Planning Appraisal Group - TrustNews Sept 12
During the indisposition of the group's chairman over the past 6 months, the panels have continued to view all the applications in our area, and comments have been submitted each week to the planning authority; unfortunately the group's resources could not run to the monthly reports to the trustees or the usual Planning Appraisal Group report in the June Issue of TrustNews. The Trust is particularly grateful to Robin Freeman who has held things together and is undertaking most of the extra work involved.
It is impossible to cover all matters of interest since the March TrustNews, but some of the most interesting have been presentations by intending applicants seeking the Trust's views, sometimes on their own initiative and sometimes suggested to them by the planners. Amongst these was the presentation at the Theatre Royal when the Director set out his proposals for modifications designed to improve access and circulation so that the audience would enter from Tower Street away from the traffic, also introducing the prospect of a paved court between the Theatre and the Discovery Centre, which would reinforce the cultural link between the two and enhance the character of the area. We were disappointed at first when few of our criticisms made at a presentation of the proposed new St Clement's Surgery in Friarsgate were taken up in the subsequent application; however, the planners and councillors agreed with us, so that the scheme was improved before it was approved. Another presentation has given us high hopes for the development of the important Peugeot Garage site; a sketch scheme envisages three terraces parallel with Southgate Street and separated by two courtyards; the all important mews building, preserved and converted, would be seen through the front terrace across the first courtyard, its restored archway giving access to the second courtyard beyond. We also received presentations of revised proposals for housing and a small convenience store on the New Queen's Head site, for the long awaited infill site at 21 a & b Southgate Street (opposite the Hotel du Vin), and for the Fire Station site in North Walls (where our objections to the previous scheme were reported to you in March). Our comments in each case have been well received and have influenced the outcome to a greater or lesser extent.
A matter that has concerned us during this period is the increasing number of applications for loft conversions where they involve over-large, so-called 'dormers'. Roof conversions may be an outcome of the recession, and there is no harm in that. Outside a Conservation Area, however, these 'sheds-on-the-roof', as PAG calls them, come within a householder's Permitted Development rights, the rules for which were unfortunately compiled by a well-meaning civil servant who apparently did not fully understand what was at stake. These 'sheds' are allowed across the full width of a back roof, provided they stop a very few inches short of the ridge, the eaves and the gables, thus destroying the design, compromising the character of the road and gradually the character of Winchester itself. It was clearly assumed that the backs of houses are of little or no importance and that views of gable ends never occur. We would like to think that there may be some scope in the Localism Act for revision of these rules, perhaps in the same way that the National Planning Policy Framework has introduced the concept of Heritage Assets, which should extend protection to buildings considered important by local people even when not listed. We have already seen a case in Winchester where the planners judged Park House in Park Avenue to be a Heritage Asset and refused permission for its demolition, a decision that was subsequently upheld by the appeal inspector. This gives added impetus to the compilation of a Local List, and the Trust would welcome members' suggestions for buildings worthy of inclusion.