Replacement home plan approved

Herefordshire Council’s planning committee held their first virtual meeting yesterday and approved proposals for a replacement home and garage near Ross-on-Wye.

Council officers said the plans for a new three bedroom house to replace the bungalow at Homeleigh in Welsh Newton were in line with planning policy.

But the local county councillor along with Welsh Newton Llanrothal group parish council obejected to scheme which they said was at odds with the village’s character.

Parish council chairman Chris Bligh said they held a meeting last mont to review the revised proposals following the plan’s deferall in March.

“We were grateful for the engagement that took place with the applicant,” he said.

“The result of the mixture of revisions meant that at our meetin gin April we were left with one concern which led to us objecting to the application.

“That was specifically to do with the proximity of the dwelling in relation to the two neighbourhing properties.

“This is reference with the NDP.  The settlement is charactrised within scattered nature of the village.

“Within this rural grouping of properties there are properties which are somewaht close but not in an aligment which looks more in keeping with an urban settlement.”

Applicant Alistair Hawkins said in a letter read out at the meeting that his architect had addressed the four issues raised at the previous planning committee meting.

“Homeleigh’s careful design and placement on the plot takes into consideration the right to light , privacy and amenity of both The Willows Hazeldene and ourselves,” he said.

“We want to make a beautiful home to replace a dilapidated bungalow.

“Our home will be highly insulated, airtight with a low carbon footprint.”

However, local ward member Elissa Swinglehurst spoke against the proposals and asked the committee to reject it.

She said: “I get it. This is an application that ticks the in principle box and makes a modes contribution to the housing land supply. Although this parish has exceeded it’s target.

“It’s not without a cost. You have to weigh that in the balance.”

She said the parish council and local people did not support the proposals which were ‘overbearing with a significant visual amenity of a nearby property’.

“It is an affront to the character of the settlement,” she said.

Councillor Yolande Watson thanked the applicant for making some of the changes and asked if a replacement dwelling would be on the same footprint.

“Because the applicant had stated he could have gone through permitted development for a replacement dwelling. Would he have to use the same footprint?”

Coun Alan Seldon asked if not granting planning permissiong could make matters much worse.

“I think that’s where councillor Watson was coming from when she asked about permitted development,” he said.

“It’s going to be a really difficult one and we don’t get the easy ones.

“I would suggest when putting this in the planning balance the consequences of not granting permission may turn out to be worse than not granting it.”

Councillor Toni Fagan proposed approving the scheme providing there was an ecological survey and permitted development rights attached to the proerty were removed.

This was seconded by councillor Paul Andrews and was approved unanimously.