Great Yarmouth Borough Council Portal
No.Condition Text
1.The application site is located outside the village development limits and the proposal seeks the "conversion" of an existing building to provide one residential dwelling. Local Plan Part 2 (2021) Policy GSP1 states that development is only acceptable in principle outside of the development limits if it comprises agricultural or forestry development, the provision of utilities and highway infrastructure or where specific policies in the local plan indicate otherwise. Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS2 states that outside development limits, conversions of rural buildings to dwellings can be acceptable in principle. To facilitate the "conversion" proposed, the application includes substantial side and rear extensions which would subsume the existing building and with the altered roof form and change in external materials would completely change the external appearance of the building. Due to the level of changes proposed in the application, the works go beyond what could reasonably described as a conversion and the works would be tantamount to creating a new building within the open countryside. The principle of development is therefore not considered acceptable; the application is contrary to Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS2 and Local Plan Part 2 (2021) Policy GSP1.
2.The former telephone exchange is not considered to be a building of historic or landscape importance. Therefore, notwithstanding that the proposal goes beyond what could reasonably be considered a conversion, the principle of converting this building to a residential use is not acceptable. The application is contrary to Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS2 and Local Plan Part 2 (2021) Policies GSP1 and H7.
3.The site is located more than 700 metres outside of the development limits for Martham and is not connected to the village by lit public footpaths. Due to this lack of safe public access to amenities, employment and services it is considered that there would be a reliance on the private car for future occupants of the proposed development. As such it would be contrary to Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS1(e) which seeks to ensure that new developments provide easy access for everyone to jobs, shops and community facilities by walking, cycling and public transport. Furthermore, it is considered that the application would not comply with Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS2 which seeks to balance the delivery of new homes with the creation of self-contained communities and reducing the need to travel.
4.By virtue of the small plot size and the extensions proposed to the building, the proposal would result in the over development of the plot and give rise to a cramped form of development. This would be exacerbated by the limited provision of outdoor amenity space which is forward of the dwelling, not offering privacy to future residents. The proposal is not considered to comply with the good housing design principles expected by Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS9, Local Plan Part 2 (2021) Policy A2 and The Great Yarmouth Design Code and should be refused as required by Paragraph 139 of the National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024).
5.The proposed dwelling would have insufficient internal amenity space and falls short of the internal floor space expected by the Nationally Described Space Standards (a Best practice outcome of Section BD3 of the Design Code). The future occupants would therefore live in a cramped and oppressive living environment. Furthermore, the low level and poor standard of external amenity space would not offer any relief to future residents and they would get little enjoyment from this space due to the small size, position between the dwelling and the car parking area and lack of privacy. Future residents would therefore not be afforded sufficient amenity provision and the proposal would be contrary to Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS9, Local Plan Part 2 (2021) Policy A1, The Great Yarmouth Design Code and Paragraph 135 of the National Planning Policy Framework (December 2024).
6.The site has potential to provide habitat conducive to bats and other species within the building's roof space and within possible bat feeding corridors in the vicinity of the site. The application does not include any information to establish the existing ecological baseline conditions at the site or demonstrate that the proposal would not have an adverse impact on ecology, in particular that of protected species, and the application has not included any mitigation proposed or notable biodiversity or ecological enhancement measures. As such, the proposal is therefore contrary to Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS11.
7.The application site is located within the orange 400m to 2.5km Indicative Habitat Impact Zone and the application is not supported by an up-to-date shadow template Habitats Regulations Assessment, which is necessary for the purposes of satisfying the Council's duty to avoid impacts on internationally protected site through the use of the Green Infrastructure Recreational Avoidance Mitigation Strategy (GIRAMS). The application is also not supported by the required mitigation contribution to offset recreational demand on designated ecological sites. 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 Core Strategy (2015) Policy CS11 and the adopted Great Yarmouth Local Plan Part 2 Policies GSP5 and GSP8 (2021).
8.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 Core Strategy (2015) Policies CS14 and CS15 and Policies GSP8 and H4 of the Great Yarmouth Local Plan Part 2 (2021).
9.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.