Agenda item

(Director of Governance) To consider the attached report  for the removal of the existing double width garage and erection of a two     storey side extension.

The Assistant Director of Governance (Development Management) presented a report for the removal of the existing double-width garage and the erection of a two-storey side extension at 19, Shaftesbury in Loughton. This application had been referred to the Committee by a minority reference from Area Planning Sub-Committee South at its meeting on 28 June 2017, after the Sub-Committee had originally voted to refuse planning permission for the application.

The Assistant Director stated that the site was set by the inside of a bend in the road and contained a semi-detached, end-of-terrace house with a garage attached to the side. The Shaftesbury estate was a cul-de-sac of houses dating from circa 1970; the original vision for the estate was for a small development of mock Georgian houses with the focus on uniformity. This character had essentially been retained. The cul-de-sac was not subject to any parking restrictions and there was a high demand for on-street parking. The proposed extension would adjoin the flank of the existing house and create two new bedrooms on the first floor.

The Assistant Director reported that Planning Officers had originally concluded the design was considered acceptable with regard to the loss of openness at this part of the street scene. Unlike the previous application for this site, which sought to demolish the existing garage and erect a new dwelling, this application for a side extension to the existing house was considered an acceptable development in respect of visual amenity and character. Therefore, the application had originally been recommended for approval. However, Area Planning Sub-Committee South had refused the application on the basis that, by reason of its bulk and height, the proposed extension would not appear sufficiently subservient to the existing house, and would cause harm to the character and appearance of the locality.

The Committee noted the summary of representations that had been received in respect of this application, including 13 letters of objection from residents of the Shaftesbury estate and three letters of objection from residents of nearby Forest Road. Loughton Town Council had objected to the application, on the grounds that it was an over-development, it would set a precedent in a street where the original concept had been retained for more than 40 years, neighbouring properties in both Shaftesbury and Forest Road would suffer from over-looking, and the symmetry of the semi-detached houses would be lost. The Committee heard from an Objector and the Applicant before proceeding to debate the application.

The Assistant Director confirmed that the previous application to build a second dwelling on the site had been refused; the current application was different and smaller. The Applicant would need further planning permission to convert the proposed extension into a separate dwelling. A further condition to limit the use of the extension as ancillary to the existing dwelling was unnecessary. Planning Officers had not seen any potential terracing effect from the application and had also originally felt that the application had not demonstrated any visual harm to the area.

Cllr Pond stated that this was a particularly ‘awkward’ corner of the street and if this application was granted permission then it would be difficult to refuse similar applications elsewhere. There had not been much change to the facades of the houses in the Shaftesbury estate in the past 40 years since it had been built, which had left the estate with a homogenous appearance. Granting permission for this application would substantially alter the appearance of this part of the estate, and Cllr Pond urged the Committee to ratify the decision of Area Planning Sub-Committee South to refuse permission for this application.

Both Cllr Heap and Cllr Kauffman supported the comments of Cllr Pond. The reasons for refusal for the previous application to build a second dwelling on the site was highlighted and both Councillors felt that the same reasons were equally valid for this application. The area was too small for such an extension, the loss of the garage for parking would lead to more on-street parking in the vicinity, and both Councillors felt that the current appearance of the estate was worth preserving. Cllr Jennings also reminded the Committee of the large number of objections that had been received for this application, predominantly from residents of the Shaftesbury estate, and felt that the Committee needed to take this into account.

Cllr Brady countered that the estate did not have to stay looking the same for ever; she acknowledged that the application, if granted, would alter the symmetry of the road but also felt that this was not necessarily detrimental. Cllr Kane added that, although he had much sympathy with the views of the local residents, the Committee could only refuse the application on planning grounds otherwise it would be granted on appeal.

The Chairman opined that the application before the committee would not give rise to a terracing effect; there were no planning grounds for refusal of this application and the vast majority of planning applications for extensions of this size were normally granted by Officers under delegated authority. Cllr Chambers proposed a motion that the application be granted planning permission, subject to the conditions attached to the original Planning Officer’s report that was considered by Area Planning Sub-Committee South, which was seconded by Cllr Stallan.

Decision:

(1)        That planning application EPF/0456/17 at 19 Shaftesbury in Loughton be granted permission, subject to the following conditions:

1.         The development hereby permitted must be begun not later than the expiration of three years beginning with the date of this notice.

2.         Materials to be used for the external finishes of the proposed development shall match those of the existing house, unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.

3.         Prior to first occupation of the development hereby approved, the proposed window openings above ground floor level in the flank elevation  shall be entirely fitted with obscured glass and have fixed frames to a height of 1.7 metres above the floor of the room in which the window is installed and shall be permanently retained in that condition.

4.         All construction/demolition works and ancillary operations, including vehicle movement on site which are audible at the boundary of noise sensitive premises, shall only take place between the hours of 07.30 to 18.30 Monday to Friday and 08.00 to 13.00 hours on Saturday, and at no time during Sundays and Public/Bank Holidays unless otherwise agreed in writing by the Local Planning Authority.