Madeley homes plan is rejected because of 'unacceptable' garden space
Plans to build four homes on a sixth-of-an-acre site in Madeley have been turned down after council officers ruled they would be “cramped” with “unacceptably small” gardens.
Balkar Chopra applied to build two pairs of semi-detached houses on vacant land at the southeast corner of Timsbury Lane, but Telford & Wrekin Council has refused permission.
In a report justifying their decision, planners say the authority requires three-bedroom homes to have 70 square metres of garden space, and note that three of the houses proposed had less than half this.
They acknowledge that Mr Chopra was granted permission for three houses on the same site nine years ago, but note that this was under planning rules that no longer apply.
Blueprints submitted on Mr Chopra’s behalf by planning agent David Humphreys show the homes, if approved, would have faced west, with eight parking spaces between them at the back, accessed from Timsbury Lane via a driveway.
The planners’ report says houses on the surrounding street are “relatively uniform in appearance and set within an established and strong building line”.
Sixteen neighbouring homes were consulted, and four objection letters were received, raising concerns including overdevelopment and the impact on neighbouring homes and roads.
“Officers consider that the proposed development would result in a cramped form of development, both in terms of how the proposed dwellings would sit within the plot and the site as a whole,” the report adds.
“The erection of four dwellings on this site is considered to represent a poor form of development, departing from the established character and appearance of the immediate area.”
It adds that the proposed garden sizes were 25, 28, 31 and 45 sq m.
“Officers consider that these garden sizes are unacceptable and would result in poor levels of amenity for future occupants,” officers write.
They note that Mr Chopra obtained permission to build three homes on the site in 2012.
However, they add, “this was before the local planning authority could demonstrate a five-year housing land supply and as such, a number of local plan policies at the time were considered out of date, making it difficult to refuse applications”.
