Agenda item

To consider the report of the Assistant Director City Development.

(Report circulated)

The Senior Area Planning Officer presented the application for the replacement of garage doors with french doors/windows to facilitate an additional unit of accommodation at 4 Dart Walk, Exeter.

This was a retrospective application. The property was owned and run by a Home Care Agency which provided an element of care to the occupants.  A carer lived at the address. The applicant's agent advised that the use was ancillary to 4 Dart Walk and was not a separate dwelling.  Internally, the former garage contained a kitchen and a bathroom and was capable of being occupied without using any facilities within the main dwelling. The garage could be accessed via a door from the back garden of 4 Dart Walk and also off the rear drive via two patio doors which were in the place of the former garage doors.

Members were circulated with an update sheet - attached to minutes.

The recommendation was for refusal subject to the reasons as set out in the report.

In response to Members, the Senior Area Planning Officer advised that it would be possible to add conditions to seek to ensure that any conversion was ancillary to 4 Dart Walk and making it a personal consent to the applicant.

Mr Coles (representing local residents) spoke against the application. He circulated electronic photograph’s of the garage and surrounding area. He raised the following points:-

• the parking of vehicles outside the garage of 4 Dart Walk caused access problems to the garages of 5 and 6 Dart Walk; there was a right of way over part of the area, where vehicles parked, outside the garage of 4 Dart Walk
• if permission was granted this garage should not be independent to the main dwelling as it could be sold off in years to come
• the conversion of the garage caused parking problems in the area.

In response to Members, Mr Coles clarified that vehicles parked on an area outside of the garage of 4 Darts Walk which was a turning area/right of way and caused problems for the residents of 5 and 6 Dart Walk in accessing their garages and parking spaces; and 5 and 6 Dart Walk had single garages with a parking space in front.

During discussion, Members raised the following points:-

• any accommodation would need to be ancillary to the main dwelling and should have a personal consent
• the garage was built for a purpose and it would create a precedent should this application be given permission
• some uncertainty as to the parking area and rights of way to rear of 4, 5 and 6 Dart Walk.

The Senior Area Planning Officer clarified that there were two parking spaces to the front of 4 Dart Walk.

The Planning Solicitor advised that any conditions would not cover any areas outside of the application site and the parking of vehicles to the rear outside of the garage to 4 Dart Walk would be difficult to monitor.

RESOLVED that planning permission for replacement of garage doors with french doors/windows to facilitate an additional unit of accommodation be refused for the following reasons:-

(Report circulated)