Planning permission was refused for a substantial two-storey side extension at Rosedale House, Bradshaw Lane, Pilling.
The council’s concern was that the extension, by reason of its scale, massing and forward projection, would not be subordinate to the existing house and would appear overly dominant and visually intrusive in this countryside location.
There was some force in that point. The extension is large, extending to around 8.8 metres in width, and it significantly increases the overall size of the building. Cases of this kind often make councils cautious, particularly where they are applying guidance which encourages extensions to appear secondary to the original dwelling.
However, as the appeal demonstrated, it is not reasonable to refuse planning permission just because it is large!
In this case, rather than attempting to create a clearly subordinate addition (which is what the council usually expects to see), the extension was designed to integrate with the existing house. It followed the proportions of the building, retained the existing ridge height, and introduced a second gable which helped to balance the front elevation. The arrangement of windows and garage openings further broke up the massing.
The inspector accepted that the extension would be large, and indeed that it would not necessarily be subordinate in scale. However, that did not lead to a finding of harm. The key point was that the extension was set back from the existing front gable and would not appear overly dominant or obtrusive in practice. The overall design was considered cohesive.
The wider context was also important. The surrounding area contains a variety of large, detached houses of differing styles, many set within generous plots. In that setting, the scale and form of the extended house would not appear over-developed or out of character, nor would it harm the sense of openness that contributes to the rural character of the area.
Planning permission was therefore granted.
We have dealt with a number of similar cases in Wyre, where the council has taken a cautious view of relatively large two-storey extensions. In some instances, the concern has been the impact on neighbouring properties rather than the design itself. You can read another example here.
