Agenda item

New House and Garage in part of Existing Garden.

Public Participation

Peter Head spoke in objection to the application

David Jones spoke in objection to the application

Dorothy Morgan spoke in objection to the application

James Jordan spoke in support of the application

Haydn Bennett (Agent) spoke in support of the application

Hayden Bennett read the applicants statement of their behalf

Charles Penn (Chairman), spoke on behalf of Winterbourne PC

 

Attention was drawn to additional information which had been published in
Supplement 2 to the agenda, which detailed additional comments. A Members site visit had also taken place earlier that day.

 

The Planning Team Leader, Adam Madge, presented the application for a new single storey house and garage in part of the existing garden.

 

The main issues which had been considered to be material in the determination
of this application were listed as Principle of development, Character of area including heritage assets and tree protection, Residential amenity, Highway issues, and Ecology.

 

The local area, access and the location of several listed buildings around the site were indicated on the presentation slides.

 

Proposed alterations to an existing access track and the position of a heat source pump, the vehicular turning point and roof mounted solar panels were highlighted.

 

Slide 9 showed the height of the new property in relation to the existing property; the Wilderness. 

 

The application was recommended for approval with conditions as set out in the report.

 

Members of the Committee had no technical questions for the Officer.

 

Members of the public as detailed above, then had the opportunity to speak on
the application.

 

Some of the main points raised in objection were, that the location was not suitable for the proposed development, due to the location being in a historically sensitive conservation area.

 

That the development was back-land development and equated to overdevelopment which would cause harm to the local area and that there was mass opposition on a local level with over 70 objections being raised.

 

That the proposed air source heat pump would be noisy in light of the close proximity to the neighbouring property and that a noise survey had not yet been undertaken.

 

The Winterbourne Neighbourhood Plan 2019 – 26 had not identified the proposed site for one suitable for development.

 

Some of the main points raised in support included that the proposals met the criteria  for a passive house in the local area which met the needs of local people in an environmentally friendly way.

 

The Applicants had lived in the village for 32 years and were looking to downsize into a low impact single storey house, constructed from traditional materials.

 

Neighbours would be safeguarded by the inclusion of a condition relating to the heat pump. 

 

Reference to CP46 was made in relation to meeting needs of Wiltshire’s vulnerable and older people.

 

Homes for dev should be well insulated and take heat from the sun – the proposals do all of this. Design meets classic passive

 

The Winterbourne PC representative spoke in objection to the application, noting that although some aspects of concern had been amended on the plans, some still remained. There were concerns around the impact upon neighbouring properties the height and proximity to the north boundary and overshadowing. 

 

The proposal was not felt to be sympathetic to its neighbourhood which was a settlement with listed properties dating back as far as 14C.

 

Local Member Cllr Andrew Oliver spoke to the application, noting that he had called the application in due to its scale, visual impact on the surrounding area, which was also a conservation area and its impact on the surrounding historic buildings.

 

He noted the importance of all parties being able to have their say and noted that he could see the matter from both sides.

 

The Applicant was a longstanding resident of the parish wishing to downsize within the parish. The main objector was also a longstanding resident who has already downsized within the parish.

 

The parish council had carried out a significant amount of work in creating a Neighbourhood Plan which had been adopted in the 2021 elections in May.

 

Cllr Oliver then moved the motion of Refusal against Officer recommendation, on the grounds of protecting the historic surroundings, and that other sites had been identified as more suitable for development by the Neighbourhood Plan. 

 

This was seconded by Cllr McGrath

 

The Committee was invited to discuss the application, the main points included the environmental benefits of such a dwelling against the negative impacts on the location due to it being a conservation area.

 

It was noted that the site had not been identified for development in the Winterbourne Neighbourhood Plan. The development was also thought to be backland development. The Officer clarified what was meant by backland  and in-fill development.

 

Concerns relating to the heat pump and associate noise were raised along with the style of the metal garage in a conservation area. The Officer clarified that if approved the noise of the heat pump could be conditioned to not rise above a set decibel level.

 

The comments of the Consultees, in particular, the Conservation Officer relating to there being no impact to the listed buildings nearby and no objection from Highways were also raised.

 

The need for small dwellings was noted, along with the proposals for a passive house which was considered desirable.

 

The Committee then voted on the motion of refusal against Officer
recommendation for the reasons stated above.

 

It was:

 

Resolved

 

That application PL.2021.05288 be Refused for the reasons below:

 

The proposed development, by reason of the site location and design, would constitute backland development which would not represent sympathetic infill development and would not be in keeping with the setting of historic and listed buildings in the Winterbournes Conservation Area.  As a result, the proposal would have a detrimental impact on the character of the area and is therefore considered to be contrary to the housing objectives of The Winterbournes Neighbourhood Plan 2019-2026 (Made May 2021) and the provisions of the Wiltshire Core Strategy (2015) policies CP57 (Ensuring High Quality Design and Place Shaping) and CP58 (Ensuring the Conservation of the Historic Environment); the National Planning Policy Framework (July 2021); and the National Design Guide 2021.”