Inspector rules on Telford house extension plan refused by council
Applicant Jonny Birch had wanted permission for a two storey side and rear extension at a property in Pool Meadow, Hadley.
A planned extension at a house in Telford would have been a ‘looming and oppressive presence’ for one of the neighbours, a government inspector ruled.
Applicant Jonny Birch had wanted permission for a two storey side and rear extension at a property in Pool Meadow, Hadley, but Telford & Wrekin Council refused it.
Now a planning inspector has decided to dismiss an appeal after putting the spotlight on the effect it would have on the outlook of neighbours.
When the inspector visited the site on March 18 they examined the effect it would have on Pool Meadow and Near Vallens.
The inspector ruled that a rear facing window at one of the neighbouring properties already has a ‘compromised outlook’ in comparison to other properties in the area.
“This would be further exacerbated by the proposal,” wrote the inspector who added that the two storeys would give it a “looming and oppressive presence.
“This would create a physical sense of enclosure for those using that window.”
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The inspector also decided that the proposal would be visually apparent to two neighbours at Near Vallens.
However the inspector concluded that the “impact on the outlook from the rear of those properties would not be so great as to make the living conditions of those properties untenable.”
The inspector also ruled that the extension would have a “detrimental impact on the character and appearance of the area.
“The two-storey rear extension would be highly visible across the gardens creating a visual and physical incursion which would curtail the spacious relief the open character of the rear gardens,” wrote the inspector.
No harm was identified in relation to parking, highway safety, drainage, ecology, or flooding.
But the inspector added that “a lack of harm cannot, by definition, weigh for or against the proposal.”
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