Agenda item

Conversion of loft space to habitable use to include raising ridge height, roof lights to front, rear and side, rear half-hipped loft window, and amendments to fenestration.

Recommendations: Approval

RESOLVED: That the application be approved as per officer recommendation.

Conversion of loft space to habitable use to include raising ridge height, roof lights to front, rear and side, rear half-hipped loft window, and amendments to fenestration.

Officers introduced the application, took Members through the plans and addendum. A recommendation for approval and sec 106 was made.

The Legal Advisor advised that the petitioner’s additional documents had been submitted late and had not been considered by Members. It was agreed that the representation would proceed without referring to them, with the relevant extract read aloud within the allocated speaking time.

The petitioner addressed the Committee in objection to the proposal, stating that No. 38 Frays Avenue was located within a valued area of special local character, originally developed predominantly with bungalows, where three?storey properties were not characteristic. Concern was raised that raising the roof and adding dormer windows would result in an unattractive crown roof that conflicted with local design guidance and harmed the character of the area. It was argued that a neighbouring property should not be treated as a precedent and that approval could lead to further similar developments, fundamentally altering the character of the Garden City area. Reference was made to the loss of character in another conservation area due to cumulative permitted development. The Committee was asked to refuse the application in order to protect the area’s special character.

The agent was not in attendance.

Members acknowledged concerns about changes to the area’s character but noted that existing nearby three?storey development made resistance difficult. The petitioner maintained that such development remained out of keeping with the predominantly bungalow?led area and highlighted that earlier approvals risked eroding its special character.

Councillor Jan Sweeting, Ward Councillor for West Drayton, addressed the Committee in support of the petitioners and stated that the proposal would harm the character of the Garden City area of special local character. Reference was made to a residents’ report submitted in 2021, which set out principles to prevent overdevelopment, including limiting extensions to two storeys and opposing crown roofs. It was submitted that the proposal conflicted with these principles, would set an undesirable precedent and further erode the area’s distinctive character. Members were urged to refuse the application and work with residents to protect the area.

Members sought clarification on whether neighbouring properties amounted to threestorey development and how those permissions had been granted. Officers clarified that surrounding properties were twostorey dwellings with accommodation in the roof space and that a modest increase in ridge height did not constitute an additional storey. It was explained that nearby permissions had been granted through delegated decisions and appeal, establishing a relevant precedent. Officers advised that the proposed roof increase was limited, the crown roof was modest and not visible from the street and that refusal would be unlikely to withstand appeal. Members acknowledged that while the area’s character had evolved over time, a precedent had been established.

The application was proposed and seconded for approval in accordance with the officer recommendation.

RESOLVED: That the application be approved as per officer recommendation.