DCS Ref: 100-066-467 Written reps Year of Decision: 2010 Inspector: C GOSSOP
County: OXFORDSHIRE Summary of Decision: ALLOWED
Description:
Extension to, and 2 flats from dwelling in residential suburb. No harm from loss of family unit and benefit in terms of extending housing mix in locality, contrary to city wide strategic SPD guidance. Abstract:
The concern of a local authority in Oxfordshire about the oversupply of smaller properties was rejected by an inspector who held that the provision of two flats within a dwellinghouse should be approved.
The council stated that it had published a supplementary planning document regarding the need to achieve a balanced supply of dwellings of different sizes. It claimed that its area was experiencing a mismatch between need and supply with an overabundance of one and two bedroom flats. This was at the expense of maintaining a supply of family houses, it asserted. Its SPD therefore sought to encourage the supply of larger properties and the appeal site fell within an area judged to be experiencing considerable and growing pressure for smaller units.
The inspector noted that the neighbourhood area within which the site fell comprised two components. In that part of the area which contained the appeal site, over 90 per cent of the housing stock had three or more bedrooms. It had a considerable degree of homogeneity, he concluded. Therefore, while it would lead to the loss of a three bedroom dwelling, this harm was outweighed by the broadening of the mix of properties in the area.
COMPASS Index Terms | Issue Codes | | 101 | | Loss of family housing | | |
| Development Codes | | 501 | | Flat(s) | | 520 | | House extensions - in urban area | | |
| Legal Codes | | 77 | | Supplementary Planning Guidance - Weight to be given to SPG discussed | | |
| Proposal Codes | | 922 | | C3 - Housing - Change of use | | |
| Site Codes | | 08 | | Residential suburban - Post August 06 cases | | |
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