4m x 3m Omlet pen, cube, new auto door still boxed and coop light

[Willow]

Has anyone else found their planning dept decisions to be bizarre ?

 

Our next door neighbour wants to knock down his flat roofed double garage and replace it with a single storey pitched roof single garage and room on same space. There have been no objections from neighbours and we wrote in to support it. We're in a cul de sac with a variety of house styles built early 60's and all have been extended in different ways so no two houses are the same anymore. They are directly opposite the infant school car park so no one directly opposite.

 

And the council have rejected it saying it is not in keeping and not of sufficient quality. Picture looks nicer than the flat roofed garage they have now.

 

I'm mystified why they would reject it if no one in the road objects, we're not a through road and there's no historic merit to the houses

[bluekarin]

I've not had to do the planning office thing, but from what I've heard I think they are a law unto themselves. Personally I think they draw decisions out of hats.

[fowlbird]

I've not had to do the planning office thing, but from what I've heard I think they are a law unto themselves. Personally I think they draw decisions out of hats.

I agree with that - we applied for planning permission for a loft conversion - it would have had quite a large dormer on the side of the house and, admittedly, we are on a bit of a hill so it's high up but several houses around here have the same dormer. Anyway, permission was refused. The planning officer said that the line had to be drawn somewhere and just because former mistakes had been made...

 

BUT... she did write later and say that the law changed in October 08 and that she thought our loft came within it's provisions as a 'permitted development'. It might be worth your neighbour checking to see if the garage plans come under that.

[chickenanne]

They're insane. Planners don't seem to ahve a clue really.

 

We live in agricultural land, all used as grazing only as it's heavy wet clay, flat and gets very watterlogged (it's also incredibly windy). The field at the back of us was granted planning permission for a house to support a new agricultural business, on what is actually 10 acres of windswept bog. The business plan includes a year-round organic box scheme, supplying local pubs etc, turkeys and geese, and pigs. The poultry I guess would be fine, the box scheme I can't see working year-round becuase of the soil being so poor, and there simply isn't enough space to raise commercial levels of pigs given that it's grassland on waterlogged clay: it will just get churned to mud.

The people who own it haven't done anything other than building a driveway to the house since buying the field a couple of years ago; not even planting veg for their own use. The councils agricultural consultant report said it wouldn't be a viable business, and anyway did not warrant a permanent house being built there.

The people who own it have no experience at all. And they wouldn't get permission for the house for a hobby farm, it has to be the main income of the house (incidentally, a 300 square metre, two storey house).

 

Excuse my cynisism, but how could anyone believe that they really want to farm the land, have the resources and skills to do it successfull, and won't give up the first time they get cold hands?

 

Yet they got planning anyway, on the basis of who they knew.

 

On top of this, they seem to feel that we objected because we're "stupid townies". I grew up on a 20 acre smallholding, and at least have experienced lambing, poultry-keeping, veg growing, and the like, not that it's relevant. I would put money on them objecting incredibly strongly if someone wanted to build on land adjoining theirs.

 

I could rant all day about it....

[Sunshine]

When we moved into our current house the previous owners had built a large room off the kitchen to keep their snooker table. They didn't get planning permision for it so when we brought the house we got a letter from the coucil telling us they wouldn't come and tell us to knock it down because we didn't build it and its a perfectly good extension.

 

However it is only a single storey extension so has a flat roof. This is not in the same style of the house (was built in 1905) so we wanted to build on top of it so then it could have a pitched roof. We applied for planning permission to build 2 bedrooms and a bathroom and they said no. We had no objections from local people/neighbours. Our neighbours are not immediately next us(the other end of our track). But we live in greenbelt and are not in a line of houses which means that we can only extend to a certain percentage(much less than if we were in a line of houses) The thing that we found silly was that they suggested that we knock down half of the perfectly good extension and then build on top or only build half way along the flat roof!

 

The thing that annoys me is that if we were in a line of houses then there wouldn't have been any issues we would have been allowed. Surely we are improving the look of the house by not having a flat roof. We wouldn never had built the extension if we had lived here first and we all hate flat roofs! Anyway i think we have gone to appeal now but not heard anything for a while.

 

Also i live near Alderley Edge and Prestbury where they are constantly knocking down perfectly good houses and buidling massive houses filling the plot, and they are allowed to do this because they are in a line!!

 

I think thats enough of my ranting for now. There are many rumours around here that if the right amount of money offered then the plans will be allowed.

 

Emma

[chickenanne]

Emma, they're all completely mad. I dunno if ££ helps things along, but the decisions seem so wierd that often it seems like the only explanation.

[fowlbird]

More planning madness - I received this on Facebook this morning

 

This group is to support Royal Marine Joe Townsend with the ongoing process of him getting a special adapted bungalow out with his family in Pevensey.

 

After losing both legs to an anti-tank mine while serving with the 40 Commando based at Helmand Province in Afghanistan, Joe is trying to rebuild his life.

 

Joe is a strong and determined person who is proud to be in the Marines. He deserved to be a Marine and would always give 110% in anything he did. Despite losing both legs, Joe still remains upbeat and optimistic.

 

To help Joe become more independent and closer to his family, his grandad decided to build a specially adapted bungalow on his own land to help Joe.The plans for his bungalow, which would have had a treatment room, a bedroom for a carer and an en- suite bathroom, were drawn up for free by an architect who wanted to thank Joe for his sacrifice.

 

But the council disagreed. A spokesman for Wealden Council said: “The circumstances in this case are not considered sufficient to warrant an exception to the usual restraint policies.” She also said Joe’s bungalow would be "intrusive" and breach planning laws even though no neighbours objected.

 

With many people already supporting Joe, this group is to get more people on board with the idea and help Joe get the bungalow he deserves.

so, one government department decided to send him to war, he lost his legs and another government department is refusing to allow him to help himself...

[Nutmeg]

Completely bonkers the lot of them!

 

A few years back we had quite in-depth dealings with our local planning office due to our objections to our neighbours extension. It was going to take what little light we had from our front; at one point I begged the planning officer to see sense (he must have been about 12, just out of short trousers!) and his reply was if you hardly get any light now, you wont miss it when its gone.

 

Hubby had to attend the planning meeting to object and had exactly 3 minutes (timed) to speak and then was not allowed to say ANYTHING while it was debated. He said half of the committee were asleep and the other half were discussing if anyone had ever seen a crocodile in the high street and whereabouts was North!

 

We also had a site meeting where they all trapsed through my house and I was informed that I WAS NOT ALLOWED to engage in conversation with any of them.

 

They are a complete law unto themselves and refuse to listen to common sense or reason.

[chickenanne]

At least you were allowed to speak during the planning meeting discussing your case: we were told we could attend but not contribute. We alter found out that the applicant was allowed to speak. How fair is that?

[Cinnamon]

We had our planning application turned down because the local busybody said it would spoil his view when he walked his dog past our house in the morning.

 

Only it was at the back of the house, & you can't see it from the road.

 

Maddening

[Mutrix Farmers]

I work for a local authority (not in planning) and I wish I could defend my colleagues but I can't!! I know there has to be guidance and such like but I wish they would apply some common sense too!! Does anyone remember the phrase "jobsworth"? I think it applies quite well to all the planners mentioned above.

[Cooks]

In my last house we were refused planning permission for a side extention even though our opposite neighbour had the exact same extention.

 

I took it to appeal and had their decision overturned

 

 

In this house they told me they were not going to approve our planning application I asked them to come out and look at our house and speak to us rather than just looking on paper. He did, and said he could see it clearer now but said he wanted to refuse it as he would like my husband (carpenter) to put a different roof on than we had chosen! When he said the way he wanted it to be built my husband said there is no way that would work, it wouldn't be in keeping with other houses and there was no way we would do it.

 

He turned to me and said if I refuse this will you appeal it?? I said you bet I will!, we then received an approved notice through the post!

 

Totally true story.