Appeal 3342482

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for Erection of bike and bin Store at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 23/02981/HSE, 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 development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with drawing no JT/PLANS/02.

The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the street scene along [address].

The appeal site comprises a detached house set back from [address] and separated from the neighbouring properties by trees, mature hedgerows and close boarded fences. The proposed bike and bin store would be located on a paved area adjacent to a gravel parking area between the road and the front of the house. It would be sited close to the front of the house and thereby also be set back from the road.

Whilst the houses on the same side of [address] as the site follow a broadly similar building line until the road bends, this is not readily apparent when viewed from [address]. This is due to the dense nature of the hedgerows along the property frontages. Combined with the trees situated within the plots, this screens the front of No [address]. As a consequence, the proposed store would not be visually intrusive in the view of the street from either direction. It would be visible from directly opposite the site due to No 42A’s open frontage but this would not harm the wider street scene as it would appear as a well setback, modest structure set directly against a tall timber fence and the backdrop of the house.

Although not part of the development plan, the Council’s Design and [name] 2018 at paragraph 11.27 indicates that a structure which departs from a well-defined building line may appear incongruous and that the presence of landscaping or substantial boundary treatments does not justify otherwise inappropriate development. In this instance, I consider it is reasonable to take into account the dense nature of the planting along the road, much of which is evergreen and screens the site from view. The relatively modest, single story structure proposal would be set back in the plot and would not appear incongruous in the views of the street.

For the above reasons, I conclude that the proposal would not conflict with Basingstoke and Deane Local Plan 2016 policies EM1 and EM10 which seek to protect the local character of settlements and deliver high quality development. Nor would it conflict with policy SSJ2 of the [site address] Neighbourhood Plan 2017 which aims to preserve the rural character of the village or the National Planning Policy Framework which seeks to achieve well-designed and beautiful places.

In addition to the standard time condition, a condition is necessary to secure development in accordance with the approved plans which also specify the materials to be used. This provides clarity and certainty to the parties.

For the reasons given above the appeal should be allowed.