Agenda item

Report by Head of Development and Economic Growth

The Planning Officer for Helensburgh and Lomond spoke to the terms of the report.  The application site comprises most of the private amenity space to the rear of an existing 2-storey, detached sandstone villa set in large private grounds.  The villa is not listed but forms part of a planned townscape block of five similar villas located within the Upper Helensburgh Conservation Area.  The proposed development is for the erection of a 4-bedroomed house with a new vehicular access from Barclay Drive.

In terms of statutory consultee responses, Roads have not objected subject to conditions.  Scottish Water do not object in principle but have pointed out that surface water connection into existing Scottish Water combined sewer system would only be allowed in exceptional and justified circumstances.  Helensburgh Community Council do not object to a house being built on this site in principle but have indicated the proposed design “does not do justice to the site or its position on it” and have suggested potential areas for design improvements.  The Community Council supports other objections with regard to the position of the proposed access on grounds, including adverse impact on road safety and the visual impact of the Conservation Area.  In view of the volume of objections received the Community Council have requested that a local hearing be held.  A total of 22 representations have been received from local residents to the proposed development, 19 objections and 3 representations of a neutral nature.  In relation to the assessment of this application proposal, Officers consider that, notwithstanding the number of representations, a hearing in this instance would not add value to the process and are not recommending that a hearing be held.  

The proposed development by reason of siting, orientation, scale, massing, form, design, detailing, material finishes and impact upon trees would be detrimental to the character and appearance of the Conservation Area and, as such is considered to be an unsustainable form of development, inconsistent with the LDP Settlement and Spatial Strategy.  On the basis of the information currently available, it has not been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the Planning Authority, that the proposed development can be adequately served by existing public, or proposed private surface water drainage infrastructure which is likely to result in flooding on, and adjacent to, the application site.

The application was recommended for refusal for the reasons detailed in the report.

Decision

The Committee agreed to refuse planning permission for the following reasons:

1.    Having regard to the siting, scale, massing, form, design detail and external material finishes in relation the proposed development it would be severely detrimental to the visual amenity of the area and the character and appearance of the Upper Helensburgh Conservation Area. The proposed building is to be sited within almost the entirety of the rear private amenity space of a Victorian stone villa forming part of a planned ‘townscape block’ within a conservation area. The proposed house is to be sited in an unduly prominent central location in the centre of the rear garden some 12 metres from the villa and has an unduly large scale relative to the villa such that it would have a wholly inappropriate spatial and formal relationship with the primary built form of the villa to the serious detriment of the setting of the original villa within its historic curtilage. The proposed design is generic in terms of massing, form, design detailing and material finishes that appears to respond to the housing estate development adjacent to the north of the conservation area rather than its immediate context and as such would result in an incongruous and discordant built form with reference to the clear spatial pattern of built development in this part of the conservation area and serve to erode the integrity of the current clear edge between this part of the Upper Helensburgh Conservation Area and the later 20^th century housing estate development to the north of Barclay Drive.

Given the above, the proposal is contrary to provisions of Policies LDP STRAT 1, LDP DM 1, LDP 3, LDP 9, SG LDP ENV 17 and SG on Sustainable Siting and Design Principles which presume against development which is contrary to sustainable development principles identified in the Local Development Plan in terms of adverse impact on built heritage resources and as such is contrary to the Settlement and Spatial Strategy and which with does not preserve or enhance the character or appearance of an existing Conservation Area or protect local visual amenity.

2.    The application site comprises an established, maturely landscaped garden in a prominent corner siting with a significant number of trees and large shrubs which make a significant contribution to the character and appearance of this edge of the Upper Helensburgh Conservation Area. One of the qualifying features for the conservation area designation is the relationship between large, detached stone villas and their curtilages, often characterised by mature tree planting. The trees within this site play a particularly important role in that they form a natural edge in the transition area between historic built form within the conservation area and modern estate development immediately adjacent to the north of the conservation area boundary. Notwithstanding general comments made in the submitted Design Statement the proposed development will result in the loss of a significant number of trees and large shrubs within the site as a result of the scale and siting of the proposed house and the formation of a new vehicular access and parking/manoeuvring area. No information in the form of a detailed tree impact report based on an accurate tree survey has been submitted to demonstrate to the satisfaction of the planning authority that the proposed development can be implemented without significant loss of trees and large shrubs to the detriment of local visual amenity and to the established character and appearance of this part of the Upper Helensburgh Conservation Area. On the above basis, the proposed development is contrary to the provisions of Policies LDP STRAT 1, LDP DM1, LDP 3, SG LDP ENV 6 and LDP ENV 17.

3.    The proposed development does not make provision for a Sustainable Drainage System and the application forms and drawings do not provide any information with regard to proposed surface water drainage infrastructure. The Design Statement addresses surface water drainage only to confirm that the site is not liable to flooding and that the ground condition has poor drainage qualities. With reference to surface water drainage, the consultation response from Scottish Water advises that in order to protect their customers from potential sewer flooding, they will not accept any surface water connections into the public combined sewer system without significant justification. The application is not supported by any submitted evidence that Scottish Water are prepared to make an exception in relation to this proposal. On the basis of the information currently available, it has not been demonstrated to the satisfaction of the planning authority that the proposal can be adequately served by public or private surface water drainage infrastructure and as such the proposal may result in localised flooding on the site and adjacent land including the public road system contrary to the provisions of Policy LDP 10 and SG LDP SERV 2.

(Reference: Report by Head of Development and Economic Growth dated 8 November 2022, submitted)