Tutor ordered to rip out kitchen from converted garage
A tutor who hosts international students in her converted garage will have to rip out its kitchen after councillors ruled it crossed the line into being a “self-contained home”.
Suzanne Swindley had upgraded the outbuilding of her Muxton home, first as extra space for her children and, later, for overseas students.
She had planned to start hosting foster placements there, but the planning committee turned down her retrospective application that would have recognised it as a stand-alone house.
Members of the planning committee who opposed her bid said voting yes would send out the message: “Do it. It will get approved anyway.”
Mrs Swindley, of Wellington Road, applied for retrospective permission to convert the outbuilding into a separate dwelling.
Supporting her, Muxton councillor Adrian Lawrence said: “She is a tutor and mentor and regular host to Spanish and Chinese students.
“They usually spend their time in the house with the family, but, over time, aiming to give them an independent lifestyle, she made this adaptation.
“A kitchen unit has been established, and that is the point that triggers it into being ‘self-contained’.
“The structure isn’t going to be changed in any way. It is just the kitchen that causes the issues.
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“Mrs Swindley’s motivation has never been about creating a separate property. There is no long-term intention to sell or separate the property in any way.”
The committee also heard Mrs Swindley was considering using the garage in the Shared Lives fostering scheme.
Telford and Wrekin planning officers recommended the committee refuse Mrs Swindley’s application, and committee member Councillor Nicola Lowery said: “If this was coming to committee and there was nothing on the site, I would have agreed with the recommendation.
“But the reality is the building is there, so it’s really coming down to a technical detail. I’m really struggling as to what grounds I could refuse it.”
Councillor Kuldip Sahota said: “This is a difficult one. The heart says ‘Mrs Swindley has done this, we should let it go and try to find some solution’.
“But people can’t just turn around and build on a site. We do have rules and regulations.”
Councillor Elizabeth Clare agreed, and said approving the application would send the message “Do it. It will get approved anyway”.
The eight-member committee voted 5-3 to reject the application.
By Alex Moore, Local Democracy Reporter
