Construction of one No. new garage immediate next to existing garages towards to the front and proposed change of use one No. existing garage to kitchen/dining

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 21 May 2018 by Jonathon Parsons MSc BSc DipTP Cert(Urb) MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 19 July 2018 Appeal Ref: APP/G5180/D/18/3196340 29 Orchard Road, Bromley BR1 2PR  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 Mr Hitesh Patel against the decision of the Council of the London Borough of Bromley.  The application Ref DC/17/04231/FULL6, dated 11 September 2017, was refused by notice dated 1 December 2017.  The development proposed is the “construction of one No. new garage immediate next to existing garages towards to the front and proposed change of use one No. existing garage to kitchen/dining.” Decision 1. The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for the “construction of one No. new garage immediate next to existing garages towards to the front and proposed change of use one No. existing garage to kitchen/dining” at 29 Orchard Road, Bromley BR1 2PR in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref DC/17/04231/FULL6, dated 11 September 2017, 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: 267.01; 267.02; 267.03 and 267.04. 3) The materials to be used in the construction of the external surfaces of the development hereby permitted shall match those used in the existing building. Main Issue 2. The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area. Reasons 3. The appeal site comprises a large detached house built in the late 1980s which is one of a group of three residential properties. It shares an access drive with these properties and has a projecting forward addition. This consists of two storey and single storey built forms, the latter of which is a double garage. Along Orchard Road, there are dwellings, including blocks of flats, of varying Appeal Decision APP/G5180/D/18/3196340 2 designs and forms which are set back from the road with intervening areas of mature landscaping, including trees. The spacious frontages, along with mature landscaping, are attractive qualities of the area. 4. The appeal proposal would result in the conversion of about one half of the double garage to living accommodation and the extension of it to form an additional single garage. As such, it would extend the existing building forward relative to Orchard Road. However, it would still be set back a considerable distance from this road and would not project significantly forward of 31A Orchard Road, one of the neighbouring properties that the appeal property shares an access drive with. 5. Furthermore, there is varied building line along this part of Orchard Road. Properties at 25 and 25A Orchard Road, along with the block of flats beyond No 31A are set back from the road at a similar distance to one another. However, the appeal property and that at No 31A are not. In any case, the scheme would still retain a spacious frontage allowing for landscaping which are the distinctive qualities of the area. 6. The proposed extension would elongate the existing dwelling but it is already a substantial sized dwelling. On this basis, a single storey garage extension would not add significantly to its size and scale. Furthermore, the site would not appear overdeveloped given the extent of space remaining to the front and sides of the extended dwelling. 7. For all these reasons, the development would represent high quality design and would not harm the character and appearance of the existing property and the surrounding area. The proposal would comply with policies BE1 and H8 of the Bromley Unitary Development Plan 2006 and the design policies of the National Planning Policy Framework. 8. Turning to conditions, a condition is necessary to ensure that the development is carried out in accordance with the approved plans in the interests of certainty. In the interests of the character and appearance of the area, a condition is necessary to ensure matching materials. 9. For the above reasons and having regard to all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed. Jonathon Parsons INSPECTOR