Raising the roof... again!

[Atlas]

Hi all,
yet another raising the roof question, hoping someone can give me some advice. Just starting out considering a loft extension. We can't lower the ceilings, and are looking to raise the roof, well rebuild the entire roof which will give us a 60m2 loft area.

The current roof height is 1.7m, and have been advised to raise it to 2.7m to get good head room.

The house is a detached four bed with neighbours next door. On the left side the house has a roof higher than ours, on the right its the same.

The street is composed of all sorts of different houses, with different roof heights. Opposite us are 1930s semis with high roofs. Also we are on a hill, so the houses in front are higher. Nearest neighbour behind is about 150 ft away, and not directly behind the house.

I'm planning to go down to the council next week and have an informal chat with the duty planning officer, but just wanted to get some advice before I did.

So what sort of things will count for us, and what will count against us? Anyone have some advice or tips?

Thanks in advance!

At

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Apply, if the house is still in keeping and the roof still looks like it is proportionate it will probably be approved. Which is what the duty officer will probably tell you, though nothing I repeat nothing anyone from planning tells you is worth too much, other than that approval notice, or disaproval notice!

 

[Architexeter]

As above, I'd apply. Normally the informal chat with the officer will only give general feedback and carry no weight.

 

[tony1851]

Atlas; "Hello, DPO, I want to raise the roof on my house for a loft conversion - will that be OK in principle?"

DPO (looking at sketches); "It should be OK - can't see any problem - send your application in."

Atlas; "great, I'll get the architect involved and have the plans submitted in two weeks".

(9 weeks later, 'phone rings

"Hello Mr Atlas, this is DPO. We've had a look at your application and my line manager is not happy with x,y and z. Could you get revised plans in by tomorrow?"

Atlas; "but I can't possibly do that - the architects' away until next week! Anyway, you said it would be OK! - can I speak with your boss?

DPO; "Sorry, no - he's just set off for an international symposium on 'Enhancing the Customer-focussed Experience in the Delivery of Planning' in the Bahamas with the council's chief executive and won't be back until next Tuesday week. You can withdraw the application -if you want - you are entitled to a free re-submission, you know".

Atlas slams phone down just as the postman pops the latest council tax bill through the letterbox.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

tony, how about lazy bum designer/architect gets on the blower and proactively speaks with planning throughout the approval period and actively finds out how the app is progressing? Instead of the usual waiting fro a phonecall with his head in a bucket of sand approach that seems to be all too common these days? Then his client/designer coming on here bleating about the system again.

 

[catlad]

Well that would depend on the age of the people you dealing with, from my experience anyone who works in an office based enviroment is spending to much time playing on there phone ie twitter to be interested in what customers/clients require its becoming virtually epidemic.

 

[freddiemercurystwin]

Well that would depend on the age of the people you dealing with, from my experience anyone who works in an office based enviroment is spending to much time playing on there phone ie twitter to be interested in what customers/clients require its becoming virtually epidemic.

What a peculiar point of view.

 

[cjard]

While I by no means assert that it is the norm, Tony's dramatization is nigh on exactly what happened in my case. My agent asked at 2 week intervals (in writing as well as voicemail) how things were getting along, and didn't even get a response. 1 working day before the 8 week deadline (mid Friday before Monday deadline), the LPA suddenly came alive and said "withdraw or it will be refused". My planning consultant told them they were bang out of order as they're supposed to work proactively with applicants, not force withdrawals in order that they don't blot their statistical copybook with central government and we wanted a written list of every single concern. Looking at their list of points, some were valid, some not, but being the author of my own plans I spent a few hours making changes, responded to every single point and was then told they'd approve.. I have doubts that anyone employing an architect could work to that short timescale (though for the fees they can charge, maybe they ought to)

Would you believe it then took 5 weeks of reminding for them to write up the draft approval? Sure, there are 35 conditions on it so it's a long document, but it's only a few words different from the previous 37 condition approval. 5 weeks for a copy/paste and a couple of deletes? And it's only a draft - I do wonder how long it will take to remove the draft header and replace it with the council letterhead once I've agreed the wording of the unilateral undertaxing with them

 

[tony1851]

cjard's experience is unfortunately quite common.

Too often LPA's wait until the eleventh hour before asking for amendments which cannot possibly be accomplished in that short time.

They then suggest the application be withdrawn.
This ruse makes the LPA look efficient when the statistics are published.

DCLG doesn't know any better when they publish the league tables and so council's inefficiency is effectively hidden.