Issue - meetings

Part retrospective: erection of raised terrace area including associated steps, landscaping and plant room following alterations to existing rear patio, plant room and hard surfacing at Sandalwood, 7a Wolsey Road, Moor Park, Northwood.

Recommendation: that part retrospective planning permission be approved subject to conditions.

Councillor Morris left the meeting and did not return.

Councillor Ranger left the meeting during the item and did not return.

The application was part retrospective for erection of raised terrace area including associated steps, landscaping and plant room following alterations to existing rear patio, plant room and hard surfacing at Sandalwood, 7a Wolsey Road, Moor Park, Northwood.

The Planning Officer reported that the reason for Condition 4 had been omitted from the report in error.  This would be added in the event that planning permission was granted.

Parish Councillor Elizabeth Willetts of Batchworth Community Council spoke against the application.

A local resident spoke against the application.

Points raised by the speakers included: the site had been subject to a number of planning applications and there had been ongoing disruptive works over a significant period of time, which had included non-compliance with planning controls; appeals against a previous refusal of planning permission and an enforcement notice had been dismissed for reasons which included the detrimental impact on neighbouring amenity; there remained insufficient regard to neighbouring amenity within this amended application; the applicant continued to show no regard for neighbouring residents or for planning controls; despite the reduction in height, the terraced area within the amended application would continue to impact the privacy of number 9 by overlooking;  and the proposed planting on top of the raised patio in order to provide screening was impractical to maintain and was unlikely to thrive.

Committee Members asked questions about the detail of the application which were responded to by officers.  The Committee’s discussions included the following:

·      A Committee Member commented that the new orientation of the plant room meant that the doors (rather than the wall) would now face towards the neighbouring property.  There was therefore potential for disturbance to be caused should any noise emitting equipment be contained within it, as well as privacy concerns should the equipment need to be accessed frequently.  The Planning Officer responded that the equipment to be housed within the plant room comprised a water tank and booster which served the underfloor heating system.  Officers had visited on a number of occasions and were satisfied that it was not unduly noisy and was sufficiently enclosed so as not to impact on neighbouring amenity.  Maintenance was likely to be needed on an annual basis, but aside from this the doors were unlikely to be opened and closed on a regular basis.  A Committee Member expressed the view that even a low level of noise, if persistent, could cause disturbance.  For this reason, it was recommended that a condition be added which required the doors to the plant room to be fixed shut other than during maintenance activities.

·      For the reasons set out in the report, officers were of the view that the amended application represented a betterment to what could be lawfully implemented under the previous grant of planning permission and the enforcement notice and would be less impactful on the neighbouring property.  Condition 2 required the applicant  ...  view the full minutes text for item 155