Proposal to replace cottage ‘intrusive and unneighbourly’

PLANS to build a new house and garage in Henley have been turned down.

Boddingtons Planning, the agent for the owners of Nicholas Farm Cottage in Tilebarn Lane, submitted plans to demolish the existing detached cottage and outbuilding.

The owners want to construct a new modern house and triple garage with a pitched roof.

South Oxfordshire District Council’s decision comes after Henley Town Council recommended the plans for refusal after deeming them “too flawed and too incomplete”.

The proposed property, which would lie just off Deanfield Road and within the Chilterns National Landscape, would be larger in footprint and extend further back into the site.

In its application, the agent said the design of the new dwelling would be modern and while larger would not be “cramped in the site”.

It said: “The dwelling would be long and narrow in design to reflect the contours of the site to enable the house to be built without a significant excavation of the existing landform.”

However, the district council said the development would be “intrusive” and “unneighbourly”.

In its decision notice, Adrian Duffield, head of planning, said the new property would be of “considerably greater scale, height and prominence” than the surrounding houses.

He said: “Particularly having regard to its increased height and bulk, the proposed replacement dwelling would have an overbearing effect on the neighbouring property to the north.

“The development would therefore be intrusive and unneighbourly and detrimental to the amenity of occupants of that property.”

Mr Duffield added that “insufficient information” had been submitted to demonstrate that there will be no net loss in biodiversity.” The town council’s planning committee previously described the development as “overdevelopment in size and mass with too much glass” adding that it would cause an “unacceptable” level of light pollution in this rural location.

It added it was concerned at “the lack of information and an acceptable sewage management plan and contaminated land report”.

The district council’s forestry officer said that no arboricultural information had been provided as part of the application, despite trees being shown on the site.

Residents previously submitted concerns about the proposed development’s impact on wildlife and schoolchildren in the area.

Nearby schools include Valley Road Primary School, Gillotts School and The Henley College.

Mia Gibbons, of Valley Road, called the proposed house and garage “unnecessarily big”. She said: “I am deeply concerned about the impact this big build project will have on our local wildlife.

“We have a number of protected species living around us that I am worried will have their habitats disturbed.”

Jeremy Dean, also of Valley Road, said that the proposed modern development would not be “in keeping with the existing property”.

He added: “I strongly object to this application, on the grounds that the construction of a house that size with the limited lane access available will present a risk to the safety of the people using that path, including schoolchildren.”

Julie Sapsford, of Chiltern Close, said: “I do have concerns about the scale of this development, which seems excessive, and that it should be responsibly managed.”

She added that she was worried about heavy works vehicles that could be a danger to schoolchildren, as well as the potential “disruption” to wildlife on Tileburn Lane.