Planning Appeals

We successfully appealed a Local Authority’s refusal for an extension to a former lodge which was received principally on the basis that the proposal had detriment to local heritage, rural character, would appear prominent and incongruous, and would be particularly discordant with local policy which limits domestic extensions to those that are ‘subservient to the original dwelling.’

We contended that the purpose of the policy was to retain local character, rather than to limit the scale of the dwellings for their own sake, and that as a result there are ‘no rules’ which can be applied to what constitutes an acceptable size of an extension under local policy. Each application must be considered on the basis of its particular impact at that locaiton.

Having compiled a significant body of meticulous research into heritage impacts and PINS interpretation of local policy as it related to subservience, we were able to conclusively show that the design (which made provision for a 223% increase in total floorspace and which included a lounge, games room with snooker table, snug, office, three en-suite bedrooms, laundry room, utility room and integrated storage was perfectly concordant with the Local Plan