Bungalow ‘completely out of character’ for village of Eye given planning permission

Nick Harding, Peterborough City Council’s head of development and construction, said: “This application is for the erection of a three bedroom the size of which is completely out of character for the area and for Crowland Road.

“The developer wishes to build a huge detached bungalow on the site that will extend the footprint of the property to cover more than three-fifths of the garden.

“This will mean access to the property can only be from a very narrow alleyway, far too narrow for a car, so that parking will have to be at the front on land that is part of an existing property waiting to be re-developed.”

But members disagreed, with Cllr Peter Hiller saying: “The area is made up of many different properties, some detached, some terraced.

“Right next door to this site is a pub with a huge carpark, and the proposed development can hardly be seen from the street.

“It’s not as if we’re protecting a national treasure such as The Royal Crescent in Bath – this is Crowland Road.”

After considerable debate, including an impassioned plea from the owner of the land who has been fighting an ongoing battle against vandals and fly-tippers while trying to get building work started, members voted against the council officer’s recommendation and approved the application.