New house rejected on appeal

A WOMAN has lost an appeal on her plans for a new house.

Shahnaz Shah wanted to build the three-bedroom detached property on land behind Nos 1 and 1a Milestone Crescent, Charvil.

But Wokingham Borough Council, the planning authority, refused permission in August 2021.

It said the house would have a detrimental impact on the appearance of the area due to its “excessive scale and unsympathetic design” as well as the “erosion of neighbourhood character and urbanisation of hitherto undeveloped garden land”.

It also found that the plot would be overdeveloped, that the house would overlook neighbours’ homes and there would be a net loss of biodiversity.

Now a planning inspector has dismissed Mrs Shah’s appeal against the decision.

In a decision notice, the inspector said the new house would be closer to Milestone Avenue than the existing buildings in the street, which are set back in large, mature gardens.

The development would result in a “cramped appearance at odds with and detrimental to the spacious and open character of the area”. 

The inspector also found that the proposed garden would be small for the size of the property and that the close proximity to the houses on either side would compromise the living conditions of the occupants.