This might particularly interest you if you live in the Green Belt, or are a parish councillor….
A government inspector has dismissed an appeal for a house extension in the Green Belt. The house is in Ulverston Road , Ashingdon, and the extension is a loft conversion to create two bedrooms and a bathroom, plus a garage conversion to create a larger kitchen. We say ‘is’ because the work has already been carried out – the applicant claimed that he thought he could do this without planning permission, under the category of ‘permitted development’.
However the inspector has now ruled that there are no exceptional circumstances to justify the breaking of Green Belt policy. The applicant wanted the bedrooms for his children, and claimed that any disruption to the arrangements would be a breach of their human rights in terms of their private family life. However although the inspector did consider the disruption, he didn’t think it outweighed the importance of Green Belt Policy.
The applicant also referred to other extensions being built nearby.
You can find the appeal here.
Presumably the extension will have to come down now. Green Belt policy can seem very harsh, but overall it does protect the semi-rural nature of our district. So it’s important that it applies equally and fairly – whether you are travellers, occupiers of houses, or big developers.