Appeal 3342630
Public case and site metadata stored from the official casework database, including fields that were empty in the source release.
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Official decision document
The decision, section by section
5 sections
Read the development description and the Inspector’s text from the official decision PDF in source order. Source headings are retained where available. Personal and contact details are removed by an automated privacy filter; this is source material, not Rules for You analysis.
Section 01
Development description
loft conversion.
Section 02
Decision
The appeal is dismissed.
Section 03
Main Issue
The main issue is the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the host property and the surrounding area.
Section 04
Reasons
The appeal property is a detached, two-storey, hipped roofed dwelling located close to the junction of [name] with [address]. [name] is a residential street comprising semi-detached and terraced properties which display both hipped and gable roof forms. Residential development is less evident on [address], which has a mixed streetscape.
The proposed rear dormer extension would only be marginally lower than the ridge of the roof and above the eaves. It would also be sited close to the flank walls of the dwelling, less than the distance advised in the Supplementary Design Guidance (SPG). Given its overall scale, the dormer would visually dominate the host building resulting in it appearing, at the rear, as a three-storey flat roof building. In views from neighbouring properties, and where glimpsed from public vantage points, it would be seen as an incongruous and intrusive feature.
The hip to gable extension would increase the scale, bulk and mass of the dwelling. Nonetheless, the resultant roof would appear proportionate to the original building. Furthermore, the front elevation would not appear boxy due to the pitch of the roof remaining unchanged. In the context of the other pitched and gable roofed properties on [name], and the variation evident on [address], the hip to gable extension would not appear overly dominant in the street scene. It would not be detrimental to the character and appearance of the host property or the area.
Accordingly, whilst the proposed hip to gable extension would not be visually unacceptable, the introduction of the proposed rear dormer would harm the character and appearance of the host dwelling and the surrounding area. It would, therefore, be contrary to Policy SP9 of the Welwyn Hatfield Borough Council Local Plan (LP) which requires proposals to deliver high quality design that responds to character and context.
LP Policy SP1 has also been referred to in the reason for refusal. However, as that policy relates to delivering sustainable development and makes no reference to design, character or appearance, it is not relevant to the main issue.
Section 05
Conclusion
The proposed development conflicts with the development plan when considered as a whole and there are no material considerations, either individually or in combination, that outweighs the identified harm and associated development plan conflict.
I therefore conclude that the appeal should be dismissed.
Planning inspector and document dates
The official casework attribution is grouped under a one-way keyed hash and shown only by its local identifier. Decision-letter dates and page references are extracted by fixed first-page rules and checked against that authoritative record.
Appeal Decision
- Extracted inspector · page 1
- Inspector attribution ID 3473No official casework-database value to compare
- Extracted decision date · page 1
- 27 February 2025Matches the official casework database
- Extracted site visit dates
- 11 February 2025 (page 1)
Reference and authority
Official identifiers and the planning authority recorded against this case.
- Case reference
- 3342630
- Application reference
- 6/2024/0310/HOUSE
- Lead case reference
- Not recorded
- Planning authority
- Welwyn Hatfield Council
- Planning authority code
- E07000241
Casework details
The casework, procedure, development and linking details supplied by the official record.
- Casework type
- Householder (HAS)
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development type
- Householder developments
- Appeal type reason
- 1. Refused planning permission
- Appeal reason
- Refusal
- Type detail
- Unknown
- Jurisdiction
- Transferred
- Link status
- Not Linked
Site and development
Published appeal-site measurements and planning designations, without the withheld precise location fields.
- Site area
- Not recorded
- Floor space
- 25 m²
- Number of residences
- 0
- Site in Green Belt
- No
- Agricultural holding
- No
- Affects setting of a listed building
- Not recorded
- Historic building grant made
- Not recorded
- Relates to a conservation area
- Not recorded
- Flooding is an issue
- Not recorded
- Site within an AONB
- Not recorded
- Site within an SSSI
- Not recorded
Decision and dates
The published outcome and every imported case date.
- Official decision
- Dismissed
- Decision category
- Dismissed
- Received date
- 16 April 2024
- Valid date
- 15 July 2024
- Start date
- 16 August 2024
- Planning authority decision date
- 12 April 2024
- Appeal decision date
- 27 February 2025
Case administration
Published recovery, call-in, costs and enforcement information for this case.
- Redetermined
- No
- Bespoke
- No
- Date recovered
- Not recorded
- Date not recovered or derecovered
- Not recorded
- Call-in date
- Not recorded
- Costs applied for
- Not recorded
- Enforcement grounds count
- Not recorded
- Enforcement grounds
- Not recorded
Source and catalogue history
When this record appeared in the rolling official release and when the catalogue stored it.
- Source
- Planning Inspectorate casework database
- Source data system
- Horizon
- Dataset status
- Current release
- Catalogue record ID
- 65305
- First seen
- 20 August 2026 at 14:25
- Last seen
- 20 August 2026 at 16:28
- Removed from release
- Not recorded
- Record created
- 20 August 2026 at 14:25
- Record updated
- 24 August 2026 at 16:21