Conversion of garage to habitable room

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 11 June 2018 by J L Cheesley BA(Hons) DIPTP MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 15th June 2018 Appeal Ref: APP/E5330/D/18/3198119 34 Princess Alice Way, Thamesmead, London SE28 0HQ  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 Tom Horner against the decision of the Council of the Royal London Borough of Greenwich.  The application Ref 18/0132/HD was refused by notice dated 13 March 2018.  The development proposed is the conversion of garage to habitable room. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Main issues 2. I consider the main issues to be the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the host dwelling, the wider terrace and surrounding streetscene. Reasons 3. The appeal site lies within a modern three-storey residential terrace, where the overriding characteristic is the uniformity of design. The garage doors are predominately metal painted doors of the same design. I consider the uniformity of design of the front elevations makes an important contribution to the character and appearance of the terrace and surrounding streetscene. I note that the Council has indicated there is no planning permission associated with the change to a wooden garage door on the end property. Permitted development rights were removed from all these properties in a Condition on the original planning permission Ref: E97/0044/O. 4. The proposal includes conversion of the existing garage to a habitable room with a uPVC window inserted into the garage door. From my observations, the proposed window, due to its design and position, would unacceptably erode the appearance of the uniformity of design of the garage doors and the front elevations of the properties in this terrace. It would appear as an incongruous addition. This would be to the detriment of the character and appearance of the host dwelling and the wider terrace. In such a prominent position in the streetscene, this would erode the visual amenity of the area to the detriment of the character and appearance of the surrounding streetscene. Appeal Decision APP/E5330/D/18/3198119 2 5. In reaching my conclusion, I have had regard to all matters raised. I conclude that the proposal would have an adverse effect on the character and appearance of the host dwelling, the wider terrace and surrounding streetscene. Thus, the proposal would be contrary to guidance in the Council’s Residential Extensions, Basements and Conversions Guidance Supplementary Planning Document (July 2016); and contrary to Policies 7.4 and 7.6 in The London Plan (2016) and Policies DH1 and DH(a) in the Royal Greenwich Local Plan: Core Strategy with Detailed Policies (2014), where they seek to ensure high quality design that positively contributes to the improvement of the built environment. J L Cheesley INSPECTOR