Parish objects to chalet (From Gazette Series)

Parish objects to chalet

NEIGHBOURS objecting to the building of a new house have won the support of their parish council.

The original planning application for a three-bedroom chalet-style house at 18 Somerset Close in Kingswood was rejected by Stroud District Council on the grounds that it would have a detrimental impact to the character of the area and an over-bearing impact on other residents.

Kingswood Parish Council considered a revised application on Monday.

Residents of the cul-de-sac told councillors at the meeting they were worried that if the plan was given the go-ahead, they would lose light and privacy and that building on the on-site natural pond would affect drainage.

One neighbour said: "The concern I have is that there has been relatively little change to the plan since the previous application.

"In terms of the frontage of the dwelling and the closeness to other properties, it has not changed at all.

"Re-siting the building would remove a lot of my objections - there is no reason why they couldn't push the building back to the other side of the site.

"The other thing that has not been taken into account is the issue of the pond, which I believe will affect the drainage in the area."

Another neighbour added that the building would not be in keeping with the general surrounding and it seemed disproportionate with the outline permission originally given.

After discussion, councillors agreed to object to the application, citing their previous concerns and the fact that the property was too close to the rear boundary.