House-in-garden plan to go ahead

RESIDENTS have failed in a bid to stop a house being built in a neighbour’s garden at Warrington.
They had the support of two borough councillors and Penketh Parish Council – but the borough council’s planning committee ruled that the development in Heath Road, Penketh, could go ahead.
The plan involves building a two-storey house in the garden of a bungalow in Heath Road. It was thrown out when it came before the committee earlier this year on the grounds it was “a dominant and oppressive feature” when viewed from the rear gardens of properties of Coronation Drive and from Hillside Grove.
But councillors were told the original plan involved a house10m high while the new proposal was for one 8.4m high. The floor area had also been reduced by about 40 per cent.
Neighbours argued that the plan had changed little and the dwelling would still be out of scale and over dominant.
The parish council objected on the grounds the new house would overlook five other properties and threatened three protected trees
Borough councillor David Keane said the plans were very similar to the earlier proposals which had been refused. He believed a single storey or one and-a-half storey property would be more appropriate.
But the committee voted to approve the scheme, with only Cllr Sheila Woodyatt opposing.
She said she had previous experience of houses being built in the gardens of existing properties which had caused problems.