The side extension seeks to remove unsightly rooftop plant and create an extra bedroom.

A number of previous schemes had also been refused by RBKC but the Inspector fully accepted the ‘well designed’ proposals and the argument presented by the consultancy team.

Planning Conultants were Signet Planning (www.signetplanning.com)

The two-storey side and rear extension reorganised and extended the property to provide a contemporary family room with kitchen, dining and seating areas. Three sliding/folding screens opened up views to the garden.

An en-suite bathroom and dressing area were included at first floor.  Contractors were CK Batchelor Ltd.  www.ckbatchelor.co.uk

Designed as a mirrored pair of Sussex vernacular homes, the houses take advantage of the long site and are set back substantially from the quite road, sharing a central access driveway allowing the existing mature trees to the front of the site to be retained.

Careful consideration of the local planning policies and a design that is sensitive to the local architectural style and character of the immediate area allowed for a smooth route through planning and positive feedback from the Pre-Application meeting with the planners. This scheme demonstrates that while it may be considered ‘garden-grabbing’ by some the planners can be supportive of well thought out and reasoned applications.

Revised tree preservation regime finalised

The new Tree Preservation Order (TPO) regime for England involves two key
changes from the proposals for more streamlined and consolidated arrangements
consulted on two years ago, the Department for Communities and Local Government
(DCLG) has announced.

First, the Government has decided to increase the default period for the
duration of consents for work on trees from one year to two.

“This will increase flexibility for tree owners and make it consistent with
the existing period for notified work to trees in conservation areas. It remains
open to the local authority to vary this period if appropriate by use of
conditions,” explained the department.

Second, DCLG has determined that there should be a requirement for a tree
owner other than a statutory undertaker to give written prior notice to the
local authority of their intention to carry out works authorised by an
exemption, unless there was imminent danger.

“This requirement was present in pre-1999 TPOs and recommended in guidance.
The prior notice (by e-mail or letter) will not be onerous and will provide the
local authority involved with an opportunity to require a full application if
there was doubt the exemption applied, and therefore potentially may avoid
litigation,” said DCLG.

The TPO system provides the principal regulatory means for protecting trees.
Local planning authorities make and manage TPOs which prohibit the cutting down,
uprooting, topping, lopping, willful destruction or willful damage of protected
trees without an authority’s consent.

The revised arrangements are designed to create a consolidated system that
would apply to all orders by:

• replacing the Town and Country Planning (Trees) Regulations 1999 (No.1982)
  (the “1999 Regulations”) so far as they relate to England
• replacing the Town and Country Planning (Trees) (Amendment) (England)
  Regulations 2008 (No.2260) and the Town and Country Planning (Trees) (Amendment
  No.2) (England) Regulations (No.3202) (the “2008 Regulations”)
• reducing the size of all existing and future tree preservation orders by
  retaining only the information that identifies the trees protected
• moving subsections 198(3), (4), (6), (8) and (9), and sections 199, 201,
  203-205 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (“the Act”) to the new
  regulations.

The new regime also includes a new model order. The new regulations, entitled
the Town and County Planning (Tree Preservation) (England) Regulations 2012,
have been laid before Parliament.”

Instructions were received today for us to start on the Construction Pacakge of information for the new house designed for Prism Homes on a site in Kingswood, Surrey.

More images and details can be found here.

As most people will have seen, the new National Planning Policy Framework has now been published. Billed as “an unashamedly pro-growth” document also aimed at helping everyone to understand the planning process and details this 65 page document has reduced, clarified and condensed over 1000 pages of previous guidance.

At the heart of the NPPF is the “presumption in favour of sustainable developement” and section 7 also states “Good design is a key aspect of sustainable development” and goes on to explain the importance that high-quality design plays in the built environment. The new policies look to restrict local authorities being over-prescriptive with details but instead to push more general design codes.

Download a copy of the NPPF from our servers by clicking here.

Every day at at 13:00hrs a new edition will be published here

The headlines will be any updates from our Blog feed with additional stories and news items collected from around the world relating to all things architecture, planning and construction that may be of interest. Additional contect will be drawn from any of our followers on Twitter and also local interest stories for Farnham, Hastings and Harrogate where our studios are located.

Happy reading!

The design updates the property providing a kitchen/family room overlooking the garden with two double bedrooms above.

Following a positive Pre-Application in November 2011, this scheme to replace a single house with two new 3,500sqft Sussex vernacular homes in East Grinstead on behalf of Tkei Homes has now been submitted to Mid Sussex District Council.

The key to all things is a full understanding of the subtleties of both the local planning policies and the national Permitted Development Rights.