functionalrequirement,in accordancewith
planningpolicies,notthepersonalidentity
ofthe‘granny’involved.
lProfitandlossFinancialcircumstances
veryrarelyhaveanyinfluenceon
residentialplanningandcertainlynot
fortheself-builder.Soargumentsabout
financialissuesandthecostsinvolvedin
meetingplanningrequirementswillhave
nobearingona planningpermission.
Peoplehavealwaysgota goodfinancial
reasontoargueaboutplanning,soaside
frommattersofviability(whichmight
underminetheprovisionofsocially
desirablethingssuchasaffordable
housing),theprofitorlackofit is rarely
relevanttogettingpermission.Materialmatters
Thelistofplanningissuesthatare
‘material’togettinga permissionis much
longer.Thesearesomeoftheimportant
mattersthatmightformpartofthe
planningdecision-makersassessment:
lPrincipleThenumber-oneplanning
issuehasgottobeprinciple—is whatyou
wanttobuild‘inprinciple’acceptablein
thelocationwhereyouwanttobuildit?In
simpleterms,mostofthetime,building
a housewithinanexistingsettlement
is acceptable‘inprinciple’.Ordinarily
buildinga houseoutsidea settlementin
theopencountryside,ontheotherhand,
is inprinciplenotacceptable.Inorderto
overcomethis‘inprinciple’difficultyof
tryingtobuilda houseinthecountryside
youneedtohavea goodreason.You
mightbereplacinganexistingbuildingor
convertinga barn.Oryoumayproposea
houseofexceptionaldesignqualitythat
justifiesitselfinlandscapeandvisualterms.
Butanunderstandingoftheprinciple
is important,thereis simplynopointin
persistentlytryingtogetpermissionwhere
theplanningpoliciesareopposed‘in
principle’toa scheme.l Design and appearance This is a very
tricky area because planning does involve
subjective judgements being made by
planning officers and committee members
about whether they feel the design, scale,
character, architectural approach and
general visual impact of a house is in keeping
and in character in a particular location.
There is clearly endless opportunity for
disagreement when it comes to taste. This
is why planning committees often end
up refusing things because they’re out
of keeping; it can be a default reason for
refusal. The choice of a good architect who
knows the area you want to build in and
who has the ability to persuade the decision-
makers will be key.
l Residential amenities Impact on
neighbours is always important within
built-up areas. This is about potential
overshadowing, overlooking, physical
domination and the direct physical
relationship between what you want to
build and the immediate neighbours. Most
planning authorities have design guides and
supplementary planning documents which
spell out the rules of thumb and criteria that
dictate whether they will accept distances
between windows and relationships between
new extensions or houses and nearby
existing properties. So before getting
carried away with ideas of a proposed
new development check out the criteria
and design standards set out within the
‘residential design guide’ for that location.
l Heritage impact Increasingly non-
listed buildings in locations outside
conservation areas are being accorded
some importance. The phrase ‘non-
designated heritage asset’ can refer to
pretty much any house that has any age
that the council planning officer may feel
is important. As a result, they may try and
prevent its demolition, or they may make
heritage arguments against the size and
positioning of an extension.
Obviously within conservation areas and
in the settings of listed buildings there are
also a host of conservation and heritage
concerns you need to consider.
image: c/o ob architecture, photographer martin gardner156 homebuilding.co.uk
casesTudy
A plot close to Milford
on Sea with views
looking out towards the
sea across a third of
an acre plot, did present
its challenges for the now
proud homeowners of this
contemporary self-build.
But luckily the couple
had their son Oliver Bray,
director of award-winning
Winchester-based practice
OB Architecture, to take on
their project. The site was
set between two traditional
low-lying thatched cottages
that were identified by
the planners as ‘being of
architectural significance
in the local area’. Plus, the
plot was in an area deemed
of ‘special character’.
Plans had to therefore be
put forward to the parish
council who felt the design
was out of keeping with
the neighbouring thatched
cottages, which meant
the couple had to go to a
council planning committee
meeting. But, there was good
news – the design received
the majority vote so the
couple were able to go ahead
with their dream build.