Planning Application Details

Whilst the barn is a non-designated asset in the conservation area, the thatched roof of the barn is a key characteristic of the building and contributes towards the building's significance which in turn positively contributes to the wider Conservation Area. The removal of the thatched roof to be replaced with clay tiles would harm the historic and architectural interest of the barn and the historic character of the Great Haseley Conservation Area. The proposal does not comply with section 72 of The Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as it would not preserve the architectural and historic interest of the character and appearance of the conservation area. In addition the proposal fails to meet the tests of Paragraph 216 or Paragraph 219 of the NPPF and is contrary to Policies ENV6, ENV8, DES1 and DES2 of the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.

The addition of a dormer roof extension to accommodate a full height window and balcony is an incongruous feature introduced in order to overcome the lack of amenity space. There is no historic evidence of a similar feature, midstrey or otherwise, on this building and the design would not be considered consistent with the building. The addition of such a feature would be contrary to Historic England's guidance note- Adapting Traditional Farm buildings, which states: 'New dormer windows are generally inappropriate in all farm-building adaptations except where there is already evidence of their use'. The dormer extension does not comply with the advice in The South and Vale Joint Design Guide 2022 Section 5.52 which advises that domestic features should be avoided on non-domestic buildings such as barns and outbuildings. Additionally, roof extensions must be set within the roof slope, and should sit well above the eaves line and the ridge line and should be set in from the gable ends. These features should not be used as a means of generating additional headroom, as the design should be informed by the character and appearance of the local vernacular. The addition of the dormer feature would harm the historic and architectural interest of the barn and the historic character of the Great Haseley Conservation Area. The proposal does not comply with section 72 of The Planning (Listed Building and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 as it would not preserve the architectural and historic interest of the character and appearance of the conservation area. In addition the proposal fails to meet the tests of Paragraph 216 or Paragraph 219 of the NPPF, is contrary to Policies ENV6, ENV8, DES1 and DES2 of the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035 and the advice in The South and Vale Joint Design Guide 2022.

The internal dimensions of the proposed integral garage do not meet the current standards for a single occupancy garage of 3.0m wide by 6.0m in length. As such the proposal lacks adequate on site parking provision and would result in indiscriminate and or obstructive parking occurring within the vicinity of the site. Indiscriminate parking in the vicinity would increase the risk to Highway Safety and to other users of the Highway contrary to Policy TRANS5 of the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035.

The building is tightly constrained, and the proposal fails to provide an adequate amenity space for a dwelling of this size to the detriment of the residential amenity of the occupants of the building. The South and Vale Joint Design Guide 2022 requires 50 square metres of private amenity area for a two bed dwelling and in this case only 6.5 square metres of balcony space is provided on the road frontage of the building. The size of the space is inadequate and it is not a private area. As such the proposal is contrary to Policy DES5 of the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2025 and advice contained in the South and Vale Joint Design Guide 2022.

Insufficient information has been submitted to demonstrate that the impact on bats has been adequately addressed contrary to Policy ENV2 of the adopted South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2035, advice in the NPPF and Paragraph 99 of the Government Circular 06/2005.