Erection of a fence and wall at the front of the property

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 25 November 2022 by S Poole BA(Hons) DipArch MPhil MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 22 December 2022 Appeal Ref: APP/W1715/D/22/3308489 79 Kingsway, Chandler's Ford, Eastleigh SO53 1FH • 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 Fiona Baker against the decision of the Eastleigh Borough Council. • The application Ref H/22/92941, dated 25 April 2022, was refused by notice dated 20 July 2022. • The development proposed is the erection of a fence and wall at the front of the property. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Procedural Matter 2. The development described above has been carried out. As such this appeal relates to a planning application for retrospective planning permission. Main Issue 3. The main issue is the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the street scene. Reasons 4. The appeal property is a detached 2-storey house with off-street parking at the front. It is situated in a residential area primarily comprising detached houses set back from the road with hedges defining the front boundaries. Together with the mature trees and the grass verges next to the road, the hedges give Kingsway a notably verdant character and appearance, a matter to which I attach significant weight. I note that a few properties have walls or fences along their frontages. These are generally low and therefore minor features in the street scene. Where tall boundary treatments exist these are incongruous features that detract from the verdant appearance of the area. 5. The appeal scheme has created a tall boundary at the front of the appeal property comprising a brick wall and brick piers with timber slatted fencing between. This has replaced a low fence and part of the mature hedging. I recognise that over time the new boundary treatment may be softened as the replacement section of hedge becomes established. However, in views looking along Kingsway the wall and fencing would remain the main features and would Appeal Decision APP/W1715/D/22/3308489 2 be a be at odds with, and result in unacceptable harm to, the verdant character of the area. 6. For this reason, I conclude that the proposal would have an unacceptable effect on the character and appearance of the street scene. It therefore fails to accord with Policy DM1 of the Eastleigh Borough Local Plan (2022) which states that all new development should take full and proper account of the context of the site including the character and appearance of the locality. There is also conflict with the aims of the Council’s Quality Places Supplementary Planning Document (2011) and the National Planning Policy Framework (2021), the former of which states that boundary treatments must be appropriate to the context. Conclusion 7. For the reasons set out above, and having regard to all other matters raised, I conclude that the appeal should fail. S Poole INSPECTOR