Great Yarmouth Borough Council Portal
No.Condition Text
1.The excessive footprint of the dwellings, along with the inclusion of a detached annex building to the rear, leads to a cramped form of development which fails to respect the surrounding built character and appearance of the area. This overdevelopment is exacerbated by the excessive bulk and massing of the proposal which furthers the cramped nature of the scheme. This cramped form of development manifests itself in the highly limited amount of outdoor amenity space which would be provided to the rear of each property; this space would be cramped, enclosed and overshadowed and not create a high quality living environment for future residents. The proposal therefore fails to achieve a high quality design or provide sufficient amenity for residents, contrary to adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policies DHE1 and HEC7, and Requirements CI1 and CI4 of the Borough-wide Design Code SPD (Appendix 1).
2.The proposed design would cause a high degree of less than substantial harm to the setting of the adjacent Conservation Area and Listed Buildings through the use of unsympathetic materials, lack of reference to surrounding properties and use of flat roof and flat roof dormer which do not follow the rhythms and proportions of the surrounding buildings and exacerbates the impact that the overly bulky side elevation has on the adjacent Conservation Area. This would negatively affect views within the Conservation Area and towards the Grade II* listed Roman Catholic Church of St Peter. As such, the proposal is contrary to adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policy DHE2.
3.Policy HE6(4) of the NPPF (August 2026) requires that any harm to the significance of a designated heritage asset should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. In this case, there would be a high degree of less-than-substantial harm to the setting of the Conservation Area and Listed Buildings which are designated heritage assets. It is not considered that the addition of new housing presents a sufficient public benefit which would outweigh the harm caused to the appearance of the building and the wider detrimental impact on the significance and character of the Conservation Area. As such, the proposal is contrary to adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policy DHE2.
4.By virtue of its scale and floor area and positioning within the site, the proposal is not considered to offer an ancillary form of accommodation to the main dwelling. Due to the scale and siting of the proposal the annex fails to appear subordinate to the main dwelling, and in terms of its use and appearance the proposed unit of accommodation would be tantamount to creating an independent dwelling within the site, evidenced by the fact that the accommodation would be capable of providing its own kitchen/living facilities along with a bedroom and shower room and the lack of tangible link to the main dwelling. As such, the annexe would be capable of providing independent accommodation separate to the main dwelling and therefore would not be ancillary in use or function to the main dwelling. The proposal is therefore considered to be contrary to policy HOU10 of the Local Plan (2026).
5.The site has the potential to provide habitats conducive to nesting birds and other species including small mammals due to the vegetation on site and the condition of the existing garaging. The application has not been supported by any information to demonstrate that the proposal would not have an adverse impact on the ecology within the site or that any mitigatory solutions have been proposed, and it does not propose any ecological enhancement. The proposal, therefore, fails to comply with the adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policy NAT4.
6.The application site is located within the Green 2.5km+ Indicative Habitat Impact Zone and the application is not supported by an up-to-date shadow template Habitats Regulations Assessment nor the required £[Insert Correct Fee] per dwelling GIRAMS contribution, which are necessary for the purposes of satisfying the Council's duty to avoid impacts on internationally protected sites through the use of the Green Infrastructure Recreational Avoidance Mitigation Strategy (GIRAMS). As such the Local Planning Authority and the Council as Competent Authority under the Habitats Regulations cannot fully assess the additional impact, in terms of indirect and direct impacts upon the internationally-designated sites within the Borough, without satisfaction that the required mitigation would be provided. As a result, the application is contrary to the adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policy NAT4.
7.The proposal has failed to address the public open space requirements of the development, whether by on-site provision or through means to secure financial contributions towards off-site provision. As such, the impacts of the development and the pressures the development places on public open spaces have not been mitigated. The proposal is, therefore, contrary to Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) Policy HEC2.
8.Due to the former use of the site, there is a possibility that the land is contaminated. No information has been submitted to suggest that the site, in principle, could be made safe for residential development. The proposal has therefore not demonstrated that the site is safe from potential existing contamination or that any contamination could be sufficiently remediated, contrary to Policies HEC5 and HEC6 of the adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan (2026) and Chapter 17 of the NPPF (August 2026).
9.INFORMATIVE STATEMENT OF POSITIVE ENGAGEMENT (REFUSALS): In accordance with the NPPF, in determining this application for planning permission, the Borough Council has approached it in a positive and proactive way and where possible has sought solutions to problems to achieve the aim of approving sustainable development. Unfortunately, despite this, in this particular case the development is not considered to represent sustainable or an acceptable form of development and has been refused for the reasons set out above.