29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF

29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF — North Northamptonshire — Appeal Decisions Site visit made on 20 March 2025 by H Butcher BSc (Hons) MSc PGDIP MRTPI an Inspector appointed by the Secretary of State Decision date: 25 March 2025 Appeal A Ref: APP/M2840/W/24/3350775 29 Manor Road, Grendon, Northampton NN7 1JF • The appeal is made under section 78 of the Town and Country Planning Act 1990 (as amended) against a refusal to grant planning permission. • The appeal is made by Compton Estates against the decision of North Northamptonshire Council. • The application Ref is NW/24/00246/FUL. • The development proposed is widening an existing gap in a wall to create a single off-road car parking space. Appeal B Ref: APP/M2840/Y/24/3350773 29 Manor Road, Grendon, Northampton NN7 1JF • The appeal is made under section 20 of the Planning (Listed Buildings and Conservation Areas) Act 1990 (as amended) against a refusal to grant listed building consent. • The appeal is made by Compton Estates against the decision of North Northamptonshire Council. • The application Ref is NW/24/00247/LBC. • The works proposed are widening an existing gap in a wall to create a single off-road car parking space. Decision 1. The appeals are dismissed. Main Issues 2.

29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF — North Northamptonshire — Appeal Decisions The main issues are: • Whether the proposal would preserve 29 Manor Road (a Grade II Listed building identified as ‘Manor Farmhouse’ on the list descriptioni and used thereon for the purposes of this decision) or any features of special architectural interest which it possesses; and, • Whether the proposal would preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the Grendon Conservation Area. Reasons 3. Manor Farmhouse is a Grade II Listed, former farmhouse (as the name on the list description suggests), dating from the late 17th and mid-19th-century. It is a large building with handsome architectural detailing including a prominent front gable, stone mullioned windows, and small triangular roof dormers. It is located on part of the main route through the village which makes it a visually prominent building within the Grendon Conservation Area. 4. Much of the interest and significance of Manor Farmhouse is in the architectural detailing of the building. Of particular note, the list description details the construction of the building as ‘regular coursed limestone’. The front wall, which https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate

29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF — North Northamptonshire — Appeal Decisions Appeal Decisions APP/M2840/W/24/3350775 & APP/M2840/Y/24/3350773 encloses an area of front garden and is attached to the listed building, is of a similar age and construction to the main building. The wall is also a highly prominent feature across the frontage of the property. For these reasons the wall makes a significant contribution to the special architectural and historic interest of the listed building. The proposal is to demolish part of the front wall which would not preserve this particular aspect of the special architectural interest of the listed building. 5. There is no Conservation Area Appraisal or similar before me to provide an insight into the important characteristics of Grendon Conservation Area. Nevertheless, it was evident to me on my site visit that enclosing walls of the age and type of construction seen at Manor Farmhouse are a key characteristic of the area and make a valuable contribution to its character and appearance. The loss of part of the front wall at Manor Farmhouse would, therefore, neither preserve nor enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area as a whole.

29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF — North Northamptonshire — Appeal Decisions Whilst the section of wall concerned might be at the edge of the conservation area and slightly off-set from the public thoroughfare, I still consider its loss to be harmful to views within the conservation area for the reasons given above. 6. More broadly, the loss of an area of front garden, and the addition of ‘cobble setts’ to provide a parking space to the front of Manor Farmhouse, would also be a detracting feature to the general character and appearance of the surrounding area, despite the proposed enclosure of the space by a low gate. 7. Policy 2 a) and b) of the North Northamptonshire Joint Core Strategy (CS) require development to conserve the heritage significance of an asset in a manner commensurate to its significance, and to complement the surrounding historic environment. Similarly, Policy 8 d) i and ii of the CS requires development to respond to local context and character. The proposal would fail to comply with these policies. 8. In terms of para 215 of the National Planning Policy Framework, the extent of harm I have identified would be ‘less than substantial’ given its localised nature.

29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF — North Northamptonshire — Appeal Decisions As set out therein where a development proposal would lead to ‘less than substantial harm’ to the significance of a designated heritage asset, this harm should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. 9. The appellant suggests that a lack of off-street parking makes it harder to let the property which affects the on-going protection of the building. There is, however, no further detail regarding the rental of this property, which may be affected by any number of factors, and I note there is currently one off-road parking space, and a storage building, associated with Manor Farmhouse. It might also be possible to park in front of the wall on-street, as suggested by the appellant; although they conversely describe parking here as unsafe/not possible. In any event, parking a car here would, in my view, be less harmful than the permanent loss of historic wall fabric. These matters do not, therefore, outweigh the great weight that should be given to the conservation of designated heritage assets. 10. The appeals are dismissed.

29 Manor Road, Grendon, NORTHAMPTON, NN7 1JF — North Northamptonshire — H Butcher INSPECTOR i 1190691 https://www.gov.uk/planning-inspectorate 2