The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN

The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN — Kirklees Metropolitan Council — Appeal Decision Site visit made on 4 January 2022 by D Barlow BA (Hons) MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 13 February 2023 Appeal Ref: APP/Z4718/W/22/3304716 The Piggeries, Longwood Edge Road, Longwood, Huddersfield HD3 4XN • The appeal is made under Section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Yasmin Bibi against the decision of Kirklees Council. • The application Ref 2021/62/93467/W dated 31 August 2021, was refused by notice dated 9 June 2022. • The development proposed is amendment to roof form, material changes and increase in building footprint. Decision 1. The appeal is dismissed. Preliminary Matters 2. I noticed on my site visit that work had commenced on the proposed development. Nonetheless, I have determined the appeal on the plans submitted before me. 3. I have taken the postcode from the appeal form rather than the application form in the interests of clarity. Main Issue 4. The main issue is the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to the adjacent Longwood Edge Conservation Area. Reasons 5.

The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN — Kirklees Metropolitan Council — Appeal Decision The host property is a single storey linear ‘L’ shaped building of varying materials and roof styles situated on the top of a quarry cliff face and adjacent to the Longwood Edge Conservation Area. The immediate area has a very open and exposed feel to it being in such an elevated position, whilst the Conservation Area is more wooded with large green spaces and contains a number of older more traditional dwellings in a semi rural environment, including four listed buildings to the Southwest. 6. The proposal plans to enlarge the existing building and adding a long narrow eastwards extension, increases the mass of the building from both the neighbouring Conservation Area and from the valley below, including the neighbouring housing development in Quarry Court. On my site visit I viewed the existing building from a number of differing locations and the proposals, which incorporate small windows, whilst removing the render and adding cladding, would mean it would lose its rustic appearance on what is an already https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN — Kirklees Metropolitan Council — Appeal Decision Appeal Decision APP/Z4718/W/22/3304716 very prominent building. This is the case both on the skyline and when viewed from the road. 7. The increase in ridge height, whilst modest, would still make the host property more visible and the single storey extension increases the already elongated form which would be equally conspicuous, particularly when viewed from the north and south. It also has a very urban form and look, the design of the windows leave a large blank elevation and the combination of concrete tiles, flat roof and metal profiled sheet roofing all contribute to an incongruous look. The appellant states that he is open to a change of materials to lessen the impact of the proposal, caused by the single storey extension and increase in ridge and eaves heights proposed, however the colour change to the proposed cladding would not change the urban form of the building. The proposal therefore causes harm to the character and appearance of the area and less than substantial harm to the setting of the Longwood Edge Conservation Area. 8. When harm is caused to a heritage asset, this must be weighed against any public benefits of the proposal.

The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN — Kirklees Metropolitan Council — Appeal Decision The number of bedrooms for the Guest House element of the host dwelling would remain the same and there have been no other public benefits put forward by the appellant which would outweigh the harm. 9. Given the above, I conclude that the proposal would harm the character and appearance of the area and less than substantial harm to the setting of the adjacent Conservation Area contrary to Policy LP24 of the Kirklees Local Plan (adopted February 2019) which seeks to ensure proposals should promote good design by ensuring the form, scale and layout respects the character of the townscape, heritage assets and landscape. It would also cause conflict with Policy LP35 of the Local Plan by affecting a designated heritage asset without bringing substantial public benefits that clearly outweigh the harm. The policies reinforce the National Planning Policy Framework which aims to achieve well designed places and conserve and enhance the historic environment. Other Matters 10. The appellant has incorporated energy efficient measures in the construction, and a more subtle palette of materials and colours.

The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN — Kirklees Metropolitan Council — Appeal Decision It is also noted that the existing trees on site are unaffected, however given the scale of the scheme any such benefits would be small. Conclusion 11. Thus, for the reasons above and having considered all matters raised, the proposal conflicts with the development plan as a whole and there are no material considerations which indicate a decision other than in accordance with the development plan. The appeal is dismissed.

The Piggeries,, Longwood Edge Road, Huddersfield, HD3 4XN — Kirklees Metropolitan Council — D Barlow INSPECTOR https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2