Chieveley plan appeal
Developer challenges refusal of High St four-home proposal
AN appeal has been lodged by a developer seeking to develop four detached dwellings on a site in High Street, Chieveley.
The council refused the initial application in April this year, a decision it justified on a number of grounds.
The plans had been submitted at the end of 2020 by agent Pro Vision Planning, on behalf of a private, Winchester-based client.
The new homes – which would be built on the site of several existing cottages – would have their own garages and amenity space.
Justifying its decision, the council expressed concerns that the proposed development would unnecessarily expand the village, disturbing the rural character of a site identified as part of the Chieveley Conservation Area.
The refusal notice stated: “The dwellings sited along this section of the High Street are set within large rear garden plots which create a sense of openness and a soft transition from the built urban edge into the open rural AONB countryside.
“The proposed dwellings will dwarf the retained modest Coombe Cottage and in addition there is a rising level change from the High Street to the rear of the site which would also add to the prominence of the proposed dwellings from the amenity areas of Chiltern House and Thatched House.
“The number of dwellings within
the plot represent an overdevelopment of the site in the context of the existing pattern of development.”
The decision was made after Chieveley Parish Council submitted its own views, concurring with the council’s assessment.
In an appeal submitted on December 7, the applicant disputed the council’s reasoning, stating that the development site was within the local settlement boundary.
A statement enclosed with the appeal set out the case: “The proposal site is located towards the centre of Chieveley and is adjoined by the settlement boundary on three sides, as such the site forms
part of the close-knit physical character of Chieveley.
“The eastern boundary of the proposal site is in line with the existing settlement boundary and as such would not extend the built form of Chieveley into the countryside beyond the existing development pattern.
“Mature trees demarcate the site’s eastern boundary, providing a substantial screen between the site and neighbouring fields.
“These trees would be retained as part of any future development proposals on the site, screening development from the wider countryside.”