Appeal 3352774

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for formation of a first floor rear addition following the removal of the existing first floor rear balcony and guarding. Formation of a pitch to the rear elevation following the removal of the existing flat roof. Installation of a window at first floor to the front elevation. Formation of a front entrance porch at [site address] , Twickenham, Richmond-upon-Thames [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 24/1216/HOT, 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 the following approved plans: 24-567-ESP, 24-567-LP, 24-567-BP, 24-567-PSP, 24-567-01 [name], 24-567-02 [name], 24-567-03 [name], 24-567-04 [name].

The development must be carried out in accordance with the provisions of the Planning Fire Safety Strategy and shall be retained as such thereafter.

No new external finishes, including works for making good, shall be carried out other than in materials to match the existing, except where indicated otherwise on the application form and/or approved drawings.

The loft windows hereby permitted shall be obscurely glazed using manufactured obscure glass. The windows shall be non-opening below a height of 1.75m above the internal floor level of the room in which it is installed. This specification shall be complied with before the development is first occupied and shall thereafter be retained for the lifetime of the development.

The information before me indicates that the [name] (Regulation 19) Local Plan (2023) (PLP) is at an advanced stage of adoption. I therefore attribute weight to the policies in the PLP referred to by the Council.

The Council have raised no objections to the proposed insertion of a first floor window or the formation of an entrance porch to the front elevation. Given this, the main issue is the effect of the proposed first floor extension on the character and appearance of the appeal property and the surrounding area.

The appeal site comprises a 2-storey terraced dwelling within a row of similar properties. [address] Extensions and [name] (2015) (SPD) sets out that, to ensure extensions do not over-dominate the building’s original scale and character, 2 storey rear extensions should not be greater than half the width of the original building. The proposed extension would be 2 storeys in height and would occupy more than half the width of the original dwelling. Nonetheless, the extension would be set in from the side elevation so that the original form of the dwelling, including the original roof form, would still be legible. The materials and roof form would match those of the host dwelling and the extension would be consistent with the scale and form of extensions in the immediate surroundings. Consequently, the proposed extension would not over-dominate or erode the existing built form and would be viewed as a sympathetic addition to the appeal property and the row of dwellings in which the site is located. Moreover, there would be limited views of the extension from public vantage points and the proposal would not appear visually obtrusive or incongruous in this context.

In light of the above, I find that the proposal would not harm the character and appearance of the appeal property or the surrounding area. There is therefore no conflict with those aims of Policies LP1 and LP8 of the Richmond Local Plan (2018) and PLP policies LP28 and LP46 which require development to be of high architectural and urban design quality and compatible with local character. I also find no conflict with the wider aims of the SPD or the Twickenham Village Planning Guidance Supplementary Planning Document (2018) which seek to ensure that development respects, contributes to and enhances the local environment and character and does not dominate the existing house or its neighbours.

I have had regard to the conditions suggested by the Council. Where necessary I have made revisions to some of the conditions put to me to ensure that they meet the tests in the National Planning Policy Framework and Planning Practice Guidance, without altering their fundamental aims.

In addition to the standard implementation condition, it is necessary, in the interests of precision, to define the plans with which the scheme should accord. A condition controlling external finishes is necessary in the interests of local character. In the interests of safeguarding the privacy of the occupants of neighbouring dwellings I have attached a condition relating to the installation of obscure glazing to specified windows. A condition relating to fire safety is necessary to ensure that the development incorporates appropriate fire safety measures as required by Policy D12 of the London Plan (2021).

For the reasons given above the appeal should be allowed.