When a family in Wokingham received a planning refusal for a two-storey front extension to their property they thought that was it. Their vision and dream for their property was lost.
The homeowner’s proposal was to increase the footprint of their property in order to maximise the space. But when the planning application for this family home extension was refused, they turned to ET Planning for support.
After reviewing the decision, the ET Planning team determined that the refusal outcome could be challenged and that the council had acted unreasonably in resisting change.
One refusal reason stood out in particular; that the appearance of the proposed development would negatively impact the street scene. In explaining the reason for this refusal the council relied upon another recent refusal for a similar front extension elsewhere.
ET planning submitted a robust appeal statement in response to these claims, citing that the existing house was already more unique in design in the street such that the development would not result in the house being out of keeping with the character of the area.
This was supported by the appeal inspector who determined that “the extension would maintain the area’s spaciousness” and that the “arrangement positively contributes to the spacious suburban form”.
In determining that the appeal be granted the appeal inspector also stated that “there is no policy requirement to prevent change, only to ensure that it is sympathetic to the area’s context or would enhance the quality of the area, (The Council) have provided details of a recent refusal of planning permission. However, this was on a different house type and not in the immediate vicinity of the appeal site. As such, it is of little relevance”.
ET planning were delighted to win this appeal for their client, and this case demonstrates that planning application refusals do not always signify ‘the end’. In fact, when a planning refusal is received, there could still be light at the end of the tunnel.
If you have recently received a planning refusal and would like ET Planning to review your case to see if it is appropriate to take to an appeal, please contact us today and we would be very happy to discuss this with you.