Site address:                   22 Charlbury Road, Oxford, OX2 6UU              

Proposal:                        Demolition of existing extensions. Erection of a basement and two single storey rear extensions. Insertion of 7no. rooflights and alterations to landscaping including formation of a new wall and railings. (Amended plans and description).  

Reason at Committee:     This application has been called in by Cllr Wade, Cllr Goff, Cllr Fooks and Cllr Wilkinson due to impact on the conservation area, impact of the proposed basement extension, light pollution and effects on residential amenity of a backland development.

Recommendation:

The West Area Planning Committee is recommended to:

(a) Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report; and

(b) Agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services to:

1. Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services considers reasonably necessary

The Committee considered an application for the demolition of existing extensions; erection of a basement and two single storey rear extensions; insertion of 7 rooflights and alterations to landscaping including formation of a new wall and railings.

This application has been called in by Cllr Wade, Cllr Goff, Cllr Fooks and Cllr Wilkinson due to impact on the conservation area, impact of the proposed basement extension, light pollution and effects on residential amenity of a backland development.

The Planning Officer presented the report and explained that the report applies the tests of the NPPF as set out in Paragraph 10.20. However, the report does not make specific reference to the weight that is attached to the Conservation Area. For clarity, the Planning Officer confirmed that great weight is attached to the North Oxford Victorian Suburb Conservation Area as a designated heritage asset and the proposals have been assessed with this in mind and following the requirements set out in paragraphs 132-134 of the NPPF.

Oliver Miles, local resident, spoke against the application on behalf of the Linton Road Neighbourhood Association.

James Roach and Nick Worlledge (Architects) spoke in support of the application.

The Committee discussion included but was not limited to the following points:

• Confirmation from officers that appropriate landscaping and tree planting could be secured by condition
• That as this was a residential property it would not be appropriate for the Committee to seek to control any potential light pollution by condition
• That there were no policy reasons to refuse the application because of the proposal to install a car lift, turning circle and basement parking
• That the proposed landscaping treatment in the front garden, including the replacement trees, would be controlled by condition
• That the development was not considered to be out of proportion given the size and scale of the existing house and plot

The Committee considered at some length the relative merits of railings or feather edged board fencing as the preferred treatment for the front boundary.  The Committee noted the arguments presented in paragraphs 10.17 and 10.18 of the report and concluded that on balance they considered that railings would not be acceptable and that the feather edged board fencing would be the better choice. 

The Committee agreed that Condition 11 should be amended to require the boundary treatment to be feather edged board fencing rather than railings.

In reaching its decision, the Committee considered all the information put before it.

On being put to the vote the Committee agreed with the officer recommendation.

The West Area Planning Committee resolved to:

(a)  Approve the application for the reasons given in the report and subject to the required 11 planning conditions set out in section 12 of this report, and to include the amendment  to Condition 11  detailed above;

(b)  Agree to delegate authority to the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services to:

1. Finalise the recommended conditions as set out in this report including such refinements, amendments, additions and/or deletions as the Head of Planning, Sustainable Development and Regulatory Services considers reasonably necessary.