Elmswood, No 26 Lathbury Road
The rejected development proposal inserted
The trees on Lathbury Road
Page 1 (Click here for other pages)
References and information for comment on the Planning application and appeal for 26 Lathbury Road, Oxford
The appeal
The appeal is predicated on three points.
 | That the decision to refuse consent is contrary to the City Council's core policies, the proposed development being in keeping with local style and character and causing no harm to the appearance of the Conservation Area, to the architecture of the building, or to the garden. |
| That the amenity space provided to the new houses accords with policy. |
| That the development will have no impact on the trees. |
The Residents Association will contradict each and every one of these claims, which it believes stand no chance of being substantiated.
Quick overview of the appealed scheme
The rejected application, now appealed, is for the division and enlargement of the house, shown above on the left margin. The proposal is to extend the house by some 70% of its frontage and to build a large gable forward of the building line facing Lathbury Road. The front garden is to be lost to car parking and a large part of the boundary wall is to be demolished. The unanimous view of those submitting representations, (about 50 of them), and of the Residents Association, is that this proposal will harm the essential character and appearance of the conservation area, which is characterised by having large, wooded, corner plots.
The City Council has repeatedly rejected schemes to develop this precious corner plot on conservation grounds. However, for reasons that are not understood and which the Residents Association considers perverse, Council officers have consistently supported this damaging proposal on conservation grounds. As with another recent decision affecting this conservation area, the Council has rejected its own officers' advice.
The City Council posted details of Application 09/02175/FUL as follows. It was, apart from a technical change relating to the area of the development land, exactly the same as the withdrawn scheme 09/01956/FUL.
The application documents
Location plan - compare this with the (withdrawn) Location Plan of the last application
Proposed site block plan, still showing site divided into three plots
Survey drawing of existing house, plans
Survey drawing of existing house, elevations
Proposed ground floor plan
Proposed first floor plan
Proposed roof plan
Proposed North elevation
Proposed South elevation
Proposed East elevation
Proposed West elevation
Proposed site section with plan "in streetscape"
Proposed site elevation "in context"
Proposed site elevation "viewed from Lathbury Road"
October 2009 Planning Statement
August 2009 Design and Access Statement
May 2006 Arboricultural Assessment Phase 1 & Part Phase II
May 2006 Arboricultural Assessment: Appendices (relating to the first demolition and new-build scheme)
The appeal documents
The City Council's questionnaire response
The appeal will be determined by the Hearing Procedure
Representations to the Planning Inspectorate must be made by 14 April 2010, or they will not be considered.
The address for representations (send 3 copies) is
The Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/20 Eagle Wing,
Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN
Or make on-line representations here. (N.B. This is not the reference given in the City Council's notice letter. Follow the links shown on this page.)
Other City Council information
1. A an appraisal of the landscape contribution of the house and garden to the conservation area was given in the refusal of the first application (which was for 5 new houses) in 2006. NB. in paragraph 2, there is clearly an error: "north" should read "west". (If you wish to refresh your memory of what the 2006 application proposed, click here.)
See also the officers' report on the 2006 application, which acknowledged the value of the contribution of the existing house and landscape to the appearance of the conservation area. See particularly the officers' assessment starting on pages 14ff.
2. It may be noted that this effusiveness over the positive contribution of the house and garden was lessened in the officers' report on the 2008 application. Note in particular that the officer said on this occasion (paragraph 17): "Officers consider that the proposed alterations and extensions to number 26 would pass the statutory test and preserve the essential character of the Conservation Area." This same lack of enthusiasm, at odds with the views expressed in the 2006 application, has reappeared in the report on the most recent application.
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The heavily pruned oak tree on Lathbury Road
The arched gate and the roofscape
The front garden, seen through the gate, will be lost.