Planning permission parking stumbling block

thearchitect

At present you have two car parking spaces in your driveway and a further one in the garage, albeit that the last is used for other purposes.  The original approved scheme is no longer relevant in this regard, I'm afraid, and the planning authority is obliged to determine the application against the provisions of the adopted (local) development plan unless other material considerations dictate otherwise.  You do not have the advantage of the get-out in (for example) the Building Regulations where the requirement is to simply ensure that the completed scheme is no worse than its predecessor.

Your starting point might therefore be what alternative material considerations exist.  If you provided the extra space recently in anticipation of these proposals then that could be mentioned, but in practice I think you need to look more widely.

brightsprite

Ditzy_Mitzy said:

The difficulty here is that you are asking to 'downgrade' the house, in terms of the number of parking spaces offered.  By widening (I assume) the driveway to create side by side parking for two cars, you have moved the house into a position of compliance with the present rules.  Now that it is compliant, it's perfectly reasonable for the council to insist that it remains compliant.  By converting the garage into another room, you are asking for an exception to the rules as the work will make it non-compliant with the requirement for a minimum of three parking spaces.  Generally speaking this sort of thing works like a ratchet mechanism, in that it's only possible to move up.  

Thanks for your comments, I appreciate it, I think I know what you mean. It's not the end of the world if we can't use the garage space, but seems odd to me that I'm being asked to increase an additional parking space to three, when all my neighbours have two spaces, one on the drive and one in the garage. We live up a private driveway, so it doesn't really impact highways anyway. There is a visitors parking space in the front of our house, but they won't count that as it's not fully within our boundary I don't think. 

brightsprite

Doozergirl said:

brightsprite said:

Hi, thanks for the comments so far really helpful. No were not suggesting go to one, we have had our drive extended so can fit two cars on the front. So I’m just suggesting that it remains as it was when they were built. 

Has the officer been out to site? 

Have you stipulated in your application or comments about car parking?  I think it would be prudent to email and let them know that you have created an extra parking space in preparation for this subsequent project and will be maintaining the number of spaces stipulated in the original planning permission.   Point out that you are not making anything worse and that most people do not use garages for parking.  

It's imperative that you spin this as a positive thing to your advantage, not defend it (at least not to start with) - and even then, keep a positive tone).  

Get your neighbours to support the application. As many as you can.  

Everything you submit must be worded positively!! 

Hi, thanks for your helpful comments, no, no-one has been that I'm aware of. The architect has put the plans through and it's only when I've seen the comments from highways on the application about needing three spaces that it's cropped up. I've spoken to planning and they have suggested I speak to highways directly. I'll drop them an email. It just sticks in my throat a bit because there are about three converted garages on this street with no planning, because people don't realise that permitted development has been removed (because of appearance of the area apparently although we aren't in a conservation site and it's not a listed building ). I do things by the book and I have to jump through hoops when it would have been fine under permitted development, we're only looking to go 1.5m into the garage.  

Slinky

Is there any chance of extending your garage 1.5 meters at the front to maintain the overall size of the garage space, without losing a whole parking pace?

[Deleted User]

Your post made me look at my planning permission from 1999. We too had PD removed from converting garages. I remember calling up many years ago to enquire. Ive now found the PP online noting the restriction.
Some neighbours have received PP and I know for a fact that they haven’t increased their drives. 

Have you checked other applications that have been granted locally and saw if they have similar parking to yours? 

brightsprite

thearchitect said:

At present you have two car parking spaces in your driveway and a further one in the garage, albeit that the last is used for other purposes.  The original approved scheme is no longer relevant in this regard, I'm afraid, and the planning authority is obliged to determine the application against the provisions of the adopted (local) development plan unless other material considerations dictate otherwise.  You do not have the advantage of the get-out in (for example) the Building Regulations where the requirement is to simply ensure that the completed scheme is no worse than its predecessor.

Your starting point might therefore be what alternative material considerations exist.  If you provided the extra space recently in anticipation of these proposals then that could be mentioned, but in practice I think you need to look more widely.

Thanks that's really clear advice, it's just one of those things - we might be able to expand our drive to accommodate three spaces. It just seemed an odd one, but I am learning planning laws are not straight forward!  

Ditzy_Mitzy

Silly suggestion: leave garage as is and investigate better sealing methods for the door.  Put plasterboard walls up inside and add a ceiling, carpet the floor and set the washing machine and tumble dryer up at the back.  Attach shelves to the walls, perhaps put in a chest freezer et voila!  A 'utility room' which is still a garage.  Such a thing may make the house more saleable to boot, taking into account the fact that a portion of potential buyers will want a garage and one that's easy to revert to the intended purpose is a better proposition than one already 'converted' with the entrance bricked up.