Appeal 3347812

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for proposed first floor loft conversion over existing ground floor structure with side facing dormers, Velux windows and front and rear hip-to-gable conversions. Further proposed single storey side and rear extension to existing ground floor area while adding new lower ground floor at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application, reference 24/00486/FULL, and 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 numbers - 098: Block Plan, 099: Site Location Plan; 102: Proposed Lower Ground Floor Plan; 102: [name] and [name]; 103: [name]; and, the proposed external materials specified on the planning application form.

After the Council issued their decision notice for the appeal scheme, the appellants submitted a revised scheme for part of the development. The Council granted consent on 2 August 2024 for the ‘creation of a lower ground floor with new steps and balcony over, single storey rear extension, single storey side extension, 1 no. new flue and alterations to external finishes and fenestration following part demolition of existing single storey element’ (Ref: 24/01372). As a result, the remaining matter of contention relates to the proposed development to the roof, including the proposed dormers.

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

The appeal property is a detached bungalow, which has a hipped roof that features a flat roof dormer window. The dwelling is sited close to a bend in the road. Three sides of the dwelling are visible from the highway. The level of land drops to the rear of the site. The area is predominantly residential in character and features dwellings that range in height from single storey to three storeys. There are a variety of roof designs in the locality, including gable ends, hip roofs and flat roofs.

Dormer windows of various sizes and designs are prominent within the street scene. The building adjacent to the appeal site has had a hip to gable conversion and has three pitched roof dormer windows on both its front and rear facing roof slopes, which cumulatively occupy a sizeable proportion of the roof slope. I also observed other flat roof dormers in the locality, some which are far larger in size than the dormers proposed in this case and occupy a greater proportion of the roof slope than the appeal scheme. While full details of the circumstances of the other dormers are not before me, large, flat roof dormers are clearly part of the character of the area.

The proposal seeks to convert both hip ends of the dwelling to gables and provide a new dormer window on both roof slopes. The ridge height of the dwelling would remain the same. At present, the south-west elevation of the dwelling has two high level ground floor windows and a hipped roof, which slopes away from the highway. This side of the building is relatively bland and does little to address the public realm. The provision of a feature window within both gable ends, would provide additional visual interest, particularly on the elevation which faces the highway. The proposed hip to gable conversion would not appear out of character on the host property and would be in keeping with other dwellings in the immediate locality.

The proposal seeks to demolish the existing dormer and provide a new flat roof dormer on each roof slope. The Council’s Borough Wide Design Guide Supplementary Planning Document, June 2020, among other things states that roof alterations should be sympathetic and subservient to the design of the main building and should not occupy more than half the width and depth of the roof slope. While one of the proposed dormer windows would occupy more than half of the width of the roof slope, both dormers would be set down from the ridge, set in from the overhanging eaves and would be set well in from the sides of the dwelling, allowing a reasonable proportion of the roof slope to remain visible. Consequently, I do not find that the proposed dormers would appear unduly prominent on the host building and would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the host building or the area, where dormer windows are a prominent feature.

As the proposed rooflights are modest in size and would be flush with the roof slope, they would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the host building or the area.

For the reasons given above, I conclude that the proposal would not harm the character and appearance of the host dwelling and the area. The proposal would comply with Policy QP3 of the Royal Borough of [site address] Borough Local Plan 2013 – 2033, adopted February 2022. This policy among other things requires that new development is of high quality design, which respects and enhances the local character of the area.

In the interest of certainty, conditions specifying timescales and that the development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans are required. A condition regarding external materials is not required, as details of external materials are specified on the application form.

For the reasons given above, having regard to the development plan as a whole and all other relevant material considerations, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed, subject to conditions.