Conversion of garage into habitable room, erection of conservatory and new pitched roof on front elevation

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 7 January 2020 by Paul Cooper MSc MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 31 January 2020 Appeal Ref: APP/C4615/D/19/3236943 32 Ferndale Park, Pedmore, Stourbridge DY9 0RB • 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 Mrs Mary Boneham against the decision of Dudley Metropolitan Borough Council. • The application Ref P19/0542, dated 15 April 2019, was refused by notice dated 19 June 2019. • The development proposed is conversion of garage into habitable room, erection of conservatory and new pitched roof on front elevation. Decision 1. The appeal is allowed. Planning permission is granted for the conversion of garage into habitable room, erection of conservatory and new pitched roof on front elevation at 32 Ferndale Park, Pedmore, Stourbridge DY9 0RB in accordance with the terms of the application Ref P19/0542 dated 15 April 2019, subject to the following conditions: 1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than three years from the date of this decision. 2) 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. 3) The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans 4) The garage conversion hereby permitted shall not be occupied at any time other than for purposes ancillary to the residential use of the dwelling known as 32 Ferndale Park and shall not be sold or let separately from the main dwelling house with the express grant of planning permission. Procedural Matter 2. I have substituted the description of development given by the appellant for that used by the Council in the Decision Notice. This summarises the development more succinctly than the background narrative presented in the application. Main Issue 3. The main issue in this appeal is the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area. Appeal Decision APP/C4615/D/19/3236943 2 Reasons 4. The appeal site is located in a residential area. The property is two storey, brick built, with a tiled roof and has an integral garage that terminates forward of the main front elevation, a design feature shared with a number of properties on Ferndale Park, many of which have been modified and used as habitable rooms. 5. The appeal proposal seeks to convert the garage area into additional residential space. The existing flat roof will be removed and replaced by a pitched roof with forward facing gable. Internally the ceiling levels will be altered with the new roof giving additional internal height. 6. In addition, a conservatory is proposed to the side elevation, which would be largely screened from street scene views by the presence of tall vegetation. Internal modifications would be made to integrate the conservatory with the additional residential space. The Council have not raised any concerns in respect of this aspect of the proposals. 7. Policy ENV2 of the Black Country Core Strategy (2011) (the CS) states that development should seek to preserve, and where possible, enhance local character. This is reinforced by policies S6 and L1 of the Dudley Borough Development Strategy (2017) (the DS) which collectively seek proposals to be well designed, appropriate within the locality and not have a detrimental impact on the character, form and design of the host dwelling. Specific design advice is set out in Planning Guidance Note 17 (1998). 8. On my site visit, it was apparent that many of the properties have modified the design of the flat roofed garage, mostly with some form of hipped or mono- pitched roof. 9. Whilst the proposed design is slightly different from the vast majority of these altered dwellings, I have noted the information supplied by the appellant in support of the scheme, specifically the need for the design to take that form to meet the requirements of the end user. 10. I find that the design proposed would not be harmful to the character and appearance of the area and would sit within the amended context of the locality. It would appear modest in the overall design of the existing dwelling and would not appear incongruous from a design perspective. The proportions of the scheme ensure that it would not appear unduly prominent within the street scene, nor would it be overbearing in the locality or to adjacent residents. In conclusion, it would not harm to the character and appearance of the area 11. As such, I do not find conflict with Policy ENV2 of the CS, policies S6 and L1 of the DS and guidance set out in Planning Guidance Note 17. Conditions 12. I have included the standard conditions in relation to the commencement of development, the construction in accordance with approved plans, and in materials matching the main dwelling. I have added the Council’s condition regarding the link to the host dwelling, in the interests of the living conditions of residents, and to maintain car parking levels. Appeal Decision APP/C4615/D/19/3236943 3 Conclusion 13. For the reasons given above, I conclude that the appeal should be allowed. Paul Cooper INSPECTOR