The Manor, Bradford Road, Bathford

The Manor is an unlisted dwelling situated within the Bath Green Belt and Cotswolds AONB. Proposals for extensions were permitted in 2017 (see 17/03195/FUL), although it was later noted that this proposal exceeded the appropriate volume of permitted extension development within the Green Belt. A retrospective application for a rear extension and other alterations of a greater volume was refused in 2019 (see 19/03282/FUL). The current retrospective application therefore proposes an amendment to the volume and scale of the scheme as presented in 2019.

The Trust cannot support this application due to the unauthorised retention of material works on-site as outlined in application 19/03282/FUL, and the lack of information provided regarding the proposed volume increase to the ‘original’ pre-1948 building.
Application 17/03195/FUL proposed an estimated volume growth of 49.5% from 508m3 to 759.5m3 (see 19/03282/FUL’s Delegated Report) which constitutes inappropriate development within the Green Belt, exceeding the advised 30% maximum. Due to the similarity in dormer height and length, and rear extension depth, it is felt that these figures are therefore roughly applicable to this application.

Therefore, this application represents inappropriate development within the Green Belt with no demonstration of “very special circumstances”. The insertion of a dormer to the rear and rooflights to the front establishes the appearance of a third storey on an otherwise two storey building overlooking Bathford’s undeveloped rural environs; this visual ‘heightening’ of the building and increased massing therefore results in “disproportionate additions over and above the size of the original building”, contrary to Paragraph 145 of the NPPF, and Policy GB3 of the Core Strategy and Placemaking Plan.

This application constitutes inappropriate development within the Green Belt, does not preserve the Green Belt’s visual openness, and proposes a disproportionate scale of development to the original pre-1948 building. This application is therefore contrary to Section 13 of the NPPF, and Policies B1, B4, BD1, GB1, CP8 and GB3 of the Core Strategy and Placemaking Plan, and should be refused. We would strongly recommend that enforcement action is taken against the unauthorised works to the building by officers.