Emery Planning has secured planning permission on appeal for an extension to an existing cottage in the Green Belt which equates to a 195% increase in the floor space of the original dwelling.

The property is a relatively small detached stone cottage which already benefitted from planning permission and permitted development rights for large but disjointed single storey and two storey extensions. The appeal application sought planning permission to rationalise the already approved extensions (referred to as the ‘fall-back’) into one integrated scheme.

The Council refused the application as being a disproportionate addition to the dwelling and thus inappropriate development in the Green Belt; it did not consider the lawful ‘fall-back’ to outweigh the harm to the Green Belt.

The Inspector agreed with the case we put forward at appeal, which was that although the scheme would be a disproportionate addition and therefore inappropriate development, the fall back would have a greater effect on openness and would be of an inferior design. The Inspector agreed that this comprised the very special circumstances to justify inappropriate development in the Green Belt and allowed the appeal with no further restriction of permitted development rights.

This is the second recent successful appeal by Emery Planning in Cheshire East using a similar strategy. Previously planning permission was granted on appeal for extensions to Willows Wood, which equated to a 100% increase in floor area; and subsequently led to approval of a similar sized replacement dwelling.