Agenda item

Demolition of a single storey residential property and the construction of a new two storey residential property.

During this agenda item, the meeting length had reached almost two and a half hours. In accordance with the council’s Constitution, the committee voted to extend the meeting in order to finish this item.

The committee considered planning application P20/S2092/FUL for the demolition of a single storey residential property and the construction of a new two storey residential property, on land at Fairhaven, School Lane, Stoke Row.  

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 Stoke Row Parish Council.

The planning officer informed the committee that the permission was requested for the replacement of an existing dwelling with a new two storey property. He also discussed the objections received to the application, noting that they related primarily to the size, siting, and impact that the proposed dwelling would have on the area and the neighbours. However, he considered that the design, form, and the position of the dwelling would be appropriate for the area. The planning officer also considered that the property would be served by adequate parking and amenity space.

The planning officer did note that the proposed dwelling would be four metres from the shared boundary with the neighbours with a side window facing the neighbouring garden and property. For this reason, a condition for obscure glazing and the window to be fixed shut was proposed.

Overall, as the planning officer was satisfied with the conditions over landscaping and that there were no objections from technical consultees, he recommended the application be approved.

Roger Clayson spoke on behalf of Stoke Row Parish Council, objecting to the application. 

Andrea Winfield and Nick Winfield spoke objecting to the application. 

Councillor Jo Robb, a local ward councillor, spoke objecting to the application. 

The committee were concerned about the window on the proposed dwelling that was positioned to overlook the neighbouring amenity space and property and asked about the officers proposed condition to try to address this. In response, he confirmed that they would be fixed shut and obscure glazed, and that if the applicant wanted to change this in the future it would need another planning application to be legal.

Members asked the planning officer if they could condition the removal of the side window as they saw it as being harmfully overbearing to the neighbour as well as not meeting a high quality of design. However, he clarified that this was not possible.

Members also discussed the design of the dwelling, agreeing that its design was not of significant architectural merit, and they also noted that the site was in the Chilterns National Landscape.

Overall, the committee believed the proposals height, siting, and levels would create an overbearing situation for the neighbour, negatively impacting their amenity. For this reason, they agreed to refuse the application.

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

RESOLVED: to refuse planning application P20/S2092/FUL, for the following reasons:

That due to the scale, height and siting of the proposed new dwelling and the difference in levels between the application site and neighbouring No.1 Southview the proposed development would result in an overbearing impact on No. 1 Southview and its private garden and as such would fail to comply with Policy DES6 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan.