Planning - revised garage and parking layout

Willdabeast

Hi,

We have put a reservation fee down for a new build property, but would like to explore making a change to the garage and parking layout. Does anybody have any experience in this field who could offer some advise on if the changes would meet planning requirements? The below picture shows the existing and new layouts, the new layout would provide 3 parking spaces (2 in a garage) and a reversing turning circle at the front of the house. The house is accessed from a 'C' road.



Any feedback on this before we submit a revised planning application would be appreciated.

Thanks

Debbie_Savard

I don't understand what you're trying to achieve, it looks like the garage is being moved 2m to the right???

Many Planners would object that this starts to turn a row of detached properties into the look of a terrace

Willdabeast

You are correct - 2M to the right equals 2M of extra lawn and patio area as opposed to empty parking spaces we wouldn't use...

EachPenny

Willdabeast wrote: »

You are correct - 2M to the right equals 2M of extra lawn and patio area as opposed to empty parking spaces we wouldn't use...

If I've understood the plans correctly, then you are reducing from 4 parking spaces to only 3? Whether that gets approved will depend on the council's parking standards and I suspect (because of the layout of the two external spaces) that the council requires a minimum of 4 spaces.

If you squeek through on the number of spaces the next thing to be looked at is the layout. The problem is the third (exterior) parking space encroaches on the area marked as 'turning space' - effectively making that area unusable as turning space. You can try to argue that you will only ever own one or two cars, but that will carry no weight with the planning officers if their parking standards require more spaces.

You need to consider the practicality of getting a car out of the garage. The garage space nearest to the house is obstructed by a car parked in the external space, but more importantly, the garage space further away from the house can only be reversed out of by shunting back and forth because it is so close to the boundary.

With the garage further away from the boundary in the currently approved design, three of the four spaces can be used without moving any other vehicle and without the need to reverse in or out of the property from the road.

As it is a 'C' class road reversing in or out from the road may not be a problem, but that depends on what else is going on with the road and the attitude of the councils highways planning officers.

Looking at the plan overall you lose a parking space and make the parking spaces proposed very difficult to use in order to gain a few sqm of lawn and patio. The patio could be extended in the original design without having any impact on the parking arrangements, or on the position of the garage in relation to the neighbouring property.

If it landed on my desk I'd be suggesting refusal.

But, subject to other constraints, it could be possible to rearrange everything on the plot to give a much more efficient use of space. I would look at rotating the garage 90 degrees and moving it to the front left-hand corner of the plot, moving the house to the right and further back from the road, and having the vehicular entrance roughly where the word 'permitted' currently is.

Willdabeast

Thanks for the detailed reply, much appreciated!

The points you listed are as I feared with the loss of one parking space and limited turning space. Unfortunately the house foundations are going in as we speak, so we might have to settle for the existing plan.

Thanks again

EachPenny

Willdabeast wrote: »

The points you listed are as I feared with the loss of one parking space and limited turning space. Unfortunately the house foundations are going in as we speak, so we might have to settle for the existing plan.

If you've got time before work starts on the garage then it is still worth asking the question. I'm making an assumption about the parking standards (the council may adopt a more relaxed approach) and things like the turning area are a matter of judgement - some council staff will see it as a problem, others will just stamp 'no objection'.

PasturesNew

I bet it wouldn't be allowed as the new design has a building too close to next door and the boundary ... a building that, in the future, has the potential to be converted into some form of dwelling space, so it might break the "too close to the boundary" rules the council are following in that area.

I'd imagine a neighbour might put in a complaint on the basis that: If they put that there, then in 5 years they might be putting in for a house with a 2nd storey there and it's all way too close.

Debbie_Savard

Sounds like the ship has sailed, but I'd have tried to link the house and garage. It's very useful having an attached garage so you can run a 2nd freezer etc and not have to go 'out' to access.