Three new flats (finally!) - the successful resolution of a long-running planning battle

Challenge

Sometimes, a great deal of determination is crucial for winning the planning game. This is a story that involves a pre-application, two applications, and a planning appeal - so it went on long past the point when many people would have given up. Of course, the willingness to keep going does not mean that you will end up with planning permission but it can play a part if you really do have a good case.

The starting point here was a large house that our client thought was suitable for turning into flats. It would need large extensions to fit in the three units that were the goal, but those extensions would be perfectly normal for a corner house in this East London neighbourhood. However, in its pre-application advice, Redbridge Council stated that the plot was in the wrong part of the borough for a flat conversion.

That, then, was the two-part challenge: could we design extensions that almost doubled the size of the property AND convince the council that this was the right place for this kind of development?

Approach

The first task was to make sure that the loft conversion, new rear extension and the first-floor side and rear extension all looked like they were a natural part of the house. The next step was to demonstrate that the proposal was not at odds with the intention of the council’s policies, which seemed aimed at preserving family-sized homes with gardens in residential streets. The ground-floor flat would be a family-sized home with a garden - the other flats would effectively be extras.

Solution

The council refused the application, objecting to both the conversion and the size of the extensions, so we appealed. In a strange twist, the planning inspector disagreed with the council’s reasons for refusal but dismissed the appeal because of the lack of an agreement that related to the Epping Forest Special Area of Conservation.

As it turns out, all the back and forth was the result of a mismeasurement - we were able to prove that the house wasn’t in the zone of influence of the Special Area of Conservation after all. Since the inspector had ruled out the other reasons for refusal, when we went back to the council with a new application, this time, they said yes.

Our client’s resolute commitment, combined with our team’s ability to find a solution to every obstacle placed in our path, well and truly paid off.