Park Street bungalow to be replaced with two four bedroom homes despite neighbour objections
The application was about a bungalow on Orchard Drive. Picture: Google Maps - Credit: Archant
A single bungalow in Park Street will be replaced with two four bedroom homes despite concerns the space is too small, buildings overbearing and parking space inadequate.
St Albans City and District Council has approved an application by Toms and Woods Construction to knock down a bungalow on Orchard Drive in Park Street and build two, four bedroom homes on the same 560sqm plot.
The two new houses would be made of dark grey tile and stained weatherboard with natural timber painted windows and doors.
At a council Planning Referrals Committee on July 29, a speaker argued for the application: "These homes respond to a demand for small attractive dwellings at affordable prices, genuine lifetime homes for all ages.
"What I mean by lifetime homes is they can be adapted for bedrooms on the ground floor and floors can be trimmed out for lifts in the future.
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"Consequently I believe these proposals meet both economic and social rules envisaged by the NPPF 2019 especially relating to housing supply on previously developed land in highly sustainable locations."
However, some residents objected to the proposal. Peta McKeon said: "The revised design plan is still out of character for the road and is overbearing and an over-development of the site of a former bungalow."
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Frances Smith said her property will be "grossly overpowered" and "overlooked".
St Stephen Parish Council also objected to the proposal: "Gross over-development of the site, loss of privacy and light for adjoining properties.
"It is detrimental to the character of the area and the dwellings are not in keeping with the street scene. Poor amenity standards and a lack of adequate off street parking."
However, in the planning meeting councillors "reluctantly" granted the proposal because they believed there was no legal planning reason to refuse.
Council development manager Sarah Ashton said she believes the developer would win an appeal because the district does not have a five year land supply: "What that means in the NPPF, the harm arising from the development has to significantly and demonstrably outway the benefit of providing new housing."
Cllr Katherine Gardner asked for a seconder to counter propose, but the offer was not taken up by other members of the committee.
