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| Adding that extra floor!! |
I hoped for one ghastly minute that I'd unknowingly
developed narcolepsy, had fallen asleep and was having another in a continuing
series of bad dreams about changes to the planning system. But no. She who must
be obeyed was very definitely issuing directives and I was being pressured to
rapidly relinquish my supermarket parking space to a 4 x 4 that was never going
to fit.
The cause of my angst was a sub-heading in 'Planning' this
week that read "Every homeowner should be allowed to build an additional
storey to their home without needing to apply for planning permission,
according to a book published today by a group of Tory modernisers".
The headline was laughable enough, 'Tory modernisers press
for further planning reform', but to actually spend time, money and doubtless
no little effort in publishing a book containing such unmitigated drivel
beggars belief. Was it April already?
What is it that this Government actually believes is going
to be achieved - for the benefit of the electorate - in open season planning
relaxation of this type?
Clearly (to a man) they have never sat in a planning
committee and witnessed the unholy rantings of neighbours and others (often
from some distance away and out of sight of the applicant property) who will commit
gross calumny's over the most innocuous of extensions, let alone a whole extra
storey; especially where there might be the risk of even an oblique glimpse of
any part of neighbouring property. There's been enough grief already over
ground level extension proposals.
Can you imagine the gap toothed street scene that could be
encouraged? This would drive a coach and horses through adopted design guidance
and Local Plan policy. And as for neighbourhood planning. Forget it. There
wouldn't be one. Just a ramshackle array of houses all at differing levels with
feuding occupants erecting ever higher fences to maintain what they believe is
their god given right to uninterrupted privacy.
And as for what's left of the housing market - it would
pretty much fall off its perch. Lets destroy the much vaunted house building
industry by avoiding the need for newer, well designed, energy efficient
buildings by retrofitting the existing stock by adding a floor to a building
that was never designed to take the loads. Just think what the banks and
building societies will make of that for mortgage purposes.
For goodness sake Government, get a grip. Let's sort out why
people arn't able to buy a house in the first place.
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