Planning Committee Report
6 July 2017
REPORT SUMMARY
|
REFERENCE NO - 16/507848/FULL |
||
|
APPLICATION PROPOSAL - Construction of a detached two-storey dwelling and parking area |
||
|
ADDRESS - Greenfields, Stanley Road, Marden, Kent, TN12 9EL |
||
|
RECOMMENDATION – GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION with planning conditions |
||
|
SUMMARY OF REASONS FOR RECOMMENDATION - The proposed development complies with the policies of the Maidstone Borough-Wide Local Plan 2000, the Submission Version of the Maidstone Borough Local Plan (2011-2031), and the National Planning Policy Framework and there are no overriding material considerations to indicate a refusal of planning permission. |
||
|
REASON FOR REFERRAL TO COMMITTEE - The recommendation is contrary to the view of Marden Parish Council, who have requested referral to Planning Committee. |
||
|
WARD Marden & Yalding |
PARISH/TOWN COUNCIL Marden |
APPLICANT Mr & Mrs Hemmant AGENT Robert Shreeve Associates Ltd |
|
DECISION DUE DATE 17/01/2017 |
PUBLICITY EXPIRY DATE 05/01/2017 |
OFFICER SITE VISIT DATE 08/12/2016 |
|
RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY - None |
||
MAIN REPORT
1.0 DESCRIPTION OF SITE
1.01 The application site is located within the village settlement boundary of Marden and forms part of the garden of a semi-detached dwelling known as Greenfields. This property is located within a ribbon of residential development running along the northern side of Stanley Road, on the southern side of which are the playing fields of Marden Hockey Club.
1.02 The street-scene along Stanley Road is mixed, being made up of both semi-detached pairs and detached dwellings, including both two-storey houses and bungalows. Part of a more recent backland development, Oak Tree Close, is located to the rear of the site.
1.03 Greenfields is a probably mid 20th-century, semi-detached dwelling with a brick ground floor, rendered first floor and barn hipped roof. Glenton, the neighbouring property to the east, is also semi-detached with a brick ground floor and rendered first floor and is of a similar age, but different design and with a two-storey side extension.
1.04 The application site is the garden area between these two. It currently contains Greenfields’ side conservatory and a detached timber garage. The frontage is a concrete parking area, enclosed by a low metal fence.
2.0 PROPOSAL
Planning permission is sought for the construction of a detached two-storey dwelling. This would have a gabled roof and lean-to, open-sided front porch, with a false-pitched-roofed single-storey element at the rear. Proposed materials are red facing bricks for the ground floor, white-painted render to the first floor and clay roof tiles. Two car parking spaces would be provided on the frontage, together with some planting, and the plans also indicate that two replacement spaces would be provided on the remaining frontage of Greenfields.
3.0 POLICY AND OTHER CONSIDERATIONS
· Maidstone Borough-Wide Local Plan 2000: ENV6, H27
· National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF)
· National Planning Practice Guidance (NPPG)
· Supplementary Planning Documents: N/A
· Draft Maidstone Local Plan (2011-2031): SP5, SP9, DM1, DM10, DM12, DM27
4.0 LOCAL REPRESENTATIONS
4.01 Local Residents: 2 representations received from local residents raising the following (summarised) issues:
· Insufficient parking;
· Drainage;
· Dust, dirt and disturbance from builders;
· Loss of light/overshadowing;
· Loss of privacy;
· Design out of keeping;
· An extension was refused planning permission in Stanley Road recently;
· Cricket & Hockey Club development already means more houses/traffic;
· Safety of pedestrians, prams and wheelchair-users (road & pavement narrow).
4.02 Marden Parish Council: Objection as design, proportions and detailing are inappropriate making it incongruous with neighbouring properties and the street-scene. The alteration to the roof line shown on the amended plans do not change this view.
5.0 CONSULTATIONS
(Please note that summaries of consultation responses are set out below with the response discussed in more detail in the main report where considered necessary)
5.01 KCC Highways & Transportation: Do not require to be consulted.
5.02 Mid Kent Environmental Health Officer: No objection.
6.0 APPRAISAL
Main Issues
6.01 The key issues for consideration relate to:
- the design of the dwelling and the impact on the street-scene;
- the impact on the residential amenity of neighbours.
Visual Impact
6.02 Stanley Road has a mixture of dwelling types and designs with some variance in spacing and building heights. The design of the dwelling has been amended in response to concerns raised by officers and the parish council, such that the proportions, height and detailing are now in keeping with the general context of the surroundings, notwithstanding the variations. The roof form has also been changed from half-hipped to gabled, which similarly sits comfortably with the overall proportions of the building and better reflects the detached and individual nature of the dwelling.
6.03 A proposed street-scene elevation has been supplied, which illustrates that the height and proportions are in keeping with neighbouring buildings, and also that sufficient spacing would remain. There is a similar distance between Felavon and Sedalia to that between Greenfields and the proposed dwelling, whilst the gap between Sedalia and Meldreth is only approximately two-thirds of that which would remain between the proposal and Glenton.
6.04 In summary, the proposed new dwelling would not look out of keeping nor cause any material harm to the character or appearance of the street-scene or surrounding area.
Residential Amenity
6.05 Glenton: This property is to the east of the site. It has a two-storey side extension with one obscure-glazed ground floor window (appears to serve the garage) and one high-level first floor window in the flank elevation. The separation distance between that extension and the proposed dwelling would be approximately 7 m. In view of that degree of separation, I do not consider that there would be a significantly detrimental impact on light or outlook for this neighbour. Views from the proposed ground floor flank window would be obstructed by the boundary treatment, but the first floor bathroom window could allow overlooking of Glenton’s garden, so should be conditioned to be obscure-glazed. The angle of view from the rear-facing openings would be too oblique to cause a harmful loss of privacy.
6.06 Greenfields: The applicant’s dwelling is to the west of the site with wall to wall separation distance of approximately 2 m. The footprint of the proposed property and Greenfields are the same. Whilst the two storey element of the proposed building extends slightly further back past the two storey part of Greenfields this is not enough to have any significant detrimental impact on light or outlook to the existing first floor rear bedroom windows.
6.07 There are ground floor flank windows on the existing dwelling. One of these serves the kitchen, which is a non-habitable room with another source of light and outlook to the rear. The other serves the dining area. On balance, given that this room is understood to have another source of light and outlook via the larger bay window to the lounge on the south elevation, and as this is the applicant’s own property (and any future occupiers would be able to see what they were purchasing), I do not consider this to be grounds for refusal. The proposed door and window to the kitchen of the new-build should be obscure-glazed to prevent a loss of privacy to the dining room. The first floor flank window at Greenfields serves the staircase, so no harm would arise. Again, the angle of view from the proposed rear-facing openings would be too oblique to cause a harmful loss of privacy.
6.08 No other dwellings are close enough to be significantly affected in terms of light or outlook. The dwellings to the rear, in Oak Tree Close, do not have any windows facing the proposal, and the juxtaposition of buildings and boundary treatments together with the angles and distances involved would prevent overlooking of garden areas.
Other Matters
6.09 Principle of the Development – The site falls within the village settlement boundary of Marden, which is a defined rural service centre in the emerging Local Plan. New residential development in the form of infilling is considered acceptable under saved Local Plan Policy H27 and emerging Policy SP5. Although the proposal would result in the loss of an area of garden land, this is supported within rural service centres under emerging Policy DM10. Moreover, the site is located within a ribbon of existing residential development and for the reasons set out above, the proposal is not considered to cause any material harm to the character or appearance of the surroundings or the amenities of neighbouring occupiers.
6.10 Highway Safety/Parking – Two parking spaces would be provided for both the new dwelling and the existing. This is considered sufficient in this sustainable location and complies with the parking standards set out in emerging Policy DM27. Stanley Road is unclassified, and the frontage of the application site is already hard-surfaced and capable of being used as a parking area, plus the metal fencing could be removed at any time, such that the loss of on-street parking outside of the site is not considered to be reasonable grounds for objection to this application. The application does not affect the width of the pavement or road. KCC Highways have not raised any objection on the grounds of highway safety/additional traffic.
6.11 Drainage – This is a matter primarily for Building Regulations. However, the application does confirm that foul drainage would be via the main sewer and surface water via soakaway.
6.12 Dust, dirt and disturbance from builders is covered by separate legislation and is not a planning consideration.
6.13 It is an established planning principle that each case must be decided on its own merits. Moreover, an application for a domestic extension would be assessed against different policies to an application for a new dwelling.
7.0 CONCLUSION
The development is well designed to fit with the context of its surroundings, would not harm the amenities of neighbouring residential occupiers, and would be acceptable in terms of highway safety and parking. As such, the proposal complies with both adopted and emerging Development Plan Policy, and Central Government Guidance, and there are no overriding material considerations to indicate a refusal.
8.0 RECOMMENDATION
GRANT PLANNING PERMISSION subject to the following conditions:
1 The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission;
Reason: In accordance with the provisions of Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.
2 The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:
RS16.26.SP02 received on 09/11/2016 and RS16.26.PL03C, RS16.26.PL05 and RS16.26.BR01A received on 10/03/2017;
Reason: To clarify which plans have been approved.
3 The development hereby approved shall not commence above slab level until, written details and samples of the materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the building hereby permitted have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority and the development shall be constructed using the approved materials;
Reason: To ensure a satisfactory appearance to the development.
4 Before the development hereby permitted is first occupied, the proposed first floor window to the bathroom on the east elevation and the proposed door and window to the kitchen on the west elevation shall be obscure glazed and shall subsequently be maintained as such to the satisfaction of the local planning authority;
Reason: To prevent overlooking of adjoining properties and to safeguard the privacy of existing and prospective occupiers.
5 The approved details of the parking/turning areas shall be completed before the commencement of the use of the land or buildings hereby permitted and shall thereafter be kept available for such use. No development, whether permitted by the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England ) Order 2015 (or any order revoking and re-enacting that Order, with or without modification) or not, shall be carried out on the areas indicated or in such a position as to preclude vehicular access to them;
Reason: Development without adequate parking/turning provision is likely to lead to parking inconvenient to other road users and in the interests of road safety.
6 The development hereby approved shall not commence above slab level until a landscape scheme using indigenous species and designed in accordance with the principles of the Council's landscape character guidance has been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The scheme shall include indications of all existing trees and hedgerows on the land, and details of any to be retained, together with measures for their protection in the course of development and a programme for the approved scheme's implementation and long term management;
Reason: In the interests of landscape, visual impact and amenity of the area and to ensure a satisfactory appearance to the development.
7 All planting, seeding or turfing comprised in the approved details of landscaping shall be carried out in the first planting and seeding seasons following the first occupation of the dwelling hereby permitted or the completion of the development, whichever is the sooner; and any trees or plants which within a period of five years from the completion of the development die, are removed or become seriously damaged or diseased shall be replaced in the next planting season with others of similar size and species, unless the local planning authority gives written consent to any variation;
Reason: To ensure a satisfactory setting and external appearance to the development.
8 The development hereby approved shall not commence above slab level until, details of all fencing, walling and other boundary treatments have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority and the development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved details before the first occupation of the building or land and maintained thereafter;
Reason: To ensure a satisfactory appearance to the development and to safeguard the enjoyment of their properties by existing and prospective occupiers.
9 Notwithstanding the provisions of the Town and Country Planning (General Permitted Development) (England) Order 2015 (or any order revoking and re-enacting that Order with or without modification) no development within Schedule 2, Part 1, Class(es) A or B to that Order shall be carried out without the permission of the local planning authority;
Reason: To safeguard the character, appearance and functioning of the surrounding area and protect the amenities of neighbouring residential occupiers.
10 The development shall not commence above slab level until details of how decentralised and renewable or low-carbon sources of energy will be incorporated into the development hereby approved to provide at least 10% of total annual energy requirements of the development, have been submitted to and approved in writing by the local planning authority. The approved details shall be installed prior to first occupation and maintained thereafter;
Reason: To ensure an energy efficient form of development. Details are required prior to commencements as these methods may impact or influence the overall appearance of development.
11 The dwelling hereby approved shall not be occupied until a minimum of one electric vehicle charging point has been installed on the site and shall thereafter be retained for that purpose.
Reason: To promote the reduction of CO2 emissions through the use of low emissions vehicles in accordance with paragraph 35 of the NPPF.
Case Officer: Angela Welsford
NB For full details of all papers submitted with this application please refer to the relevant Public Access pages on the council’s website.