Agenda item

Joanne Fisher, Senior Planning Officer introduced the application for the conversion of an existing building to form 3 x 1 bed flats and 1x 2 bed flats, including the erection of a replacement metal side gate, alterations to the fenestration, existing roof to the rear and the addition of a two storey extension to the rear beneath the pitched roof.

She highlighted that the property was currently a vacant commercial building at the ground floor with residential use either side. She also spoke on how the property shared a boundary to St. Johns conservation area, but that the conservation area does not include the application site, and that the application site falls within the built up area of Burgess Hill. The current application will change the building’s use from commercial to residential and address the reasons for previous refusal. She highlighted that from the last application the new application set to reduce width and depth, including a stepped down roof.

The mixture of properties in the road and the fact that the extension would not be visible from the road was highlighted to the Committee. Also addressed were the windows to the rear of the adjoining neighbouring flats, which serve bathrooms which are not classed as habitable rooms and therefore not considered to cause significant harm to the surrounding properties.  Concerns regarding loss of light, a tunnelling effect, and the foot-print of the building were addressed by the Planning Officer, who noted that the existing property already causes harm, and in the officer’s opinion, the proposed set back extension would not contribute further harm. She also mentioned that whilst there was no parking proposed the application was in a highly sustainable area with ease of access to public transport. Therefore, the parking situation laid out in the application was deemed acceptable.

Kate Connolly spoke against the application as a neighbour to the application site.

The Chairman drew the Committee’s attention to condition 8, which relates to the windows on the western (side) elevation Condition 8 specifies that windows be non-opening and be opaque using glazing, therefore residents of the building could not change this and the windows would not affect the privacy of neighbouring buildings. 

Steve King, Planning Application Team Leader spoke to address condition 8 and the matter of the side windows on the proposed building; he agreed the clause, “shall at all times” would be added to the condition to ensure that the windows cannot be changed in the future.

A Member felt that the application would not affect the conservation area, and it would be a good use of the property as it is currently in a poor state of repair. He also stated that increasing residential areas would be beneficial and that the application appears to have addressed the previously laid out concerns. Another Member spoke in support of this.

The Vice Chairman reassured the Committee that the windows will be non-opening and obscured so as to protect privacy; he also explained that the application did not allow for future tenants to change these conditions and that if this were to occur the Council would act to reverse the changes.

Councillor Walker moved that the application be approved with the additional wording of “shall at all times” being added to condition 8 and this was seconded by Councillor Cartwright.

The Chairman took Members to the recommendation which was agreed unanimously.

RESOLVED

That permission is granted subject to the conditions outlined at Appendix A, and the additional wording agreed to condition 8.