An application from new Wheatley Ward Councillor Aron Priest will be decided by the full Planning Committee. (that’s because the rules require that an application from a councillor has to be decided by committee).
You can find it on last week’s ‘weekly list’ here. (126kb)
It’s a no. 8 Western Road Rayleigh and the proposal is to demolish the existing house and build a new one on 4 levels.
In their report the officers say:
The proposed development would have a floor space approximately three and one half times greater than that of the existing dwelling. This fact is not, in itself grounds for refusal, but the size of the building required to accommodate such floorspace is considered to be unacceptable in the circumstances of this application. The proposed dwelling is considered to be too large a building for this location and would appear over dominant in the streetscene, noticeably higher and out of proportion with surrounding dwellings.
It’s recommended by officers for refusal for the following reasons:
1 The proposal, by virtue of its height, width and depth, is considered to be an overdevelopment of the site and would introduce a visual mass out of scale and proportion to nearby properties with a noticeable lack of space around the dwelling for a building of its proposed size and bulk. Such a development would have a cramped appearance within the plot and would be detrimental to the appearance of the streetscene in which the larger properties benefit from a degree of space around them. Furthermore the scale and mass of the side and rear elevations, a consequence of the increased depth and height of the building, would be over dominant on the outlook of the dwellings either side detrimental to the amenity of their occupiers. The proposal would be contrary to Local Plan Policy HP6.
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2 The siting of the dwelling in front of the adjoining property at 6 Western Road would unreasonably impact on the outlook from and aspect to the ground floor front living room window and this, together with the scale of the side elevation, would be overbearing leading to a loss of amenity, including potential light loss to this more northerly dwelling, for the occupants of said property. The proposal would be contrary to Local Plan Policy HP6.
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3 The design of the dwelling, by virtue of the large central flat roof section, is considered to be a poor design, out of character in a residential area in which dwellings with pitched roofs are the norm and contrary to the high quality design principles of PPS1.
As always, as councillors we won’t make up our minds in advance of the meeting.