Borough of Poole
Planning Committee
List of Planning Applications
21 July, 2011
BOROUGH OF POOLE
Planning Committee
DATE: 21 July 2011 at 14.00
NOTES:
1.Items may be taken out of order and therefore no certain advice can be provided about the time at which any item may be considered.
2.Applications can be determined in any manner notwithstanding the recommendation being made.
3.Councillors who are not members of the Planning Committee but who wish to attend to make comments on any application on this list or accompanying agenda are required to give notice by informing the chairman or Head of Planning and Regeneration Services before the meeting.
4.Councillors who are interested in the detail of any matter to be considered should consult the files with the relevant officers to avoid queries at the meeting.
5.Any members of the public wishing to make late additional representations should do so in writing or by contacting their Ward Councillors prior to the meeting.
6.Letters of representation referred to in these reports together with any other background papers may be inspected at any time prior to the Meeting and these papers will be available at the Meeting.
7.For the purposes of the Local Government (Access to Information) Act 1985, unless otherwise stated against a particular report, “background papers” in accordance with section 100D will always include the case officer’s written report and any letters or memoranda of representation received (including correspondence from all internal Borough Council Service Units).
8.Councillors are advised that if they wish to refer to specific drawings/plans which are not part of these papers to contact the relevant case officer at least 24 hours before the meeting to ensure these can be made available.
9.Members are advised that, in order to reduce the size of the agenda, where conditions are marked on the plans list as Standard these will no longer be reported in full. The full wording of the condition can be found either in hard copy in the Members rooms, or via the following link on the Loop
TABLE OF CONTENTS
Planning Committee
21 July 2011 at 14.00
Not before 14:0001 / 10 Crichel Mount Road, Poole, BH14 8LT / APP/11/00207/F / 4
02 / 7 Maxwell Road, Poole, BH13 7JB / APP/11/00686/F / 16
03 / Rear of 44 Wayne Road, Poole, BH12 3LF / APP/11/00493/F / 22
04 / 52 Cranbrook Road, Poole, BH12 3BS / APP/10/01421/F / 29
Not before 15:00
05 / 9 Blake Hill Avenue, Poole, BH14 8QA / APP/11/00615/F / 34
ITEM NO / 01
APPLICATION NO. / APP/11/00207/F
APPLICATION TYPE / Full
SITE ADDRESS / 10 Crichel Mount Road, Poole, BH14 8LT
PROPOSALS / Demolition of existing buildings and erection of four dwelling houses with integral garages (as amended plans received 10th May 2011) (Revised Scheme)
REGISTERED / 8 March, 2011
APPLICANT / Hush Developments (10 Crichel Mount Road) Ltd
AGENT / Tanner and Tilley Planning Ltd
WARD / Penn Hill
CASE OFFICER / Darryl Howells
INTRODUCTION
This application is brought before committee by Councillor Parker in light of residents' concerns and the history of the site.
Recommendation for Grant Subject to Unilateral Undertaking
THE PROPOSAL
Demolition of existing buildings and erection of four dwelling houses with integral garages. (Revised Scheme)
MAIN ISSUES
To consider the impact of the proposals on the local distinctiveness of the area; neighbouring residential amenities; protected trees; and highway safety.
SITE DESCRIPTION
The site is occupied by a detached chalet bungalow, set back within its plot, to the rear of no. 11 and accessed from a driveway which runs parallel to the driveway entrances for no. 9 and no. 11.
The application property and neighbouring properties are sited on top of a plateau, with distant views over Poole. The topography of the site is level at the Crichel Mount Road entrance, leading to the existing chalet bungalow. To the rear of the chalet bungalow the grounds levels fall away significantly by approximately 8 metres, before levelling off and then falling away a further 6 metres dropping down to the level of the public footpath which runs along the rear boundary of the application site.
At the rear of the site (to the west of the existing bungalow), there is a detached garage. The current owner stores motor vehicles but the use of the garage is ancillary to the enjoyment of the dwelling house as such. The access to this garage is off an access lane leading onto Lilliput Road.
The site is surrounded by mature trees covered by a Tree Preservation Order.
To the north of the site, as already mentioned there is a public footpath through a tree lined belt. This footpath runs along the rear of properties in Crichel Mount Road with access points onto Lilliput Road Crichel Mount Road and Bingham Avenue.
RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY
2010: An application to demolish existing dwellings and erect two pairs of linked town houses and a detached dwelling house with integral garages (5 in total) was refused planning permission.
2010: An application to demolish existing buildings and erection of four dwelling houses with integral garages was refused. The reasons for refusal were: -
The proximity and siting of house 3 will be overbearing to and be an un-neighbourly form of development to the occupants of no. 9 Crichel Mount Road and thereby contrary to Policy PCS5 of the Poole Core Strategy (February 2009).
The access to “House 4” off Lilliput Road is substandard with regard to its width especially at the entrance where cars leaving could conflict with cars entering. There are lengths where there is insufficient width to accommodate pedestrians and a car. The access does not have the benefit of street lighting. The proposal fails to promote a safe access for all and as a consequence the intensification of this access will result in increased dangers to the users of this access. As such the development is contrary to Policies T3 and T13 of the Poole Local Plan First Alteration (as amended by Secretary of State Direction 2007) and Policy PCS26 of the Poole Core Strategy Adopted 2009.
The proposed house on plot 4 by reason of its architectural form, scale, mass and choice of materials fails to respect the prevailing character and appearance of dwellings fronting the informal access lane and will therefore have an adversely dominant impact on the character and appearance of its surroundings. The proposal is therefore considered to be contrary to Policies PCS05 and PCS23 of the Core Strategy (2009) which seeks to protect the local distinctiveness of an area or street.
The proposed blocks by reason of their combined bulk, mass, scale and layout will as a result of the proposed plot subdivision have a harmful impact on the sylvan character of the site and its immediate surroundings. Furthermore, the proximity of the proposed dwellings to one another and to the site boundaries together with the retaining walls required would result in a dominance of built form and would be read as one 'entity' that would adversely affect the character and setting of the site from both close and wider views that would erode the landscape features, a characteristic of the area. The proposal is therefore considered to be contrary to Core Strategy Policies PCS05 and PCS23, and policy BE2 and BE3 of the Poole Local Plan First Alteration adopted 2004 (as amended by the secretary of State Direction September 2007).
PRE-APPLICATION ADVICE
February 2010 - Proposal to demolish the existing house and erect 3 detached off Crichel Mount Road and a separate house off the access road. The advice given was the principle of the development was acceptable as the existing house offered little merit to the local distinctiveness of the street scene. No details of layout, external appearance or landscaping were submitted as part of the pre-application discussions.
COMMUNITY CONSULTATION
None.
CONSULTATIONS
None.
REPRESENTATIONS
The Head of Transportation Services - does not object to layout, parking provision and vehicular access arrangements serving the proposed 3 houses off Crichel Mount Road. Concern is raised regarding the highway safety implications of intensifying the use of the lane leading onto Lilliput Road. It is recommended that this 4th house should be refused.
Natural England - No objection.
The Open Spaces Society - Objection. Negative impact on the character and appearance of the area and the sylvan setting.The fourth property at the rear of the site is reached via a public bridle way. This is used frequently by pedestrians including school children on way to school, The proposed fourth house at the rear will compromise pedestrian safety.
Dorset Lake Residents Association - Objection. Overdevelopment of the site. Proposal fails to enhance the area's residential character and adversely affect the amenities of neighbouring properties. The proposal is contrary to Policy PCS5 (iii). Proposed vehicular access to house at rear via bridle way will lead to increase in traffic which on bridle way which is not acceptable as used by pedestrians.
10 letters of objection have been received objecting to the proposed development on the ground that:-
the development will materially harm the character and appearance of the Crichel Mount street scene;
the proposals represent an overdevelopment of the site;
breach of the rear building line will cause house 3 to be overbearing on neighbouring amenities;
the harm to pedestrians through vehicles crossing the Bridle way off Lilliput Road;
inappropriate design of houses will be detriment to the wider area; and
the noise that will be generated by 3 houses rather than the current one.
PLANNING CONSIDERATIONS
POLICY AND GUIDANCE
The following policies are listed as applying to this application.
Poole Core Strategy (Adopted February 2009)
PCS05Broad Locations for Residential Development
PCS23Local Distinctiveness
PCS28Dorset Heaths International Designations
PCS32Sustainable Homes
Local Plan First Alteration Adopted 2004
T03Provision for Pedestrians in New Development
NE27Individual or Grouped Trees
L17Provision for Recreational Facilities
NE28Tree Preservation Orders
T11Car Parking Maxima
T13Traffic Generated by Development
BE02Landscaping
BE03Topography
PLANNING JUDGEMENT
The current proposals seek to overcome the reasons for refusal attached to application APP/10/00549/F. The main differences between the two schemes are as follows: -
House nos.1, 2 & 3 have been redesigned and significantly reduced in mass.
Gaps between House nos. 1 & 2 and 2 & 3 have increased to enable greater separation and additional tree planting.
House no.3 no longer intrudes beyond a 45 degree window line of the neighbouring property at no.9 Crichel Mount Road.
House no.4 (also known as the lower house) has been redesigned, and now appears as a pitched roof dwelling.
Additional information regarding traffic movements of the existing garage along the narrow access off Lilliput Road has been submitted.
From the Crichel Mount Road streetscene the existing bungalow is set back from the road with limited views of the property from outside the site. However from the footpath at the rear of the site, the bungalow is visible through trees that are positioned along the boundary and around the application property. Whilst sited on top of a plateau the bungalow does not appear a dominant feature on the landscape.
The character of the site and surrounding area is of residential properties sat on a plateau off Crichel Mount Road amongst a sylvan setting, properties can be seen within the immediate locality both from the footpath and from more distance views for example when travelling along Lilliput Road.
Whilst the trees along the boundary of the site, adjacent to the footpath, are being retained, the appearance and character of the site and resultant development, in particular given the topography and level of landscaping would materially change as a result of these proposals.
The proposed development of the 3 detached houses accessed from Crichel Mount Road are to be dwellings set into the current undulating landscape topography with existing ground levels remodelled, in that the resulting garden area would be tiered supported by retaining walls. Therefore whilst from the streetscene of Crichel Mount Road the dwellings will appear as 2 storey dwellings, from the rear the dwellings will be clearly read as 4 storey dwellings.
The revised design solutions of house nos. 1, 2 & 3 have sought to reduce the depth and width of the buildings in order to provide greater separation between built form and provision for tree planting to reinforce the sylvan setting. The design of house no.2 includes a pull back from the adjacent public footpath by 5.5 metres although the width of the building remains consistent. The reduction increases the distance of separation from the footpath to ensure that the building appears less dominant. Similarly, house no.3 has been reduced in scale. It is considered that the proximity and scale of this part of the development will now enable greater landscaping to positively contribute to the visual amenities of the area. It is however considered that notwithstanding these changes the massing of the buildings will remain in view, and as importantly the amount of excavations necessary to achieve the 2 lower stories would remove boundary landscaping and result in exposed retaining walls which would be apparent to short distant views.
The distant views of the development would consist of straight edges, rendered/ timber cladding surfaces and aluminium roofing where at present, soft landscaping and vegetation is visible. The submitted drawings illustrate constituted stone cladding retaining walls between to the sides of the proposed houses.
This finely balanced recommendation recognises the contemporary form of development and how this is appropriate to the locality with the revisions to the scale, mass, bulk, height and resultant impact. Whilst some impact will remain this is no longer considered to be as harmful to the character and appearance of the area, and therefore accords with Policies PCS23 and PCS05 of the Core Strategy 2009 and Policies BE2 and BE3 of the Poole Local Plan as amended.
Turning to house 4, which is sited at the rear of the site accessed off Lilliput Road, the contemporary design influence continues however the building has been remodelled to reflect the traditional form and shape of houses fronting the lane. The character of the access lane is informal, with landscaping framing the lane, and cottage style 2 storey buildings with pitched roofs fronting the roadside. The proposed dwelling incorporates a pitched roof of a height which is similar to nos. 10/ 12 adjacent. The proposed dwelling retains its contemporary architecture and will be built using modern materials which will appear at odds with the prevailing form of development. However with the retained front landscape this may not appear overbearing in the streetscene.
The proposed development will not materially harm neighbouring residential amenities. The windows to the side of the houses have been positioned to prevent harmful overlooking of neighbouring and respectively proposed properties. The side elevation of the house 3 will be 1.8 metres from the common boundary with no.9 but the main bulk of the house has been repositioned back towards Crichel Mount Road, thereby ensuring that the development does not protrude past a 45 degree outlook of the neighbouring house, to improve their residential amenities. There are no windows (except an obscured glazed en-suite) on the side elevation facing towards no.9 Crichel Mount Road. Furthermore the orientation of the building will be to the north of the neighbour's garden and therefore the proposed house will not appear overbearing. It is recognised that the neighbour's aspect will materially change, but not to the extent that justifies refusal of the application on amenity grounds. It is however recognised that this relies upon the retention of any boundary landscape, which needs demonstrating through conditions.
The proposed development will require the removal of 2 trees positioned in the rear garden of house 1 and 2 more to the side of the proposed house on plot 4. The arboricultural report which accompanies the application identifies these trees as being either dead or their condition questions the long term contribution to amenity. The surrounding boundary to the north of the site is substantially screened by mature trees being retained so the loss of the 4 trees is considered acceptable. As replacement and to form part of an integrated woodland management strategy it is proposed to plant 36 trees of varying specification and size and therefore the proposals would accord with Policies NE28 and NE27 of the Poole Local Plan (as amended).
Each proposed house will have 4 car parking spaces per residential property which accords with the Council's adopted parking guidelines.
With regards to house 4, this will be served by a private lane off Lilliput Road. Traffic movements to this dwelling will be more than the existing garage. The private lane is narrow in width and unsurfaced with no defined footway, and currently serves 7 dwellings. The applicant has attempted to overcome the original reason for refusal with additional information based upon likely traffic movements, which have been considered but rejected. It is the view of the Head of Transportation Services that the intensification of this access will prejudice the safety of pedestrians above and beyond that of the existing garage use, which is used as ancillary accommodation to the existing house off Crichel Mount Road, which itself has a integral garage. However no evidence has been submitted by the Head of Transportation Services of any accidents nor that the current situation is unacceptable and in need of mitigation. Actually the informal surface of the lane, being gravel with potholes consequently forces drivers to drive slowly along its length which improves pedestrian safety beyond a standardised, formalised road surface where vehicles would be given priority.