22/1911/PDT: REFUSED Prior Approval Application to a Bungalow | Little Hill, Chorleywood - Three Rivers District Council Planning Application

This one is an interesting example, The local authority is Three Rivers District Council, which covers Rickmondsworth, and area adjacent Watford, north of London. Amazingly, there is a national process of Prior Approval which allows another floor to be added to a house in certain circumstances without the need for a planning application, subject to the following criteria:

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^{The current house:}

^{Is not a building containing one or more flats, or a flat contained within such a building}

^{Was constructed between 1 July 1948 and 28 October 2018}

^{Has not already had additional storeys added to it}

^{Is not on Article 2(3) land* or a site of special scientific interest}

^{Was not changed to be used as a house (from a previous non-residential use) under permitted development rights.}

 ^{The Limitations on the proposed development  are :}

^{Number of additional storeys:}

^{One storey can be added to a single storey house}

^{Two storeys can be added if the house has more than one storey.}

^{Height increases:}

^{The house cannot exceed 18 metres in total height}

^{Each added storey cannot add more than 3.5 metres to the total height}

^{If not detached (e.g. terrace or semi) the total height cannot be more than 3.5 metres higher than the next highest building that the house is attached to, adjoins, or is in the same row as.}

^{The additional storeys must be constructed on the principal part* of the house}

^{The additional storeys must not exceed 3 metres in height or the height of any existing storey in the principal part* of the house (measured internally from floor to ceiling)}

^{Engineering operations must only include works within the existing curtilage of the house to strengthen existing walls and foundations}

^{The materials used must be of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the exterior of the current house}

^{Windows must not be placed in any wall or roof slope forming a side elevation of the house.}

^{Following completion of development:}

^{The house must remain in use as a domestic residential property}

^{No visible support structures must remain on or attached to the exterior of the house}

^{The roof pitch of the principal part* of the house must be the same as it was prior to the development.}

^Definitions

^{Principle part}

^{The main part of the house excluding any front, side or rear extension of a lower height (regardless of these being part of the original house or subsequent additions).}

^{Article 2(3) designated land}

^{This is defined as land within:} 

^{a conservation area; or}

^{an area of outstanding natural beauty; or}

^{an area specified by the Secretary of State for the purposes of enhancement and protection of the natural beauty and amenity of the countryside; or}

^{the Broads; or}

^{a National Park; or}

^{a World Heritage Site.}

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Read full planning application here.

In the case of this application, the existing bungalow sites are in a row of similar 1970s bungalows in a quiet suburb. Although this is a Prior Approval Application (which means its an application to confirm that the proposal does not require planning permission), the Parish Council were consulted and objected on the grounds that the height and design fails to integrate with the neighbouring properties and it will look incongruous. 

The application was refused on the grounds:

'By virtue of its external appearance and design including excessive scale and height relative to the

immediate neighbours would result in an unduly prominent form of development which would

unacceptably detract from the character and appearance of the area resulting in demonstrable

harm to the visual amenity of the street scene.'

This does challenge the thinking of the permitted development regulation, it appears that the proposal complies with the regulations set out above, but in the view of the planning officers and the Parish Council it is still unacceptable. In this case I think that the refusal is valid and reasonable. Clearly the addition of a further storey in an otherwise low-key area of bungalows will not only look out of place, it starts to change the character of the area and also means that the neighbours begin to lose privacy that they have otherwise enjoyed until now, which is a lack of amenity.

With our ageing population and an increasing need for easily accessible housing, there is also a high demand for bungalows or single storey accommodation, and so in this instance perhaps an application for the sub-division of the existing bungalow into two and extensions to take away some of the garden would be more acceptable in design terms, creating a further much needed bungalow and not over-looking the neighbours, albeit no doubt this would still raise some form of objection.