Neighbours have lost a battle with a homeowner to reduce the height of a garage. Steve Bull was given permission in 2019 to build a garage that should have been four metres from its ridge height.
But it was built 1.2m taller than its approved plans. As a result its roof had to be reduced by 76cm after Mr Bull's appeal to keep the taller height failed.
Now it still remains half a metre, or 50cm, taller than originally intended. This meant Mr Bull has had to submit a new planning application to keep the structure in Old Barn Way, Abergavenny, still slightly higher than it should be.
The new planning application to retain and complete the garage came back before a council’s planning committee following a request from local councillor Martyn Groucutt, who covers the Abergavenny area.
He told the committee: “All the neighbours oppose [the application] except for the resident of number 60. She is a tenant and the applicant doesn’t live at the house.”
The Labour councillor said “much has been said about the height” but he said the “footprint” of the garage should also be considered.
Another local councillor, Maureen Powell said: "Had this gentleman gone along with what was approved at the very start we would not have this problem now.”
She said the building would "stand out like a sore thumb” and said the originally-approved 4m height should remain.
Jan Butler, also a local councillor, added: “This is very much an overdevelopment and completely out of scale and character and I just feel I can’t support it.”
But planning officers said the 0.5m increase on what was originally approved is "relatively small” and the height is “acceptable in this urban context”.
The report to the committee said: “It is difficult to justify why that would be acceptable but a marginally higher structure would not be in this context where many other outbuildings have been constructed to the rear of existing dwellings.”
The report also said the garage, at the size now agreed, would be "largely screened” by a neighbouring garage so it is not considered to be overbearing. The application was approved.
