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When exactly does a simple shed become a mini-house?
• DAN Carrier is quite right to highlight the problem (Extensions: how to get a shed start, October 23).
As a neighbour of one of these large garden structures I can attest to the loss of sunlight in the garden and to the gross invasion of privacy from windows peering back into my home. If allowed, the continued erection of these buildings may lead to a complete new row of “mini-houses” in the middle of our properties destroying the current nature of the area.
How has permission been given by the planning department for these buildings?
This raises many questions which need to be answered. What is the legal volume of these semi-permanent structures in relation to the size of the dwelling? How have the planning department failed to take notice of multiple objections during the planning phase? If not this makes a mockery of the consultation process. The illustrated edifice lies within a conservation area; it is also within the curtilage of a listed building; have the appropriate consents been obtained in addition to the consent of the landlord?
What steps have the planning department taken to verify the statement quoted and to ensure that the structure has been built in strict accordance with the submitted plans?
Richard Simpson and Councillor Chris Naylor deserve our strong support to prevent our environment from piecemeal suburbanisation. Much of the current financial unrest is due to lack of control of housing matters within the USA.
We must continue to be vigilant to prevent individual developments destroying our local environment and possibly causing major problems in the future.
Russell Lock
via email
Garden land
• I WAS puzzled by your article on Albert Street garden sheds and the concerns expressed about building over garden land in this part of Camden.
The council’s website gives specific rules for maximum sizes for these constructions and the two which have been built no doubt comply with these rules. If every house built a shed of this size in the open space between Albert Street and Arlington Road then about 25 per cent of garden space would be built over.
These rules need to be changed to avoid loss of garden areas in Camden where gardens are usually smaller the ours. Councillor Chris Naylor does not say if he is addressing this problem.
Both the houses and their gardens where the sheds have been built are Grade II-listed buildings.
No listed building consent has been applied for or granted.
I assume that these are illegal structures. The council has on other occasions given consent to the development of listed buildings without checking their status and there doesn’t appear to be an administrative method for this to be done.
More seriously, there were about seven written objections to the proposal to the planning service to the Arlington Road shed, notably from the people living next door to the new shed.
Other London boroughs have a rule that if more than five written objections are received by the planners then the proposal must be considered by an elected committee and the decision not delegated to the officers.
Anthony Richardson
Albert Street, NW1
Anthony Richardson & Partners |
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