3 new dormer windows to be erected on the south elevation

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 9 November 2016 by Olivia Spencer BA BSc DipArch RIBA an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government Decision date: 22 November 2016 Appeal Ref: APP/C1625/D/16/3153574 3 Burden Court, Tresham, Wotton-under-Edge GL12 7RW  The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission.  The appeal is made by Dr Henry Murdoch against the decision of Stroud District Council.  The application Ref 16/0462/HHOLD, dated 3 March 2016, was refused by notice dated 28 April 2016.  The development proposed is 3 new dormer windows to be erected on the south elevation. Decision 1. The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for 3 new dormer windows on the south elevation at 3 Burden Court, Tresham, Wotton-under- Edge GL12 7RW in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 16/0462/HHOLD, dated 3 March 2016, subject to the following conditions: 1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision. 2) The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: 4295/01, 4295/02 and 4295/03. 3) The materials used in the construction of the external surfaces of the dormers and the detailing and materials of the windows, shall match those used in the existing building. Procedural matters 2. The site address given on the application form was ‘Burden Court, The Furlongs to Burden Court Farm, Tresham’. However, the Council’s decision notice and the appeal documentation submitted by the appellant give the address as 3 Burden Court. I noted also at my site visit that no.3 is the number on the gatepost of the appeal property. For clarity it is this address I have used for the decision. Main Issue 3. The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the host building and on the setting of Burden Court Farmhouse which is listed grade II*. Appeal Decision APP/C1625/D/16/3153574 Reasons 4. Burden Court Farmhouse is a Cotswold stone building described in the list entry as a good and intact example of the south Gloucestershire gabled farmhouse type. The former farm buildings, converted to dwellings in 1989, are arranged around a yard to the rear of the farmhouse. This includes a large barn with opposed gabled porches on the northern edge of the group which is listed grade II (included for group value). The buildings provide the agricultural farmstead context for the listed farmhouse and in so doing contribute to its heritage significance and setting. 5. Photographic evidence, confirmed by the Council, indicates that the appeal building was developed from a small stone outbuilding in the south-east corner of the farmyard. However the main and larger part of the house is a recent construction that replaced a ‘tin cow shed’ that lay beyond the stone building. The stone faced north and west elevations of the modern structure are visible from the former farmyard beyond the small outbuilding, but such views are limited. Given its position, simple form and sympathetic materials its effect on the farmyard setting of the farmhouse is neutral. 6. The proposed dormers would be installed on the south roof slope of the larger more recent part of no.3. This elevation is not visible from within the former yard and the house is approached by a driveway leading from a point close to the road and at some distance from the farmhouse and yard. It is experienced therefore as a separate element from the historic farmyard. And when approaching the village from the south the house is seen as a dwelling in the landscape rather than as part of the farm buildings which lie to the north-west. Dormers on this elevation would not therefore look out of place, nor would they have any harmful effect on the agricultural character and appearance of the farmyard or the wider landscape. 7. The fenestration of the south elevation of the appeal building is informal, with no regular bays. No harm would arise therefore from the proposed spacing of the dormers across the roof slope. 8. I conclude therefore that the proposed development would preserve the character and appearance of the host building, the setting of the listed farmhouse and listed barn, and have no detrimental effect on the wider landscape. As such it would accord with Policy ES10 of the Stroud District Local Plan 2015 which requires protection of the historic environment. Conditions 9. Conditions requiring compliance with the application plans and matching materials are necessary for clarity and to ensure the character and appearance of the building is protected. Conclusion 10. For the reasons given I conclude that the appeal should succeed. Olivia Spencer INSPECTOR