planning refused for garage due to potential impact to tree

[N24]

I've three old sheds in one corner of front garden which id like to replace with a garage. They're all under the canopy of neighbours copper beech which is pretty substantial in size.

The plan was to protect the tree by using piles then bridging the walls upon these in order not to compact roots, council seems to have ignored or misunderstood this construction method & refused planning.

Any thoughts on ways to progress - I'm going to try to meet with the planners to explain in further detail how the construction would take place and had assumed that using piles was the correct method when building near trees?

thanks

[N24]

Yes - I think thats the approach I'll need to take - I've been trying to follow up myself as the builder isnt the most proactive & no doubt has many other projects on the go at the same time...

It would be useful to have some reference sites where similar work has been conducted - I'm sure this can't be the first time anyone has built near trees.

[N24]

As it;s in front of the house - ie nearer the road i guess it needs planning - so not within the permitted planning rules. I'm stumped with this as I have three tree's with TPO's plus neighbours with the same that there isn't a location that's ideal for a garage.

I think the build method was to use piles then slabs across them so that there was no digging down into the ground other than for the piles themselves - again to minimise any impact to the tree.

[N24]

davepen said:

We've just received Planning Permission at the second attempt. The first was rejected as we needed a certified tree report and method statement, which wasn't discovered by the planner until the last minute. The planner wanted us to withdraw, I preferred to get the report issued. We're in a conservation area, so trees have effective TPO. At least the rejected application gave us listed, highways design and conservation agreement.

Still not convinced the foundation needs to be capable of a 10 storey building. Raft wasn't acceptable to Arborial-cultural expert, we consulted, perhaps we needed to find another...

Same comment from my planners "withdraw or we'll refuse it" - did you use a raft in the end - was that approved?

thanks!

[N24]

Muncher said:

You need a friendly aboricultural consultant and designer that can put the right spin on things. We got permission to put a massive thick raft foundation under a protected tree recently.

Totally - any recommendations ?

[N24]

Some of these puns are so old I sawdust on them

[N24]

Based in Reading, Berks.

The neighbours tree is a very large copper beech - quite attractive really so I'd rather not impact it, let alone accidentally kill it if I can avoid it! The lime tree in my garden isn't at all attractive tho....

[N24]

Busa mav said:

Wokingham or Reading council.

A local builder I deal with asked about a similar situation a few months back for his brothers house ,and I told him he would never get planning for the garage , not Stewart's brother are you ?

Reading, & no - don't know a Stewart!

[N24]

Council planners have requested a tree survey - any suggestions/recommendations for a tree surveyor for Reading/Berks/south Oxon area??

cheers

[N24]

Thanks - I'll give them a bell.

[N24]

Used the specialist recommended - good call - thanks!

So now the tree has been condemned as it has a massive dose of fungal rot - roots & trunk up to 3m high is hollow/like balsa. Shame as it's a beautiful tree.

Now council have refused planning as garage isn't in keeping with the street scene!

House is victorian with gable ended rooftops, garage design has similar pitch & roof top, and the entire garage will be mainly hidden from view as it's in a corner surrounded by evergreen hedging. Their description of garage is "it;s just a box with a lid", yet the neighbouring houses are 1970's, low built, concrete-brick & of no beauty.

Any thoughts on getting past their street scene objection - sounds like personal opinion as I can't find any references to measure this against?

thanks!

[N24]

I've tried to mimic the house in the garage - trying to get hold of the planning officer to see if we can meet on site to discuss this - but really the garage is a mini version of one end of the house. I want it all in keeping more than they will - but you're right it doesn't seem all that straightforward let alone consistent.

[N24]

Venom said:

blueg33 said:

We need to see drawings and pics of the street to comment

Trust me, planning is a lottery. I hate it. Just had a major application 90 units deferred on the day of committee because the planning admin team "forgot" to properly consult highways. Cost to my business circa £250k, cost to public purse of the delay at least £128k.

Had a similar one recently - monthly delays cost us £330k, eventually got permission 6 months after statutory target date with very little input from us other than answering questions to which the detail should have been obvious from our original submission. Sadly, with government cuts there are now fewer and fewer competent, experienced planners working for local authorities, most decent ones upped and left for the private sector.

Back to the OP, design is very subjective. If you feel strongly enough that the Council's reasons for refusal are weak, you can appeal to the Planning Inspectorate. You can do this by the 'written reps' process, filling in forms online and paying a small fee. It takes a while though, due to the sheer number of applications for appeal in the system. You'd need to be able to clearly articulate why you consider that the garage would not be out of character or harmful to the street scene. Focus on things like scale, use of materials compared with things around you, loss of light or not, as the case may be, and what you can do to soften the impact - plant a nice hedge between it and the road/neighbours, for example.

Perfect! That should all be ok, it wont affect anyones light, it'll be hidden by shrubbery on all sides except garage doors - which open onto my drive & not visible from road or neighbours.

[N24]

bimsb6 said:

N24 said:

Used the specialist recommended - good call - thanks!

So now the tree has been condemned as it has a massive dose of fungal rot - roots & trunk up to 3m high is hollow/like balsa. Shame as it's a beautiful tree.


thanks!

That should please your neighbours ! Presumably they will now have to have it felled?

Funnily enough they were overjoyed as theyve been trying to fell the tree for over 20 years, but not bothered with a survey. However they've dont nothing about it & I'm a touch concerned it could keel over onto my house during a storm - it's a 40m high beech so pretty substantial.

[N24]

Totally! I have two Morso's & didn't order any logs this year in the hope that this beech can be used for winter 2017!

The hopefully substantial log pile should also add to the screening effect against the two gable ends of the garage!