Formation of rear dormer and installation of 3no. front rooflights

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 27 June 2025 by S Poole BA(Hons) DipArch MPhil MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date:14 July 2025 Appeal Ref: APP/Y5420/D/25/3365912 59 Russell Avenue, Wood Green, London N22 6QB • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Mr Mohammed Shahbaz against the decision of the Council of the London Borough of Haringey. • The application Ref is HGY/2025/0736. • The development proposed is the formation of rear dormer and installation of 3no. front rooflights. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Main Issues 2. The main issues are the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the host building and whether it would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Noel Park Conservation Area. Reasons 3. The appeal property is a 2-storey house that forms part of a highly attractive terrace featuring double-storey bay windows, ornate porches and rendered gables facing the street. The terrace is situated within, and makes a clear positive contribution to, the character and appearance of the Noel Park Conservation Area (CA), which is characterised by high quality terraces of late 19th and early 20th artisan housing laid out in a grid pattern. A key feature of the terraces is their largely un-extended roof forms and the high degree of uniformity that results from this. 4. The proposal would include the installation of a dormer with a pitched roof centrally placed within the rear roof slope to enable the formation of a bedroom within the roof space. In this location, where dormers are few and far between, this addition would, due to its size and siting, be a wholly incongruous addition that would unacceptably disrupt the unity of the terrace. 5. The proposal would also include the insertion of 3 conservation style rooflights within the front roof slope. I note the existence of rooflights within the front roof slopes of some houses in the terrace of which the appeal property forms part and elsewhere in the street. However, most of the houses in the area do not include rooflights at the front and the proliferation of rooflights in this context would lead to a level of roof level clutter that would be harmful to the terrace and the CA. Appeal Decision APP/Y5420/D/25/3365912 2 6. For the reasons set out above I conclude that the proposal would have an unacceptable effect on the appearance of the terrace and would fail to preserve, and result in substantial harm to, the character and appearance of the CA. As such the proposal fails to accord with Policies SP11 and SP12 of the Haringey Local Plan (2017), Policies DM1 and DM9 of the Haringey Development Management Development Plan (2017) and Policy HC1 of the London Plan (2021). Taken together, and amongst other matters, these policies seek to secure development which would display good quality design, complement the period and form of the original building, reflect local distinctiveness, and protect or enhance context and character. There is also conflict with the Noel Park Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan (2017) which states that alterations to the shape of the roof will not be considered appropriate. 7. I note that planning permission1 was granted 12 years ago for the formation of a rear dormer and the insertion of 3 rooflights in the front roof slope of the appeal property. However, this permission pre-dates the current development plan and the Noel Park Conservation Area Appraisal and Management Plan. I therefore attribute limited weight to this planning history. Conclusion 8. For the reasons set out above, and having regard to all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should fail. S Poole INSPECTOR 1 HGY/2013/1746