Agenda item

Alteration and refurbishment of existing building containing 4 flats to create 6 flats (2 x 3-bed, 2 x 2-bed, 2 x 1-bed) with associated car parking, landscaping, and alterations to driveway to provide passing places (additional bat survey report received 27th September 2022 and changes to turning island, increased planting area and information on construction methodology and section details for lightwells as shown on amended plans and additional information received 1st November 2022 and details of adjoining Kingsley Court corrected as shown on plans received 5th January 2023).

The committee considered planning application P22/S2790/FUL for the alteration and refurbishment of existing building containing four flats to create six flats (2 x 3-bed, 2 x 2-bed, 2 x 1-bed) with associated car parking, landscaping, and alterations to driveway to provide passing places (additional bat survey report received 27 September 2022 and changes to turning island, increased planting area and information on construction methodology and section details for lightwells as shown on amended plans and additional information received 1 November 2022 and details of adjoining Kingsley Court corrected as shown on plans received 5 January 2023), on land at Kingsley House, Crowsley Road, Lower Shiplake.  

Consultations, representations, policy and guidance, and the site’s planning history were detailed in the officer’s report, which formed part of the agenda pack for the meeting. 

The planning officer introduced the report and highlighted that the application was brought to the committee due to the objection of Shiplake Parish Council. The application itself was for full permission for alteration and refurbishment of Kingsley House from four to six flats, and associated works including to the driveway and parking area.

The planning officer informed the committee that the further residential subdivision was supported by local plan, subject to criteria. In addition, the planning officer did not believe that the application would be harmful to neighbouring amenity and that the physical alterations would also not cause visual harm to the landscape, or the special character area identified in the Shiplake neighbourhood plan. The council’s conservation officer also confirmed that desirable characteristics of the building would be retained.

The planning officer also noted the comments of the highways officer who believed that the application would result in a modest increase to vehicle numbers but that the proposed access alteration would mean this would not be detrimental to highway or pedestrian safety. In addition, environmental health was satisfied that the increase in the number of flats would not cause a significant noise nuisance to adjoining residents.

Overall, as the planning officer considered that the application complied with the relevant policies and received no objection from technical consultees, he recommended that permission was granted, subject to conditions.

Chris Penrose spoke on behalf of Shiplake Parish Council objecting to the application. 

Alan Giles spoke objecting to the application. 

Nik Lyzba and Paul Southouse, the agents representing the applicant, spoke in support of the application.  

Councillor David Bartholomew, a local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the application. 

The committee asked the planning officer about potential conditions and if an explicit condition could be put on the application, if approved, requiring that two trees be planted for every one that was removed. In response, the planning manager confirmed with members that the full wording of suggested condition 11 would reflect what the applicant had shown in the plans and that this requirement could be included in that.

Members then raised concerns about the driveway and the impact that its intensification would have, as well as the effects of the increased size of the proposed car park. As the committee also believed that the application did not give regard to the area that was identified in the neighbourhood plan as being in the setting of a special designation, these were considered to be sufficient grounds for refusal.

Overall, as members believed that the intensification of the use of the access road and the expansion of the car parking would detract from the character of the area, they agreed that the application should be refused.

A motion, moved and seconded, to refuse the application was carried on being put to the vote. 

RESOLVED: to refuse planning application P22/S2790/FUL, for the following reason:

The proposed development, through increasing the size of the car park and intensifying the use of the driveway, would have an urbanising impact on the sylvan character and appearance and the setting of the Special Character Area 6 designation in the Shiplake Neighbourhood Plan. As such, the proposal would be in conflict with policies DES1 and DES2 of the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 and policies SV7, SV23 and SV24 of the Shiplake Neighbourhood Plan.