An inspector appointed by the Secretary of State has upheld a planning committee’s decision to refuse plans to extend a detached house in Saltford.
A Bath & North East Somerset Council planning officer had recommended that the plans for a two-storey side extension, new front gable façade and first-floor rear balcony at Staddle Stones at 5 Saltford Court be approved.
But as the parish council had flagged up concerns about overdevelopment and the “sensitive” location, the plans were determined by B&NES Council’s planning committee, which rejected them.
The committee said the extension would be a “disproportionate” addition to the original building and therefore inappropriate development in the Green Belt.
Due to its scale and design, it would be out of keeping with the character of the surrounding area and result in less than substantial harm to Saltford Conservation Area.
The owners said it was “unreasonable and unfounded for the planning committee to disregard the clear professional advice from officers about the acceptability of the scheme”.
Their appeal highlighted that the majority of the two-storey side extension would be relatively traditional and although the proposed glazed link would be more modern, the location of the plot is “tucked away” and the link would be masked from a number of angles until up close to the house.
The property is one of a group of houses accessed from a private road that passes along the side of Grade II-listed Saltford House.
Built in the early 1980s, 5 Saltford Court is outside of the Green Belt but a portion of the proposed two-storey side extension would fall within it.
The inspector found that the proposed development would not amount to inappropriate development in the Green Belt and would preserve the character and appearance of Saltford House.
But whilst acknowledging that most of the extension would be outside Saltford Conservation Area (CA) as it would straddle the boundary, the inspector said the view from within the CA would be of “a sizeable extension that detracts from the existing character and appearance of the host building”.
“In any event, the part of the extension outside the CA would have a negative impact on its setting.”
The inspector considered that although the natural stone finished section of the extension would be in keeping, the glazed link would be a modern introduction into the conservation area.
“Whilst the height of the extension would be lower than the ridge of the host building, the overall scale of the proposed development would represent a substantial addition to the property, significantly increasing the width and resulting in a visually prominent and dominant building on a street with well-proportioned dwellings.
“The new façade on the front of the e existing building would only serve to exacerbate the jarring nature of the proposal.”
