Report Item 1 – 24/00270/FULL – Langford Farm, Paradise lane, Woodlands, SO40 7GS

1. REASON FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION

Contrary to Parish Council view.

2. POLICIES

Development Plan Designations

Conservation Area

Principal Development Plan Policies

• DP2 General development principles
• SP42 Business and employment development
• SP46 Sustainable tourism development
• SP16 The historic and built environment

NPPF

• Sec 6 - Building a strong, competitive economy
• Sec 15 - Conserving and enhancing the natural environment
• Sec 16 - Conserving and enhancing the historic environment

3. MEMBER COMMENTS

None received

4. PARISH COUNCIL COMMENTS

Netley Marsh Parish Council: Recommend refusal. It was felt the increase in traffic caused by B & B customers would be totally unacceptable on this very narrow road.

5. CONSULTEES

None required.

6. REPRESENTATIONS

One letter of objection on the grounds that:

• Further escalation of activity on the site, which has little regard to planning restrictions and has resulted in significant additional traffic, light and noise pollution to the detriment to the residents along the lane.
• Paradise Lane is narrow with only one lane and regular use by horse riders and walkers and is not suitable to safely accommodate additional traffic.
• Would be detrimental to the occupants of houses along the lane.

7. RELEVANT HISTORY

• Single storey extension; detached garage (22/00345) granted on 18 October 2022
• Detached garage with storage over (19/00541) refused on 18 September 2019
• Application for a Certificate of Lawful Development for a proposed mobile home for residential purposes ancillary to main dwelling (18/00810) – certificate issued (permitted development) on 28 December 2018
• One and two storey extension (07/91759) refused on 17 August 2007
• House (04/83524) granted on 08 February 2005

8. ASSESSMENT

Application Site

8.1 The property is a two-storey dwelling, set slightly back from Paradise Lane, with a good-sized garden to the rear. To the front (east) of the house there is a wide gravelled area with a range of outbuildings and stables along its eastern and northern sides. There is an extant consent for a single storey extension and garage building that has not yet been implemented.

Proposed Development

8.2 The application seeks consent for the change of use of the property from a single dwellinghouse to a mixed use of dwelling and bed and breakfast accommodation. There are not proposed to be any alterations to the dwelling to facilitate the proposed use. Information has been provided that a maximum of three out of the five existing bedrooms would be used for B&B guests. It is also noted that the entire property has, on occasion, been let out as holiday accommodation. The key considerations are:

• The implications for Policy DP46.
• The impact on the character of the residential property
• Any impact on the surrounding conservation area
• Any impact on neighbour amenity

Consideration

8.3 Policy DP46 seeks to restrict the provision of new tourist accommodation to within the defined villages unless it is part of a farm diversification scheme. However, it should be noted that the use of bedrooms in a dwelling as B&B, where it does not materially alter the domestic use of the property (generally 50% of the bedrooms or fewer), does not generally require planning permission. Therefore, in this case, two of the existing bedrooms could be used as bed and breakfast without any permission and the assessment must be made as to whether the use of a single additional bedroom for holiday accommodation would have a material and detrimental impact on the residential character of the property or that of the surrounding area or the special qualities of the National Park.

8.4 In terms of the impact on the property, there is to be no alteration to the exterior of the building or its internal layout in order to facilitate the increased B&B use. There would therefore be no direct impact on the character and appearance of the dwelling or that of the conservation area within which it is located and any adverse impact would therefore be from the intensified use of the site.

8.5 With regard to the number of visitors, the increased occupation of the site could generate an increase in noise and disturbance, though the likelihood is that this would not be as significant, with the owners remaining in situ, as when the entire house is let out to large groups, as advertised on the website for the farmhouse, which refers to a total sleeping capacity of 14 people. The nearest neighbour is located around 50m away. It is recognised that the proposal would result in additional vehicle movements to the site along the narrow lane and this is the primary concern that has been raised by the Parish Council and neighbours. However, as set out previously, again this would only be one additional vehicle than would be the case if only two bedrooms were let out without the requirement for planning permission. There is a large area to the front of the property that can be used for parking cars and it would not therefore lead to the requirement for any off-site parking that would be a hazard on the narrow lane.

Conclusion

8.6 The proposal would not involve any physical changes which would affect the character and appearance of the dwelling or that of the conservation area or the special qualities of the National Park. The limited increase in guests that could be accommodated would mean that it is unlikely to result in a material increase in activity, disturbance or vehicular movements on the site.

9. RECOMMENDATION

Grant Subject to Conditions

Condition(s)

1. The development hereby permitted shall be begun before the expiration of three years from the date of this permission.

   Reason: To comply with Section 91 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 as amended by Section 51 of the Planning and Compulsory Purchase Act 2004.

2. Development shall only be carried out in accordance with plans:

   • Location Plan
   • Block Plan
   • SC_01 - Existing and proposedgorund floor plan
   • SC_02 - Existing and proposed first floor plan
   • 1 - Existing and proposed front and side elevations
   • 2 - Existing and proposed rear and side elevations

   No alterations to the approved development shall be made unless otherwise agreed in writing by the New Forest National Park Authority.

   Reason: To ensure an acceptable appearance of the building in accordance with Policies SP16, SP17, DP18 and DP2 of the adopted New Forest National Park Local Plan 2016- 2036 (August 2019).

3. No more than three rooms within the dwelling shall be used for the purposes of accommodating bed and breakfast guests at any time.

   Reason: To accord with the terms of the application and prevent any intensification of the bed and breakfast function

Paradise

Wood Vale

Cottage

Langford Farm

Pendragon

Kingswood

Pear Tree Cottage

Paradise Copse

El Sub Sta

Ford

PARADISE LANE

FB

FB

FB

FB 00m 16 43

17 00m 18 43 431600m

17 431800m

112600m

112700m

112600m

112700m

Ref:

24/00270FULL

Scale:

1:1250

Date:

04/07/2024

© Crown copyright and database rights 2024 Ordnance Survey 100014703