PARWICH.ORG

Congratulations to Lynette and Richard, who learnt this morning that their appeal relating to the garden room at Church Cottage, Parwich has been successful. The appeal process has been a long and arduous struggle for both of them, so their sense of relief must be immense, and well deserved.

Announcing her judgement with unusual speed, the Planning Inspector, Katie Peerless, commended the input of the residents of Parwich. 

The building has been in place for some time and I was impressed by the strength of feeling that brought so many people out to speak positively of their liking for the building as it exists. Development, especially in a modern idiom, is often unpopular in conservation areas and it is more usual to hear objections to change, both before and after it has occurred, than praise for an innovative approach. 

The full text of the decision was circulated to interested parties and can be seen by clicking here – Appeal Decision dated 4th June 2008.  For those that do not want to read the full report here are some extracts:

The new building does not appear as a conversion of a former outbuilding or as part of an agricultural complex; it is also clear that it differs from a conventional extension of the living space of the cottage. The design does not compromise the almost solid stone rear elevations of Church Cottage and the workshop and the use of glazing serves to emphasise that the garden room is a space that is in a different use to that of the dwelling or the workshop.

The window itself is only visible from limited viewpoints further along the lane, where, as noted above, it serves to delineate the gap between the cottage and the workshop. Neighbours have commented that they appreciate this gap, which retains views across the garden over the boundary wall towards the church.

The Park Authority considers that the correct approach is to maintain the stonework along the roadside elevation and to reflect the solid materials of the roof slope in the wall beneath. However the treatment suggested would have disadvantages. The glazing has been set on a new structure behind the existing boundary wall and if it was replaced in stonework, as required by the enforcement notice, the appearance of two walls would be created, one standing immediately behind the other. This would be an awkward and peculiar detail that would detract from the appearance of the group of buildings and the wider conservation area.

The use of solid walling on the garden building would also give the impression that the cottage was an integral part of a single, much larger, building. When viewed from the garden side, the use of the glazed roof and walls makes it clear that there are three distinct buildings which, although linked, have separate characters and functions. It would seem inconsistent not to express these differences on the roadside elevation and the inclusion of the glazing serves to do this. It also ensures that Church Cottage does not appear overextended and maintains a proportionally higher ratio of stonework over glazed area along the boundary elevation, as required by Local Plan policies and the Peak District National Park Authority Design Guide.

I have found that the garden room, as built, preserves the character and appearance of the host building and the Parwich Conservation Area. It consequently complies with the aims and objectives of the relevant Development Plan policies that seek to protect the historic environment and promote sympathetic design for new development.

The Inspector also noted the input of the Parish Council and the Local History Society and gave a thumbs up to People Power which hopefully augers well for community input into future planning applications:

The fact that recent and emerging Government guidance puts community involvement high on the list of priorities in the planning process was noted and residents asked me to consider their representations in this light.