Relief as garden homes rejected

Neighbours have breathed a sigh of relief after a “poorly designed and intrusive” plan to build two houses in a garden was turned down by the council.

An application to build one two-bed and another three-bed house in the overgrown garden of a home in Dines Green was rejected by planning officers at Worcester City Council who said the design was “unsympathetic and harmful” to the estate’s character.

Planners were also concerned by the idea to cover the new homes in timber cladding which if not looked after would become an eyesore.

Several neighbours had voiced their opposition to the planned work saying the application was “inappropriate” and “harmful.”

Objectors to the plan also criticised the lack of garden space for the new homes and were concerned that allowing more cars near a blind bend would be dangerous.

Cllr Richard Udall said plans to add timber cladding were “inappropriate” and “undesirable.”

Highways officers at Worcestershire County Council said that while the application for the new homes on the corner of Burleigh Road showed room for six car parking spaces – two for each home in line with the council’s policy – no measurements had been included and the council was not sure whether it would fit or block people from using the front door.

The county council also said it would not extend the dropped kerb in front of the corner house any longer.

A strongly worded rejection from the city council’s planning department said: “By virtue of its inappropriate siting, poor design, inclusive of the inappropriate use of timber cladding, the proposed materials of construction and the lack of opportunity for any meaningful landscaping to the front of the property, the proposed dwellings would fail to respect the character of and would have no regard to the feel and appearance of, the plot and wider street scene.

“The proposed dwellings would be incongruous, harmful, and visually intrusive addition to the street which would fail to relate to, and would significantly detract from, the plot and the street scene.

“It would not be sympathetic to the area but would instead be a deleterious addition to it.”