Appeal 3350534

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for single storey extension to front (porch) at [site address] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 18221/24, and the plans submitted with it, subject to the following conditions:

The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision.

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: Site Location Plan (produced 26 Oct 2023); and Existing and [name] & Elevations – drawing ref. 9300/001/A.

The materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted shall match those used in the existing building.

The main issue in this case is the effect of the proposed single storey (porch) extension on the character and the appearance of the area.

No. [site address] (No.2) is a two-storey end of terrace house, which forms part of a tightknit grid of terraced housing to the north of [address]. No.2 is accessed from a relatively narrow pedestrian passageway which runs between the frontage of Nos.2 to 6, and the rear boundary of Nos.8 to [address].

To the front of No.2 is an area of paving, enclosed by a low brick wall. On part of this area of paving it is proposed to construct a single storey mono-pitched roof porch extension which would project around 1.7m from the front elevation of the house. It would be sited to one side of the front elevation extending a width of around 5.3m and incorporating the front door and a single window.

I observed on my site visit that a characteristic of the grid of terraced housing in the immediate area is a clear and consistent building line with the principal elevation of houses typically fronting a passageway. That building line is, however, broken by front door canopies of various design and quality. Although porches are not a characteristic of [address], because of the modest scale of the proposed extension, and its simple, functional design, it would appear subordinate to No.2, and would not be unduly prominent or cause particular harm to the appearance of the area. Whilst it would extend up to the existing low brick wall, and therein narrow the space between the house and pedestrian passageway, the principal elevation of No.2 would remain visible and the proposed extension would not result in a significant change in the overall consistency of building lines in the surrounding area.

I therefore conclude on the main issue that the proposed single storey (porch) extension would not cause harm to the character and appearance of the area. It would accord with the guidance at paragraph 5.1 and 5.3 of the [address] Extensions Supplementary Planning Document (2012) which requires front extensions to appear subordinate to the host building and that all extensions should not have an unacceptable effect on the wider streetscene or the character of the locality. It would further accord with Policy JP-P1 of the Places for Everyone Joint Development Plan Document (2024) and Policy CG4 of Bolton’s Core Strategy Development Plan Document (2011) which together require that new development is compatible with surrounding landuses, and respects and acknowledges the character and identity of the locality in terms of design, siting and scale.

In addition to the standard condition requiring implementation of the planning permission within 3 years, in the interests of certainty, I have included a condition which lists the approved drawings. To ensure the proposed extension respects the appearance of the host house, I have also included a condition which requires the external materials used in construction to match those existing.

For the reasons given above, I conclude that the appeal is allowed.