Appeal 3370945

The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for detached double garage at the top of our gravelled parking area. Size - Height 2420mm to eaves - rising to 3480mm at top of apex roof; Width 5875mm; depth 5720mm. West elevation approx 21.5m from the front of the house; South elevation is approx 7.8m from neighbouring boundary ([name]); East elevation is approx 4.5m from [site address] (only public view); North elevation is against neighbouring boundary (Penradden). Construction - Shiplap sides and roller shutter door front (South facing). Apex metal roof, west side personnel door, at Gledhow, [site address] , Whimple, Devon [postcode] in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 25/0996/FUL, subject to the following condition:

The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with drawings: Location Plan; [postcode] Gledhow Site Plan; [postcode] [name]; [postcode] Gledhow Approximate Tree Locations; [postcode] [name].

The appeal proposal has been commenced, although I observed at my site visit that the structure has not been completed and lacks walls or doors. For the avoidance of doubt, I am considering the development proposed on the submitted plans.

I have taken the description of development from the application form which includes lengthy detail and narrative. However, as ‘From the North and East sides, the structure is predominately hidden from view by existing plants / bushes / trees and fence line. The structure will be visible when traveling northwards towards the Hand and Pen junction, however it is partially screened by existing plants, bushes, trees and fence and as it is set back from the roadside it is not imposing. The West view would be from our house and again is screened by existing planting and parked vehicles on our gravel. We have already begun the works because we thought we could do so on permitted development, however because of the size, have realised that we need permission. As soon as we realised this, we have stopped work. To date, we have laid a concrete slab as a base, erected a steelwork frame and covered the roof with sheeting. Please see photographs provided’ is not an act of development, I have removed this element.

The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area.

The appeal site is within a small cluster of dwellings, which features a mix of building forms including single and two storey dwellings, detached garages and commercial buildings. Due to the immediately surrounding countryside, hedging and mature planting, the area has a semi-rural verdant character. The host dwelling is set back from the highway, as are some neighbouring dwellings. However, this does not form a consistent building line, due to surrounding dwellings differing spatial relationship to the highway, some of which are located directly adjacent the highway.

Due to the proposal’s location to the front of the host dwelling, it is rather prominent despite being screened by mature planting. Nevertheless, although the materials do not reflect that of the host dwelling, due to the proliferation of pitch roofs and variation of design of buildings in the area, the simple pitch roof design would not appear incongruous. Moreover, the shiplap cladding would effectively soften the visual appearance of the proposal and would not be out of character in this semi-rural setting.

Furthermore, the scale of the proposal, when viewed in the context of adjacent dwellings, is such that it is visually subservient to the host dwelling and clearly read as a domestic garage. Moreover, given the location slightly back from the highway behind the boundary wall, as well as the prominence and visual massing of other buildings in the area located closer to the highway, it is not seen to dominate the street scene.

To conclude, the proposal does not harm the character and appearance of the area and would accord with Strategy 7 and Policy D1 of the East Devon Local Plan 2013-2031. These policies seek, amongst other matters, to ensure development respects the key characteristics of the area and integrates positively with its surroundings.

As the development has been commenced, a time limit condition is not required. However, a plans condition is required to provide certainty.

For the reasons given above the appeal is allowed.