Agenda item

Proposed alteration/conversion of 2 outbuildings to the rear of Longhoughton Hall into 2 holiday cottages, to vary condition 2 (approved plans) pursuant to planning application 19/02209/FUL

Longhoughton Hall, North End, Longhoughton, Alnwick, Northumberland, ND66 3AG

Proposed alteration/conversion of 2 outbuildings to the rear of Longhoughton Hall into 2 holiday cottages, to vary condition 2 (approved pans) pursuant to planning application 19/02209/FUL

Longhoughton Hall, North End, Longhoughton, Alnwick, Northumberland, NE66 3AG

C. Simm – Planning Officer, introduced the application with the aid of a PowerPoint Presentation. It was noted that there would be a single presentation for both applications 22/02968/VARYCO and 22/03383/VARYCO, with a separate vote for each application and public speakers were granted 10 minutes to speak.

The following update was noted by members:

·       Condition 3 for application 22/02968/VARYCO was to be included in the conditions for 22/03383/VARYCO.

C. Ross spoke in objection to the application and gave the committee the following information:

·       There had been no objection to the 2019 planning application for the site.

·       There was a height increase on the pitch of the roof.

·       The roof was higher and closer to the boundary line of the neighbouring properties.

·       The neighbours felt that they were overwhelmed, overlooked, and overpowered.

A. Moss spoke in support to the application and gave the following information to the members:

·       The Town and Country Planning Act required that planning applications should be determined in accordance with the Development Plan unless material considerations indicate otherwise.

·       The report found in paragraph 7.3 that the development was acceptable in principle.

·       The building was in a poor state of repair and was deteriorating, Storm Arwen caused further damage.

·       The development was of high quality.

·       The building was attractive and integrated sensitively into its surroundings.

·       The development had provided the building with a new lease of life and its intended use as a holiday home would secure its future and support tourism in Northumberland.

·       The proposal complied with policy ENV7 of the Northumberland Local Plan and the NPPF.

·       There was no opportunity for overlooking.

·       The roof height increase was 14cm and not a 15% increase.

·       The development as built was acceptable in neighbour amenity terms.

Following questions from members to the planning officer, the following information was provided:

·       The roof lights were to be permanently fixed shut.

·       The Hall was dated 19^th Century.

·       EV chargers were not added into a condition, but members could add a condition to add EV chargers.

·       The roof lights that were in place were conservation roof lights.

Councillor Thorne proposed to accept the officer’s recommendations with an added condition to include EV charging points, with the exact wording delegated to the director of planning in consultation with the chair of planning, stating that whilst he had sympathy to the neighbours, the application site needed a new roof. This was seconded by Councillor Castle, agreeing that on the balance that the difference in height was not sufficient to warrant refusal.

A vote was taken as follows: FOR; 4, AGAINST; 3, ABSTAIN; 1

RESOLVED that the application was GRANTED in line with the conditions set out in the report and an added condition to include EV charging points, with the exact wording delegated to the director of planning in consultation with the chair of planning.