Construction of raised decking

Appeal Decision Site visit made on 29 August 2026 by J D Westbrook BSc(Hons) MSc MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 8 September 2026 Appeal Ref: 6012648 The Barn, Bridle Stile Lane, Bradford, BD13 1NW • 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 Ian Powell against the decision of the City of Bradford Metropolitan District Council. • The application Ref is 26/01097/HOU. • The development proposed is the construction of raised decking. Decision 1. The appeal is allowed and planning permission is granted for the construction of raised decking at The Barn, Bridle Stile Lane, Bradford, BD13 1NW in accordance with the terms of the application, Ref 26/01097/HOU, and the plans submitted with it, subject to the following conditions: 1) The development hereby permitted shall begin not later than 3 years from the date of this decision. 2) The development hereby permitted shall be carried out in accordance with the following approved plans:1750/1 Rev B. Procedural Matter 2. The description on the application form is given as ‘Raised decking (retrospective). Reduced scheme to 25/04372/HOU’. It would appear that the earlier scheme, which was refused permission, included additional decking from that of the current proposal and was already in place, hence the reference to its retrospective nature. The current reduced proposal includes part of the earlier decking development, but I have used the wording in the box above to accurately represent the development under consideration in this case. Main Issue 3. The main issue is the effect of the proposed decking on the character and appearance of the host property and the surrounding area. Reasons 4. The Barn is a detached dwelling situated at the eastern end of the surfaced section of Bridle Stile Lane. It is a single-storey, stone-built dwelling with additional accommodation within the pitched, slated roof. It occupies a small curtilage on the eastern edge of a small group of buildings around Lanes Farm and is, apparently, a converted farm building. The whole complex, along with the nearby Bridle Stile Appeal Decision 6012648 2 Farm complex, lies within open countryside to the north of Queensbury. Beyond the site, the road effectively becomes an unsurfaced footpath. The site slopes down gently from the dwelling to the front boundary and more steeply from west to east across the site. 5. It would appear that the dwelling has already had raised decking around its south- east and north-east elevations but that planning permission for such decking has subsequently been refused by the Council, As a result, that part of the decking that wrapped round the north-eastern elevation has been removed and the current proposal is for a decking element to the south-eastern elevation only. This element remains from the original as an existing feature but would be modified in line with the submitted drawings. 6. The dwelling has a front door to the western end with two steps up from ground level. There is a secondary door in the front elevation, with access onto the decking, at the eastern end. Due to the sloping nature of the site, this door is significantly higher than the main front door and consequently the decking is set above ground level by a little under 1 metre increasing to around 1.4 metres at the south-eastern corner of the building. The previous decking had dark grey composite modesty panels around the sides below the decking surface, some of which currently remain. The proposal would result in all of the modesty panels being removed, leaving the area under the decking open. There would be steps down from the decking to ground level at the western end, and there would be black metal railings around the decking area. In addition, the proposal would involve the positioning of a non-projecting Juliet balcony outside full-height windows in the north-eastern elevation. 7. The Council contends that due to its height, size and unsympathetic materials the raised decking is an incongruous and discordant feature within the site that relates poorly with the character and appearance of the original property and does not integrate appropriately with its wider setting. The raised decking is visible from public vantage points, with the revised proposal still considered by the Council to result in visual amenity harm. 8. The height above ground level of the secondary door in the front elevation of the appeal property would, in any case, necessitate the installation of steps. The current proposal would include, in addition, an area of raised decking approximately 4 metres deep and 5 metres wide, constructed on a timber plinth with open sides. Around the decking would be a balustrade comprising slim metal railings. The overall appearance of the decking, without the composite modesty panels, would be light and unobtrusive. The buildings associated with the neighbouring Lanes Farm largely surround the appeal property to the west and north such that it is not readily visible from the surfaced section of Bridle Stile Lane. Whilst it would remain visible from the footpath section of the lane, the decking would not be a prominent feature and would not dominate the view of the front elevation of the dwelling, nor would it appear as incongruous or discordant. 9. In the light of the above, I find that the removal of the unsympathetic composite panelling would significantly reduce the visual impact of the decking such that it would not be harmful to the character or appearance of the host dwelling or to the wider surroundings around Lane Farm and Bridle Stile Farm along Bridle Stile Lane. On this basis, it would not conflict with Policy DS1 of the Council’s Core Strategy, which relates to the achievement of good design, or with its Householder Appeal Decision 6012648 3 Supplementary Planning Document, which seeks to prevent the addition of large, prominent decking structures to the front of a house where they are likely to appear at odds with the character of the street scene. Other Matters 10. The appeal property lies within the Green Belt. However, Green Belt was not used as a reason for refusal, and the Council accepts that the proposed extension would not result in a disproportionate addition over and above the size of the original building. Given the information available to me, I concur with that view and, on that basis, the proposal would not be inappropriate development in the Green Belt, and would not conflict with National Policy in the National Planning Policy Framework. Conditions 11. I have attached a condition relating to plans because it is necessary that the development shall be carried out in accordance with the approved plans for the avoidance of doubt and in the interests of proper planning. Conclusion 12. I find that the proposed decking would not be harmful to the character or appearance of the host property or the surrounding area and, accordingly, I allow the appeal subject to the conditions set out above. J D Westbrook INSPECTOR