Agenda item

Erection of two 2-storey buildings to provide 8no. self contained flats, including landscaping and arboricultural works.

The Committee received the report of the Head of Development Management, including the relevant planning history of the site and details of responses to the application.

The Principal Planning Officer introduced the item.  He explained that the application proposed the erection of two 2-storey buildings to provide 8 self-contained flats. The applicant had submitted amended plans to address concerns about the dominance of the proposed buildings in relation to the neighbouring terraced houses in Oxford Street and comments received from the Conservation Manager.

Attention was drawn to the update sheet, which included some additional representations.

The Chair invited local resident, Pascale Amouret, to speak in objection to the application.  Speaking on behalf of local residents, Ms Amouret described the historic architecture of the Vicarage conservation area.  Residents considered that the proposed development would have a negative impact on surrounding properties, particularly those in Oxford Street.

The proposed development was too high and out of character with the local area.  It would both overlook and restrict light into neighbouring properties and gardens.  There were also concerns about the loss of protected trees on the application site and about the maintenance of the replacement planting.

Parking was a problem locally, and residents were extremely concerned about the additional parking pressures that the development would generate in surrounding roads.

The Chair invited Helen Cuthbert from Planning Potential to speak for the application.  Ms Cuthbert described the development as an efficient use of the available space on the site.

Developers had consulted at length with officers at Watford Borough Council and had also sought to engage in discussions with local residents to secure the best design solution.  This took into account the need to protect some trees, particularly the sycamore, and concerns about the height and impact of the development as well as any overlooking from the flats.

Occupiers of the new flats would not be entitled to parking permits for Controlled Parking Zone K, but it was considered unlikely that they would own cars.

Thanking the two speakers, the Chair invited Councillor Dhindsa, Vicarage Ward Councillor to speak to the committee.  Councillor Dhindsa considered that the application was an inappropriate development for the Square conservation area, citing its disproportionate mass, bulk and scale.  There was little green space in Vicarage and this development represented a significant loss.

He questioned the developer’s assertion that future occupiers were unlikely to own cars, suggesting that a figure of two vehicles per household was more probable.  This would present substantial parking difficulties in already overcrowded streets.

Inviting comments from the committee, members expressed the view that the modern development was ugly and out of keeping with historic buildings in the surrounding area.  Whilst it might have sought to respond to adjacent buildings with its window sizes and proportions, the development did little to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of the conservation area.

There were concerns about the loss of protected trees and the signal this sent to the validity of tree preservation orders.

Members considered that the benefits of the proposed building in the Square conservation area did not outweigh the harm that would be caused to it by the development.

The Chair invited Councillor Bell to propose his motion to refuse the application.

Councillor Bell moved that the application be refused on the grounds that the development would not enhance or better reveal the significance of the conservation area.  Moreover, the public benefits of the proposal, in this case the eight flats – assuming this was the optimum viability, did not outweigh the change to the conservation area.

RESOLVED –

That planning permission be refused for the following reason:

The design of the proposed development fails to preserve or enhance the character and appearance of The Square Conservation Area and is therefore contrary to Policies UD1 and UD2 of the Watford Local Plan Core Strategy 2006-31, “saved” Policy U18 of the Watford District Plan 2000 and national planning policy in section 12 of the National Planning Policy Framework.