planning permission refused

toshkininny

Can someone point me in the right direction of some sort of expert that can try and help overturn planning permission refused by the local council.

Is there such a person?!

Thanks

markdavey

You have the right to lodge an appeal. The information should be on your local council website. Failing that, contact the planning inspectorate, they will be able to tell you what the process is although the appeal has to be submitted through your local authority..

Doozergirl

Have you got an architect?

Has the council stated why they have refused?

You can go to appeal, but it's your architect that will help you decide whether that's the right decision or whether some minor amendments to the plans will help them get through.

Cash-Cow_3

Why was it refused can you give us some details?

toshkininny

our proposed 1st floor extension over top of existing garage was deemed to be visually dominant to our next door neighbours, although they've lived with the garage being there for the last 16 years! Apparently it may appear cramped and and not fit in with the street scene (even though we're down a cul-de-sac) Our neighbours haven't objected it's just the council being awkward.

Do I have a right to know who was on the delegation board? Our neighbour's son (with her garden backing on to ours) is on the planning committee for the council, just wondering if she may have had a quiet word, even though there are no objections from neighbours, she may still have put in her two penny's worth.

Cash-Cow_3

Did it go to a committee? It sounds like that if no objections from neighbours a decision was issued under delegated powers to a planning officer. But yes, you can find out who in the council signed it off and made the decision. If committee you can find out who voted for / against it.

You can appeal but speak to your builder / architect at other options for the extension at perhaps reducing the dominance on the street scene, perhaps with a reduced pitch height. Also worth looking in the street and see if other neighbours have done something similar and see how that differs from yours by checking the planning history of any similar extensions.

System

a planning consultant could do it, along with speaking to your local councillor - just because your neighbours didn't object, the planning office have to enforce the local plan for your area. you could proposed etched glass etc to the side of your neighbours, and a street scene just refers to the surrounding buildings, a cul-de-sac still counts!
you have the right to appeal, but it would have been better to try and offer amendments before the permission was refused, normally you (or the agent) are informed before something is refused to give you a chance to amend it - on appeal it goes to a board of councillors so it's as well to get them on side asap!

Cash-Cow_3

the_r_sole wrote: »

a planning consultant could do it, along with speaking to your local councillor - just because your neighbours didn't object, the planning office have to enforce the local plan for your area. you could proposed etched glass etc to the side of your neighbours, and a street scene just refers to the surrounding buildings, a cul-de-sac still counts!
you have the right to appeal, but it would have been better to try and offer amendments before the permission was refused, normally you (or the agent) are informed before something is refused to give you a chance to amend it - on appeal it goes to a board of councillors so it's as well to get them on side asap!

Incorrect on the last point. An appeal is to the Planning Inspectorate who are completely independent from the council.

System

Cash-Cow wrote: »

Incorrect on the last point. An appeal is to the Planning Inspectorate who are completely independent from the council.

must be different here in scotland then, as i've had a few planning appeals, all of which have gone to a planning review body which is made up entirely of councillors

toshkininny

Thanks for answers. What we are doing is in keeping with the local brickwork etc, and in fact planning permission has been given for the same type of house with the same type of extension. But it's to do with the fact our house is slightly forward to our next door neighbours. I asked neighbours if I could look out of window to see what the building work may look like from their angle, and basically they just wouldn't be able to see the bathroom window of another neighbour's house across the road - it's not exactly scenic round here!

Cash-Cow_3

toshkininny wrote: »

Thanks for answers. What we are doing is in keeping with the local brickwork etc, and in fact planning permission has been given for the same type of house with the same type of extension. But it's to do with the fact our house is slightly forward to our next door neighbours. I asked neighbours if I could look out of window to see what the building work may look like from their angle, and basically they just wouldn't be able to see the bathroom window of another neighbour's house across the road - it's not exactly scenic round here!

You can get situations where once you fill in the bit above the garage there is really not much 'air' between the houses. This can give the appearance of it being bulky and dominant next to neighbouring properties. If your house sits a bit forward of others this would exacerbate its view on the street scene.

As I said in an early post, have a look and see if it would be possible to scale down the extension. If this is technically not possible or you don't want to then it's worth appealing.