Planning Appeal Won

Posted on by Postman Posted in Planning

Pleased to announce that following a lengthy planning application process with Epsom & Ewell Borough Council,  we have won an appeal against a planning refusal.

The project was for a two storey rear extension to a dormer bungalow. Not exactly the planning challenge of the year! Especially as similar, almost identical extensions were previously approved in the area …  and in the same street!

Yet, despite meeting the planning officers and agreeing changes that should be made to the design to satisfy their concerns, they continued to recommend refusal.  Their objection was primarily  to do with preceived impact on a neighbouring property’s light, overbearing etc. We went to some great effort and expense to compile the necessary data to counter the council’s objections. This included 3D perspectives and a light impact assessment.

Fuller Long Planning Consultants,  prepared the appeal application and statements and Flow Analysis Ltd carried out the Light Impact Assessment of the proposed extension.

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Code for Sustainable Homes

Posted on by Postman Posted in In The News

Following the government’s initial announcement in March 2014 the Code for Sustainable Homes has been officially scrapped. The aim was to reduce the ‘red tape’, cost and complexity associated with housebuilding. Elements of the code will be included in the building regulations.

Previously, it was possible for local authorities to set their own sustainability levels (codes 3, 4, 5 or 6) as potential planning conditions.

Some feel that because the Building Regulations are a ‘National Technical Standard’ it will not allow local authorities to apply stricter quality standards to suit the locality.

Time will tell …

Neighbours Join Forces !

Posted on by Postman Posted in Planning — No Comments ↓

We were delighted to receive Planning Approval from Runnymede Borough Council for two 2-storey side extensions, in New Haw, Addlestone,  Surrey.

This project was for two adjacent detached dwellings having linked garages between them. The neighbours wanted to construct a two storey side extension by demolishing their garages. Each neighbour either side of the boundary agreed to ‘donate’ a 500mm wide strip of land towards a 1m separation gap between the two extended properties. This gap will provide access from the front to the rear of the properties and will be assigned as of ‘joint use’.

The application was submitted as a joint application, with one neighbour being the Lead applicant and the other being the Notified owner.

We thank Runnymede Planning for the informal advice they have given us before we submitted the application.

The neighbours will now have to endure each other’s construction nuisance, as construction of each extension may not happen simultaneously, as one contract.

We will let you know if the neighbours are talking to each other on completion of the projects!

UPDATE: Construction of both side extensions completed satisfactorily. Another perfect solution!

Underfloor Heating

Posted on by Postman Posted in Products

We were approached by a client at the 11th hour(!) to help introduce underfloor heating to a suspended timber floor.  The rest of the project was nearing completion and despite our initial suggestion to insulate the existing timber ground floor,the client felt that  their budget did not allow this.You cannot introduce underfloor heating without first adding floor insulation (where none is present!)

The floor joists were only 100mm  thick, supported on sleeper walls, so  space to accommodate insulation and heating pipes, was tight!

You might be interested of  this underfloor heating system  from Nu-Heat. This solution requires only 15mm of floor build up to accommodate the warm water pipework. It is ideal where floor depth is limited.

For more details refer to Nu-Heat’s website

 

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Raising The Roof!

Posted on by Postman Posted in Planning

Another planning approval obtained for a project in Richmond.

This large period dwelling had a flat roof side extension.

The proposals involved

  • raising the roof (eaves and ridge) of the side extension to match that of the main dwelling 
  • adding two large rear dormers
  • adding a side dormer
  • converting the loft space to create two new bedrooms, bathroom, study  and storage areas

After pre-application consultations with the Planning Officer we submitted the application for two co-joined hipped roof dormers at the rear but the planning officer insisted that this would have been contrary to the council’s policy (even though we could have had this under permitted development! Eventually we revised the proposal to accord with the officer’s recommendations.

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