Erection of 5 bedroom detached dwelling with integral garage

The application sought permission for the erection of a five bedroom detached dwelling with integral garage.  The item had been deferred at the May meeting to allow clarification from the Highways Authority on matters previously raised and whether their concerns had been satisfied.

Members’ attention was brought to further information contained within the late observations sheet but did not propose any amendments or changes to the recommendation before the Committee.

The Committee was addressed by the following speakers:

Against the Application:       David Alcock

For the Application:              Mark Batchelor

Parish Representative:         -

Local Members:                     Cllr. Fleming  and Cllr. Dawson

Members asked questions of clarification from the Speakers and Officers. The case Officer confirmed that the application in 2010 had been recommended for approval but was unclear on the application in 2009.  It was confirmed that a condition for soft landscaping could be included to ensure that the hedging was kept.

It was moved by the Chairman and duly seconded that the recommendation in the report to grant planning permission subject to conditions be agreed. 

Members expressed concern that the proposed property would have a detrimental impact on the street scene.  It would be out of character as there were no other three storey properties in the area and the bulk of the property would result in a lack of usable amenity space for both properties.  Members noted that the Sevenoaks Residential Character Area Assessment had been adopted since the previous appeal decision which provided more detailed guidance on the characteristics of the area and the type of development that would be acceptable than was available at the time of the previous decision.  There appeared to be sufficient changes in planning policy to justify a different decision from when the Planning Inspector considered it in 2011.

The motion was put to the vote and it was lost.

It was moved by Cllr. Miss. Thornton and duly seconded that planning permission be refused on the grounds that the application did not comply with the Residential Character Area Assessment SPD, the lack of amenity space for both properties, and the negative impact of existing neighbours.

The motion was put to the vote and it was unanimously 

Resolved:  That planning permission be REFUSED for the following reasons:

1)    The proposal would harm the character and appearance of the street scene. This is due to the fact that the large bulk, size and scale of the proposed house would have a dominant and overbearing effect on the street scene and on neighbouring properties. In addition, the size of the plot does not compare with others in the locality and together with the large size of the proposed dwelling would result in a cramped development. This conflicts with policy SP1 of the Core Strategy, EN1 of the Local Plan and the Sevenoaks Residential Character Area Assessment Supplementary Planning Document adopted in 2012.

2)    The proposal would result in both the new property and the existing property, 9 Mount Harry Road, being left with insufficient amenity space, exacerbated by the substantial size of the Horse Chestnut tree to the rear of the site, which is covered by a Tree Preservation Order. The development would therefore result in an unsatisfactory environment for current and future occupants of No.9 and the new property. This conflicts with policy EN1 of the Local Plan.

3)    The proposal would lead to a requirement to contribute towards affordable housing provision. In the absence of a completed Section 106 obligation to secure an appropriate level of affordable housing provision, the development would be contrary to policy SP3 of the Core Strategy.