Green light for two large homes at Wansford despite planners objections

The city council’s planning committee approved the plans after the developer Andy Allen agreeed to adjust the plans and the village’s parish council supported the scheme.

One five-bedroom and one six-bedroom house will be built on the Old North Road on the boundary of the conservation area in the village next to a Grade II Listed building known locally as ‘Coopers Cottage’.

Head of planning at the city council Nick Harding, told the committee on Tuesday (March 10), that officers recommended turning down the plans because they would be too large in an area where the other properties would be ‘dwarfed’ by them.

He said: “The plots are on land bordering the conservation area that belongs to No.23 Old North Road, and the owner of that property is the developer and applicant.

“However, the two proposed buildings would be very close in places to his house and several windows would be overlooked.

“There is also an issue with the land which slopes downwards by at least 2m in places, and we feel that the construction process will have an adverse impact on the trees on the plot, all of which have Tree Protection Orders on them.

“Somehow a large Beech Tree has been overlooked and does not have a TPO, and this cannot now be protected retrospectively, and it will be cut down as part of the construction process.

“We also feel that the positioning of the two proposed houses and their access roads would look cramped in a village where large houses are commonplace, but with large gardens associated with them.

“In this case the two houses would have relatively small, cramped gardens to allow maximum size for the buildings, garages and access roads.

“Finally, two ancient stone gate posts will be initially removed, and then reconstructed back into the scheme later on, but we feel that the entire plot is very close to ‘Coopers Cottage’, a Grade II listed building.”

Wansford parish councillor Richard Clarke, told the meeting that they supported the plans. He said: “We accept that the Parish of Wansford must be protected from adverse design that would be out of character.

“However, if we deny all planning in the village then we will find ourselves in a position where nothing can be done or move forward.

“The Parish Council has looked very carefully at this proposal and we have no objections to it. One of the city councils’ principle arguments was that the proposed houses would be very near to the Grade II Listed ‘Coopers Cottage’

“But the owner of that property is very rarely there and for the last twenty-five years at least has been actively extending the buildings so that it is an almost permanent building site.

“Everybody who lives in Wansford knows that Coopers Cottage has been massively extended and that the building works there are a complete eyesore, the last planning application was approved in 2005, and that work has hardly even been begun.

“It is true that Wansford has large houses, most of which have large gardens; but these days people with large houses don’t necessarily want all that garden to manage, so we see no argument there.”

Andy Allen, the owner of number 23 Old North Road on whose land the two houses would be built, said: “I am the applicant and developer of this proposal and if it will help members of the committee to approve this application then I am more than happy to alter my design to accommodate their concerns.

“There are a couple of windows of concern that overlook the properties, but I am willing to alter the design so that these are downlights instead.

“I have never had any intension of cutting down the Beech tree without the TPO, and I can assure the committee that our construction processes will not harm any trees or bushes on my land.

“As far as ‘cramped buildings’ are concerned, I would be happy to lower the roof height of the garages proposed, or even remove them from the design if this will help in your decision.”

Cllr Peter Hiller said: “It would appear that in this case the applicant has looked very carefully at all the objections from the planning officers and is willing to concede alterations that would make less impact on the character of the area.

“We have heard from Parish Cllr Clarke that they have no objections to this application in a village that desperately needs more housing and we have heard also that our concerns about the Grade II listed Coopers Cottage are unfounded as it has been an ‘eyesore’ and a ‘building site’ for more than twenty-five years.

“I feel that in this instance I am inclined to go against city officers’ recommendations for refusal, and approve this application.”

Members voted on the application and, by a majority, went against the recommendations of the planning officers, and approved the application for the two houses.