Agenda item

Removal of Condition 9 on planning permission ref: 3/2011/0038 to allow an approved holiday cottage to be occupied as a permanent dwelling (use class C3)

The Committee considered a report of the Planning Officer regarding an application for the removal of condition 9 on planning permission ref: 3/2022/0038 to allow an approved holiday cottage to be occupied as a permanent dwelling (use class C3) (for copy see file of minutes).

The Principal Planning Officer, Steven Pilkington gave a detailed presentation with site location, photographs of the site and a site plan.

Councillor O Gunn, Local Member spoke in support of the application.  She informed the Committee that she had lived in Hunwick for seventeen years and knew the area well.  She did not agree with the reasons given for refusal of the application that the dwelling was isolated.  Councillor Gunn informed the Committee that her residential house was further away from Hunwick village than the applicant’s cottage and was not considered isolated.

Councillor Gunn provided the Committee with details of how the settlement of Hunwick was established. People chose to live in Hunwick because it was a quiet location. Facilities in the village consisted of a local pub and a little shop that delivered milk and newspapers daily. The removal of the condition would not affect tourism in the whole of County Durham as there were plenty of holiday cottages within the area and the loss of one property would not have a significant impact on tourist accommodation.

Councillor O Gunnadded that she did not consider the cottage to be unsatisfactory in terms of living conditions.  The cottage was large with an open plan kitchen, garden area and an area with parking.  Councillor Gunn considered that the removal of the condition would not damage the local economy or quality of life for the person living at the cottage.

Mr Mark Ketley, Planning Consultant addressed the committee in support of the removal of condition 9 from the planning application.  He stated that Hunwick had developed over time with a cluster of three villages that had merged over time into one single sporadic settlement.   In 2011 Mr and Mrs Fielding applied for a change of use to the property to a holiday let and in 2014 had the cottage converted to holiday accommodation.  The cottage had been successful as a holiday let but with the cost of living rising and the impact of Covid people surveys showed that there was less demand for the holiday cottage.  Mr and Mrs Fielding had seen a significant drop in bookings. Upon monitoring their website, in 2016 it showed it had received 6000 views that dropped to 1900 in 2022 that reduced even further to 1600 in 2023.

The Principal Planning Officer stated that planning policy considered the cottage to be an isolated dwelling in the countryside and not ideal for a residential property.

Councillor M McKeon considered that the cottage was not isolated as someone could walk to the local amenities/bus stop within 13 minutes She noted that when the couple bought the cottage they knew their surroundings that did not deter them.  She thought it would be better that someone was living in the property rather than it become another white elephant if not viable in its current form.

Councillor E Adam requested that the Planning Officer expand on the reason for refusing on policy 29 and 31 as the business would need to be sustainable if it came up for sale and what the impact would be.

The Principal Planning Officer had recommended that the request be refused as the NPPF set out the minimum standard space for old dwellings. The dwelling if residential would have shorting comings with the recommended floor space set out by the government. In response to Councillor E Adams query about space hestated that the national space standard set out in the policy what the minimum floor space should be for a single person and the property fell short.  It was a small property and as set out by the Government was adequate for a holiday let but not as a permanent residence.

Moved by Councillor V Andrews, Seconded by Councillor M McKeon

and:

Resolved

That the application be approved as a personal permission for the remainder of the length of time the property was in the ownership of the applicant and subject to Conditions agreed between the Principal Planning Officer and the Chair of the Committee.