Construction of a two storey dwelling.
LOCAL MEMBER: Councillor Angela Russell
Minutes:
Construction of two-storey house
(a)
The Senior Development Control Officer elaborated
on the background of the application and noted that the application had been
deferred at the Committee meeting held on 5 June, 2017 in order to give
officers from the Joint Planning Policy Unit an opportunity to prepare a plan
for the committee showing the location of the proposed house in relation to the
village's development boundary as designated within the Gwynedd Unitary
Development Plan (GUDP) and the Joint Local Development Plan (LDP). The plan
had been included within the agenda and it was estimated that 60% of the floor
surface area of the house would be outside the development boundary.
It was
noted that the main planning matter was the principle of the development. It
was explained, as a vast section of the site as well as the house are located
outside the development boundary, the proposal was tantamount to erecting a new
house in the countryside and contrary to policy C1, CH4 and CH9 of the GUDP.
It was
noted that the officers remain concerned regarding the detrimental impact of
the proposal based on overlooking, loss of privacy and creating an oppressive
structure and have a negative impact on the occupiers of nearby houses.
Having
considered all the relevant matters, including local and national policies and
guidance, as well as the observations received from the applicant, it was
deemed that this development was unacceptable.
(b) A proposal to
undertake a site visit was made and seconded.
During the ensuing discussion, the
following main observations were noted by members:
·
Had received correspondence from the
applicant, he disagreed in terms of the location of the development
boundary;
·
Would a higher percentage of floor area
within the boundary make a difference?
·
A number of unsuccessful applications
had been submitted in relation to the site;
·
Llanbedrog
Community Council had withdrawn its observations;
·
The proposal did not comply with the
policies as it was outside the development boundary and it would disrupt the
residential amenities of nearby houses;
·
In order to show fairness to the
applicant, a site visit should be carried out;
·
Did not see any purpose for undertaking
a site visit;
·
Had proposed carrying out a site visit
in order to assess the proximity of the house to the workshop and the impact of
the proposal on the road and the access.
(c) In response to the above
observations, the officers noted:
·
That confirmation had been received from the Joint
Planning Policy Unit that the development boundary in the GUDP and the LDP was
the same and due to the discussion at the previous Committee meeting, a slide
had been provided to the Committee in order to clearly show the situation
regarding the boundary and the location of the proposed house.
·
That it was a matter of principle, only in some
exceptional circumstances, an open market house would
be approved outside the development boundary. The circumstances of this
application were not exceptional, therefore, it was
not considered that there was any purpose of carrying out a site visit.
A vote was taken on the proposal to
carry out a site visit and it fell.
(ch) It was proposed and seconded to refuse
the application.
A member enquired whether or not the applicant had discussed
the possibility of improving the proposal with the officers. In response, the
Planning Manager noted that setting the house more inside the development
boundary would worsen the impact on the residential amenities of nearby houses.
She explained that the officers had already discussed a number of options with
the applicant.
RESOLVED to refuse the application.
Reasons:
1. Policy CH7 of the Gwynedd Unitary
Development Plan states that houses will be approved on the peripheries of
village development boundaries as an exception to policy, and this is for
affordable housing. The proposed development does not offer an affordable
development, no evidence has been submitted to demonstrate that this applicant
is in genuine need of an affordable house and there is no intention of
restricting occupancy in future to affordable need, therefore the proposal is
tantamount to a new house in the countryside. The proposal is therefore
contrary to the principles of policies C1, CH7 and CH9 of the Gwynedd Unitary
Development Plan and Supplementary Planning Guidance: Affordable Housing,
Gwynedd Council 2009.
2. The house, by virtue of its size and location would lead to an oppressive intrusion that would be harmful to the amenities of residents of neighbouring properties, especially because of its dominating effect and the overlooking that would result. The application is therefore contrary to Policies B22 and B23 of the Gwynedd Unitary Development Plan.
Supporting documents: