It has been another hugely successful summer here at Fuller Long, with a plethora of successful planning applications and planning appeals.
Planning Appeal in Rochford
We have recently been granted planning permission at appeal for a property in Rochford, Essex. Our client approached us after their original planning application was refused. The purpose of the application was to provide much-needed amendments to their home in order to make it more accessible for the owner’s disabilities. The changes include a side and rear extension as well as internal and external modifications to help improve the owners standard of living.
The design and configuration of the extensions were directly informed by the recommendations of the retained occupational therapist in accordance with ‘best practice’ guidance on space requirements and clearance areas. This report on the recommendations of the occupational therapist was submitted as part of our appeal documentation. Other designs were considered however this was decided that the proposed caused the least impact on the residential amenities of the neighbouring houses.
Our consultant made a strong case that the extensions would be sympathetic to the design of the existing dwelling and therefore would not cause an adverse effect on the visual amenity of the street scene or the character of the area as a whole. There were no windows proposed on the side elevations of the extension and therefore there would be no unacceptable impact upon neighbouring private amenity caused by overlooking.
It was further argued that although the policy is, of course, the starting point for considering any development proposal, it needs to be weighed up against other material considerations such as the special circumstances in this case relating to the needs of the occupant. Due to the reasons put forward by our team, the Planning Inspectorate agreed the proposal represented a sustainable development that complied with Local Development Framework (LDF) Policies DM1 and SPD2 and granted full planning permission.
Planning Application in Surrey
We have also been successful in an application for a vehicular access in Kingston-upon-Thames, Surrey. The proposal involved removing a portion of the site boundary and laying a porous parking surface in its place. Following an initial assessment, our consultants were confident that a case could be made, moving towards a formal submission which led to convincing the Council that the proposal met with both planning policy and highway safety policies.
Our client was thrilled with our work, stating “I would highly recommend using FullerLong to act as a planning agent! In particular, David Armstrong who dealt with my proposal swiftly and carefully to get the planning permission I was seeking. We did face a few challenges however David’s persistence definitely helped gain a successful outcome. I contacted numerous other planners in London, however, found none to be as willing and committed. I’ve recommended work colleagues and friends to use Fuller Long. I’ll be in touch in future”.
Planning Appeal in East Molesey
We have also recently been granted planning permission at appeal for a house extension in East Molesey, following the demolition of the previous outbuilding.
The reason for the previous refusal given by the Council was the overbearing impact and loss of light that the extension would have on the neighbouring properties under Policy DM2 of the Elmbridge Local Plan Development Management Plan. Our consultant considered the site and made a case that the scheme was significantly altered to overcome previous concerns and that in the Design and Character Supplementary Planning Documents it states that “if a single storey extension does not project more than 3 metres rearwards, the effect on natural light is minimal”.
Our appeal statement demonstrated that the extension, by reason of its overall design, modest height and setbacks from the boundary will not result in a detrimental impact on neighbouring properties in terms of loss of light or overbearing, and the Planning Inspectorate were more than happy to grant permission.
Variation of a Condition in London
We recently received a glowing review from one of our clients: “We are very happy with the service provided by Tom. Tom has not only been very professional throughout the process but also very positive and therefore kept us very optimistic throughout the wait. We would highly recommend Tom’s service to everybody.”
This review is for an application that our consultant submitted for the variation of a condition relating to a previous consent. Our applicant had recently relocated premises into a retail unit where the opening hours were specified as between 09:00 and 20:00 Mondays to Saturdays and closed on Sundays/bank holidays. Our successful application varied these opening hours to allow the retail unit to be open until 21:00 Monday-Saturday and from 10:00 until 20:00 on Sundays and bank holidays.
Our client already had a strong following from local customers, however in order to compete with neighbouring shops and to develop as a business and maximise the evening trade, it was necessary to increase the opening hours of the business. Our consultant put forward the argument that by allowing increased opening hours, it would not only allow the shop to compete, but also allow for additional staff to be employed and for the existing staff to enjoy more flexible working arrangements. Increased opening hours would also have the added economic benefit of bolstering the vitality of the surrounding area. Given the size and nature of the shop, it was not considered that the increased opening hours would result in material harm to amenities of the neighbouring occupiers.
The Council agreed with us that the increased opening hours would help to deliver employment growth, strengthen the local economy and add to the vitality of the area, and therefore granted permission for the variation of conditions.
If you are looking for the right consultants to assist with planning permission or a planning appeal for your residential or commercial development, look no further. Fuller Long have worked on a variety of schemes across the UK with considerable success. To see how Fuller Long can help with your project, call 0808 164 1288 or email hello@fullerlong.com to speak with one of our Consultants today.
