PLANNING APPLICATION REPORT

 

Case Officer:  Victoria Hancock                  Parish:  Ivybridge   Ward:  Ivybridge West

 

Application No:  2856/22/HHO    

 

 

Agent/Applicant:

Mr Michael McLeod - MHMDesignLtd

11 Ash Grove

Ivybridge

PL210HX

Applicant:

Miss Mandy Knighton-Clark

10 Fernbank Avenue

Ivybridge

PL21 9UY

 

Site Address:  10 Fernbank Avenue, Ivybridge, PL21 9UY

 

 

Development:  Householder application for proposed single storey front extension

 

Reason item is being put before Committee: Councillor Lance Austin doesn’t believe the visual impact will be important on the rest of the road.

 

Recommendation: Refuse

 

 

 

Reasons for refusal:

  1. The extension which projects forward of the principal elevation would not be considered sympathetic, but be read as an overly large incongruous addition which would not have proper regard to the local character and would therefore be contrary to policy DEV20 the Plymouth & South West Devon Joint Local Plan (2019- 2034), and paragraph 13.6 of The Plymouth and South West Devon Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 2020.

 

Key issues for consideration: Design, neighbour amenity.

 

 

 

Site Description:

10 Fernbank Avenue is located within a housing estate on the western side of Ivybridge, Number 10 is a modest terrace sat within a block of four staggered terraces with a larger property on either end. Each of the properties have a small porch which consumes half the width of the front elevation.

 

The Proposal:

The application seeks planning consent for the erection of a single storey extension off the principal (front) elevation of the dwelling.  The extension would span the width of the property, extending to the shared boundaries and would project forward just below 4 metres.  The extension would be clad in brick, set under a concrete tile roof to match the dwelling.  The extension would provide an extended kitchen and new entrance to the property.     

 

Consultations:

 

·         County Highways Authority: No comments received                                             

 

·         Ivybridge Town Council: Objection  

All the porches in the terrace appear to cover approximately half the width of the front elevation, and it was felt that a front extension of similar visual appearance would be more in keeping with the street scene rather than covering the full front elevation.’

 

Representations:

One letter of representation has been received from no. 12 Fernbank Avenue. 

 

‘Does this attach to the property of number 12? We have vents on the side of the house and wish nothing to be built off our wall. The owner of the house works from home and defined hours of any work will have to be agreed. No objection if built using new external walls’.

 

Relevant Planning History

 

27/0161/02/F

Erection of conservatory

Conditional Approval

            11/03/2002

 

 

 

ANALYSIS

 

Principle of Development:

There are no in principle policy objections with extensions and alterations to the property. 

 

Design/Landscape:

In accordance with JLP policy DEV20, all development must meet good standards of design.  DEV20.2 requires development to have ‘proper regard to the pattern of local development and the wider development context and surroundings in terms of style, local distinctiveness, siting, layout, orientation, visual impact, views, scale, massing, height, density, materials, detailing, historic value, landscaping and character, and the demands for movement to and from nearby locations.’ 

 

With regards to extensions which project forward of the existing dwelling, paragraph 13.35 of the SPD states ‘Extensions that project forward of the existing house will generally be resisted. Where a street has a clear established building line, the only development that might be acceptable at the front is likely to be a small, sympathetically designed porch. In certain circumstances, an exception may be allowed where there is no obvious building line, where the property is set back from other houses, or where front extensions are a feature of houses in the street or dwellings in more rural locations where there is no ‘street scene.”

 

Number 10 Fernbank is one of 4 properties within a staggered row of terraced houses.  There is a clear and established building line.  Each property has a small, sympathetic porch, which takes up half of the width of the property.  With the exception of number 10 the porches are all enclosed.  The current proposal seeks to add a much larger extension, which would take up the entire width of the property, projecting forwards by just under four meters. 

 

In its context, the proposed extension would be sizeable addition to the property.  Its footprint would noticeably contrast with the more modest proportions of the other porches within the terrace and officers consider it would read as a substantial and prominent feature which would dilute the simplicity of the principal elevation of the dwelling and harm the character of this row of terrace properties. 

 

Furthermore, the proposed roof form would include a partial flat to a hipped roof, which is not a roof form present amongst the other properties within the street.

 

Therefore officers do not consider the proposal to be in accordance with policy DEV20 of the Joint Local Plan and as such will be recommending refusal.

 

 

Neighbour Amenity:

JLP policy DEV1 requires proposals to safeguard the amenity of existing residents. 

 

Officers are satisfied the proposal would not result in loss of privacy as there are no proposed windows on either side of the extension.  Officers do have some concerns regarding potential loss of light to number 8 on the basis that this property is already set back from the extension.  The Council has not received any letters of representation from this property and on the basis the space affected would be a porch, on balance officers are satisfied the impact wouldn’t be harmful.  

 

Concerns have been expressed from the occupiers of number 12 that the new extension would block their vents.  However, this is a civil matter and not a planning issue.

 

Conclusions

While officers have no objection with the introduction of a modest extension off the front of the property, similar to the neighbouring projections, the proposed development because of its size would not be sympathetic and as such the application is recommended for refusal.

 

 

This application has been considered in accordance with Section 38 of the Planning & Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

 

Planning Policy

 

Relevant policy framework

Section 70 of the 1990 Town and Country Planning Act requires that regard be had to the development plan, any local finance and any other material considerations. Section 38(6) of the 2004 Planning and Compensation Act requires that applications are to be determined in accordance with the development plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.  For the purposes of decision making, as of March 26th 2019, the Plymouth & South West Devon Joint Local Plan 2014 - 2034 is now part of the development plan for Plymouth City Council, South Hams District Council and West Devon Borough Council (other than parts of South Hams and West Devon within Dartmoor National Park).

 

 

The relevant development plan policies are set out below:

 

The Plymouth & South West Devon Joint Local Plan was adopted by South Hams District Council on March 21st 2019 and West Devon Borough Council on March 26th 2019.

 

SPT1 Delivering sustainable development

SPT2 Sustainable linked neighbourhoods and sustainable rural communities

TTV1 Prioritising growth through a hierarchy of sustainable settlements

TTV2 Delivering sustainable development in the Thriving Towns and Villages Policy Area

TTV25 Development in the Sustainable Villages

DEV1 Protecting health and amenity

DEV2 Air, water, soil, noise, land and light

DEV10 Delivering high quality housing

DEV20 Place shaping and the quality of the built environment

DEV26 Protecting and enhancing biodiversity and geological conservation

DEV28 Trees, woodlands and hedgerows

DEV32 Delivering low carbon development

DEV35 Managing flood risk and Water Quality Impacts

 

 

Neighbourhood Plan

Following a successful referendum, the Ivybridge Neighbourhood Plan was adopted at Executive Committee on 7 December 2017 and now forms part of the Development Plan for South Hams District and is used when determining planning applications within Ivybridge, however none of the policies are applicable to this scheme.

 

Other material considerations include the policies of the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and guidance in Planning Practice Guidance (PPG). Additionally, the following planning documents are also material considerations in the determination of the application:

 

The Plymouth and South West Devon Supplementary Planning Document (SPD) 2020

Considerations under Human Rights Act 1998 and Equalities Act 2010

The provisions of the Human Rights Act 1998 and Equalities Act 2010 have been taken into account in reaching the recommendation contained in this report.