Permitted Development within Harrogate (non conservation area)

[Chris D]

Hi, im hoping someone can shed some light on my new proposed extension. We have planning in at the moment for a 2 storey large extension (front to back) and the planner has phoned my technician to say she wont be approving the scheme because of scale and it being out of character with the uniformity of the street. The architecture in the street is all mock Georgian, stuck on fake shutters and entrance facade and ugly 70's type build in an awful red/brown brick! Our proposal is to render both the extension and the exg house to modernise it with grey windows. Add on some cedar cladding in parts to add make it look modern architectural.

We've now come up with a scaled back upper storey and ground floor and are currently asking the planner if she can approve this instead. My question is about materials and PD rights. She doesnt like the white render/cladding as she says its not in keeping with the street scene..as ugly and non remarkable that is!

If we were to build this extension in block and face brick to match the existing house to satisfy the planners at what point would it be wise to change out the brick and render it using our PD rights? Would we have to wait a certain time frame after completion of the build?
Or
Should I play the planning game: withdraw my planning application before refusal. Render the existing house now as it currently stands, using my PD rights? change the windows to dark grey to modernise it and then apply for planning to extend to match up to it? i.e should i play the planning game by changing the aesthetics of the house as it currently stands then when i apply for planning to extend i can match up with that?

I would really appreciate some advice on this as its driving me mad that we can render/clad parts of our house, change out windows/doors etc under PD rights but the planners wont allow it if we put it into a planning scheme so we may have to do it in baby steps!

 

[napoleondynamite]

In general you can only use materials which are of a similar appearance to the main house. So if the house is brick, you cannot render it without planning permission. In the same way you would not be able to render a brick extension without planning permission. Grey framed windows would not comply either. All works of this type are subject to the restriction in Class A of the GPDO:

A.3 Development is permitted by Class A subject to the following conditions—
(a) the materials used in any exterior work (other than materials used in the construction of a conservatory) must be of a similar appearance to those used in the construction of the exterior of the existing dwellinghouse

There are lots of appeal decisions around which address this issue. Many people do not realise that this condition applies to all works permitted under class A, not just extensions.


If you want to look at the legislation yourself- see the GPDO here:

http://www.legislation.gov.uk/uksi/2015/596/pdfs/uksi_20150596_en.pdf.

and the Government technical guidance (April 2016) here, p30 covers the materials issue:

https://www.gov.uk/government/publi...nt-rights-for-householders-technical-guidance

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

You play the game or appeal and take your chances. Some houses depending on their setting (ie in an estate of identically styled developer houses) do not necessarily lend themselves to drastic changes. It sounds like your proposals would stick out like a sore thumb so hardly surprising they're being resisted.

 

[mrkjd]

Very interesting point re grey window frames! We never realised similar materials extended to those and were considering them for our 70s estate bungalow! Presumably this also applies to grey bifold doors on the rear elevation which seem to be popping up everywhere! If there were other examples of these in the street / estate would that set precedence or could you just be unlucky and planning make you change them regardless of what else has gone before?

 

[Chris D]

napoleondynamite thank you for taking time to reply with a good source of information. Its all a bit ambigous because you can actually paint your 'wooden windows' any colour you like....Therefor im wondering if the window point could be argued under that same principle? where you could in essence 'spray paint' your UPVC windows to RAL grey then matching up any new windows and bi-folds with a grey item? There is a company within Yorkshire that does UPVC spraying so i might chance the existing white upvc windows with this then method (and saving money instead of replacing good white units) then follow suit with any extra windows that need apertures and bi-fold doors in a 'matching' grey???

 

[napoleondynamite]

If you want to err on the side of caution I would seek advice from your local council as to whether any works proposed may need planning permission. If you excuse the pun it is a bit of a grey area!

Alternatively crack on at your own risk.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

If you want to err on the side of caution I would seek advice from your local council as to whether any works proposed may need planning permission. If you excuse the pun it is a bit of a grey area!

Waste of time, they will just say it#s a grey area and needs a formal Pre-App of PP.

 

[mrkjd]

There may be an all-catching convenants on the property that says something like " you are not allowed to alter the external appearance in any way". I think ours has one as an estate bungalow but that hasn't stopped the houses being rendered from pink to green, dwarf walls and windows in numerous colours! I can't see a council telling someone to rip out their grey thermally efficient windows cos the colour is wrong unless it was a very sensitive conservation area