, London [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 23/05189/FULL, subject to the following conditions:

The development shall be retained entirely in accordance with the following approved drawings: 01-001 and 03-ST-101_PL.

The colour to be used for the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted shall match those of the existing front door to the detail as specified as part of this appeal.

The proposal lies within the Westbourne Conservation Area (“the CA”). Section 72 (1) of the Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 places a duty on decision makers with respect to any buildings or land within a Conservation Area, to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of that area.

As set out on the application form, development has started and is now complete. However, my assessment of the proposal is based on the plans before the Council at the time of the planning application. I will refer to the ‘proposed development’ throughout my decision, although certain aspects may already be completed.

The main issue is whether the proposed development would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the area including the CA.

The significance of this part of the CA is defined, in part, by the recognisably coherent architectural form of the buildings within the townscape. However, there is also some gentle variation of architectural features within this street scene. Metal and timber doors feature elsewhere including a modern building at [address] which incorporates sheet metal gates and a metal roller garage door.

The appellant has also provided a list of metal doors within the local area, and I have considered these. Some are executed sensitively while others make a reduced contribution to the area. While many sit in different streets and are not directly related to the proposed development, what is apparent is that different materials can work in this street scene if executed sympathetically. Of particular importance is the finish of the material itself and the colour.

In the case of the proposed development, it would be finished in a dark matt colour which matches the front door and nods to the colour of the wider host building. The proposed development’s size and appearance would respond appropriately to the appearance of the host building. It would integrate sensitively and coherently within this gently varied streetscape and the wider area ensuring there would be no harm to the significance of the CA.

The proposed development would therefore preserve the character or appearance of the area including the CA. As a result, it complies with the relevant provisions of Policies 38, 39 and 40 of the Westminster City Plan 2019 - 2040 (2021). These, amongst other things, seek to preserve or enhance the significance of the character or appearance of the area including heritage assets.

To ensure that the development is in keeping with the character or appearance of the area, conditions controlling external appearance is required. As the development is retrospective, I have not implemented a commencement

For the above reasons, having regard to the development plan as a whole and all other relevant considerations, the appeal is allowed.