Planning appeal for proposed self-build in Harborough conservation village dismissed

The application for self-build accommodation on the Straun Cottage site in Illston on the Hill, lodged late last year, was initially rejected by the district council due to ‘harm’ caused to the setting and character of the conservation area.

The rural village, which runs linear along Main Street, includes a 17th century listed building, a gate pier and mounting block, that lie opposite to the proposed site.

The proposed two-bedroom self-build, with room for two vehicles, drew objections from nearby residents concerned it would be ‘detrimental’ to the street view, and preservation of the conservation area. Other concerns included parking issues and the possible impact to highway safety.

But applicant Ronan Donohoe argued a housing needs survey identified a need for 11 self-build plots in the parish, and the dwelling would serve the currently undeveloped land.

He concluded the public benefits outweighed any harm to the village setting and character.

But the government’s Planning Inspectorate did not agree.

The appeal report said the plans would alter the ‘open and verdant feel’ to the site, undermine the relationship to the listed building - Manor House – and diminish the views of the rural surroundings.

The report read: “While the proposed dwelling would follow the linear pattern of development within the village, it would close a notable verdant and spacious gap along Main Street and remove the significant frontage hedgerow, both of which contribute to the significance of the conservation area. Furthermore, in adding built form within the gap between buildings, the glimpsed views of open

countryside that are currently visible above the modest outbuilding would be diminished. In addition, due to the harm caused to the setting of the listed Manor House, as a notable prominent building

within the conservation area, this would consequently have an unacceptable impact on the significance of the conservation area.”

The inspector concluded that, although the proposed building would not cause parking issues or impact highway safety, the benefits would not outweigh the harm caused to surroundings.