Alterations to existing double garage to form ancillary first floor accommodation with car port below and to add new summer house in rear garden

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 11 July 2018 by J Bell-Williamson MA MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 25th July 2018 Appeal Ref: APP/W3520/D/18/3197323 The Cottages, Pettaugh Lane, Gosbeck IP6 9SB  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 I Nugent against the decision of Mid Suffolk District Council.  The application Ref DC/17/02832, dated 3 June 2017, was refused by notice dated 19 January 2018.  The development proposed is alterations to existing double garage to form ancillary first floor accommodation with car port below and to add new summer house in rear garden. Decision 1. The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for alterations to existing double garage to form ancillary first floor accommodation with car port below and to add new summer house in rear garden at The Cottages, Pettaugh Lane, Gosbeck IP6 9SB. The permission is granted in accordance with the terms of the application Ref DC/17/02832, dated 3 June 2017, subject to the conditions included in the Schedule at Annex A. Main Issue 2. The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the setting of the Grade II listed host dwelling, The Cottages. Reasons 3. The appeal property is a two storey cottage in a rural setting surrounded by open countryside north of the settlement of Gosbeck, with one neighbouring dwelling. 4. Both main parties refer to planning permission being granted for a similar proposal in 2005 (reference 1571/05); and the appellant contends that there are no material changes which suggest a different decision should be reached now. However, I was not party to the earlier approval and I am required to consider the current proposal before me on its merits, which I have done. 5. The existing double garage is positioned forward and to the left hand side of the cottage, viewed from the front. Its front elevation stands perpendicular to the front of the cottage. As such, it has a strong visual relationship with the host dwelling as a prominent ancillary building and, therefore, is within the setting of the listed cottage. Appeal Decision APP/W3520/D/18/3197323 2 6. The garage is of proportionate scale to The Cottages and includes matching materials in the form of painted render and terracotta clay pantiles, with the dual-pitched roof parallel to that of the host dwelling. The frontage incorporates two modern metal garage doors. The proposed extension would alter the orientation of the roof so that this would be perpendicular to the listed cottage with a gable end facing the road; and would raise the roof and extend the building closer to the host dwelling. 7. The Cottages is a long building with a wide frontage and a substantive, prominent front roof plane. The extended garage would have a taller and more prominent roof profile than at present, but this would remain subordinate in height and width to the cottage. Moreover, the change in orientation means that the extended roof would not be seen directly in profile against the host dwelling but perpendicular to it, thereby foreshortening the overall scale of the building from views to the front. 8. The void for the car port and supporting brick pillars reflect the functional purpose of this part of the extended building. The external stairs to the northern elevation would not be highly visible and would be a limited change to the overall appearance and scale of the outbuilding. As such, the building would not appear sufficiently incongruous or alien to harmfully affect the listed building. The matching materials and more traditional garage doors would ensure an appropriate visual relationship between the two buildings. The black weathboarding would not be so extensive that it would harmfully affect the setting of the listed building. 9. The proposed summerhouse would be a minor addition to the rear garden, of typical domestic scale and appearance. Consequently, it would not be harmful to the setting of the listed cottage. 10. In reaching these overall findings I am particularly mindful of the statutory requirements for decision makers to have special regard to the desirability of preserving the setting of a listed building1. 11. Therefore, for the above reasons, I conclude that the proposal would not have a harmful effect on the setting of the Grade II listed host dwelling. Consequently, it is not contrary to Policy HB1 of the Mid Suffolk Local Plan, which concerns the protection of historic buildings. This policy is broadly consistent with the more recent National Planning Policy Framework. Conditions 12. Of the Council’s suggested conditions I have imposed the standard time condition and, to ensure the proper implementation of the proposal, one requiring development to be carried out in accordance with the approved plans. Two additional conditions are suggested. I agree that the sensitive setting requires the approval of the specific external finishes for the extended building; and that occupation and use of the upper floor should be controlled to ensure that it remains ancillary to the host dwelling, to maintain the character and appearance of the surrounding area. 13. For the reasons given above it is concluded that the appeal should succeed. 1 Section 66(1) of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990. Appeal Decision APP/W3520/D/18/3197323 3 J Bell-Williamson INSPECTOR Annex A Schedule – conditions 1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than three years from the date of this decision. 2) The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans: ICN-02-01 (proposed garage extension), ICN-03-01 (proposed summerhouse), ICN-04-01 (proposed block plan) and ICN-05-01 (location plan). 3) No development/works shall be commenced above slab level until precise details of the manufacturer and types and colours of the external facing and roofing materials to be used in construction of the garage extension and summerhouse have been submitted to and approved in writing by the Local Planning Authority. Such materials as may be agreed shall be those used in the development and fully applied prior to the first use. 4) This permission shall only authorise the use and occupation of the accommodation for purposes incidental and ancillary to the principal dwelling known as The Cottages Pettaugh Lane, Gosbeck IP6 9SB and does not permit the use of the accommodation for a separate household.