A PROPOSAL submitted by a Basingstoke parish council chairman to build extensions on his house and basement garage has been approved by a development control committee despite objections from neighbours.
The plan was submitted by Dummer Parish Council chairman Julian Greenwood Jones to build a single-storey front and side extension and extension of a basement garage at Oldwell House in Up Street, Dummer.
The application was brought to a development control committee that met on Wednesday, January 10, after the planning officers received eight letters of objection from neighbours.
However, the officers recommended that the plan be approved.
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Jeffrey Northam, who spoke to the members of the committee, said the proposed changes would affect the character and appearance of the conservation area.
He said: “I along with seven other long-term residents have expressed strong objection to this recent application in the Dummer conservation area.
“Despite owning the adjacent property for over 35 years, we were not consulted in advance of it. The applicant is the chairman of our parish council. And while the parish council did not object, it's crucial to note the potential conflict of interest.”
The neighbours also said the building would create a change to established building line, change to visual impact on landscape and effects on trees.
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However the planning officers, in their report, said that the proposed development would be of an acceptable design and would not adversely impact on the street scene or the character and appearance of the surrounding area.
They also said the building wouldn’t impact adversely on Dummer conservation area.
Debating the matter, Cllr Michael Howard-Sorrell said: “Based on the diagrams it doesn't seem to impact much in the way of locking the views as the speaker [Mr Northam] suggested it might do. So I’m happy to move the recommendation to approve the plan.”
It was unanimously approved by the committee.
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