A Monkton resident has hit out at South Ayrshire Council’s refusal of a home extension, but hopes to persuade councillors to overturn the decision.
Officers say that the proposal to demolish a garage at Caroline Adams’ home in Adamton Estate to make way for the extension, would result in car parking issues which could have ‘serious ramifications’ if approved.
Planners, who refused the application in November under delegated powers, also said that the extension would not be in keeping with surrounding buildings.
Mrs Adams has appealed and will make her case at a meeting of the Local Review Body this week.
She had sought permission to demolish the existing garage at her home in Adamton Estate to accommodate the extension.
However, Ayrshire Roads Alliance (ARA) objected, stating that the demolition of the garage would remove an off-street parking space.
ARA said this would ‘result in an increased demand for on-street parking and congestion which would impede the free flow of traffic within public road limits’.
This would be to the ‘overall detriment of road safety, and residential amenity at this location’.
Planners had also looked at the nature of the extension itself as a reason for refusal.
They reported that the site and size of the extension meant it would be ‘visually prominent and shall dominate the character and appearance of the original dwellinghouse and is not characteristic of development in the locality’.
Mrs Adams addressed both issues in her appeal statement, pointing to the development of new homes adjacent to her house.
She said: “New build properties are currently under construction directly adjacent to my property. As you will see the properties are visually prominent.
“Even with the proposed extension, my property would be much smaller in siting and scale to these new build properties, which are four and five bedroom properties selling in the region of £500,000.
“The character and appearance of the new builds are extremely different to the original properties on the street.”
Mrs Adams also argued that plans show that there is an adequate space for off-road parking when the proposed extension is complete, and that the garage parking space would be replaced by using an area in front of her home.
She said: “We do not currently utilise the garage for parking but we will make use of the new driveway.
“This will therefore ease congestion on the road and will not have a detriment to road safety or the residential amenity at this location.”
ARA responded that the extension would increase the number of bedrooms, which, in turn, would require an additional parking space within the curtilage of the house.
They argue that, rather than increase the spaces, the demolition of the garage would result in ‘zero’ spaces.
They added: “ARA cannot create a precedent where it is suggested to be considered acceptable for a property to remove its dedicated off-road parking facilities to accommodate an extension.
“The setting of such a precedent could have significant ramifications for on-street parking pressures in residential areas throughout the local authority.”
Councillors will consider the appeal on Wednesday, May 9 when it goes to the the Local Review Body.
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