A NUMBER of residents have objected to a planning application in the Mark Hall Moors area of Harlow.

The application is for:

The application property is one of a pair of semis located on the corner at the junction of Mowbray Road and Muskham Road. Its front elevation faces north-northwest.

The plot is L- shaped as a “bite” of land between it and the house to the rear, 16 Mark Hall Moors, is public open space. The house is brick-built with rendered panels and a tiled roof. There is a narrow rear projecting element on the western side of the house, probably built as a coal store, and there is an outbuilding at the end of the rear garden (both of these would be demolished if the development goes ahead). The rear garden slopes up away from the house.

On the opposite side of Muskham Road is Mark Hall Park and on the opposite side of Mowbray Road is a footpath with wide verges and to the west of that is Tanys Dell Community Primary School. There are residential properties on the southern, eastern and northern sides with the properties on the opposite side of the road being the flats in Stackfield.

The site is located in the Mark Hall North Conservation Area.

There are two elements to the proposal:

A REAR EXTENSION – A single-storey full-width flat-roofed extension 4m deep and 3.05m high (measured at the point where the extension meets the house). The side walls of this would be constructed of brick matching the house with dark grey zinc cladding on the rear elevation and a panel of timber cladding on the elevation to Muskham Road where the extension meets the house incorporated so that the extension reads as an addition to the house.

A SUMMERHOUSE – This is at the end of the rear garden and across most of its width, 5.332m x 2.95m and 2.5m high. This would be timber clad. It should be noted that, although part of this application, it is actually permitted development.

The plans also show a new ground floor window on the Muskham Road elevation. Assuming this is constructed using materials matching those of the existing windows, this would be permitted development.

The application as originally submitted also included a porch and enlarging the ground floor front window, but as the Heritage Adviser objected to these and there were also neighbour objections, these have been removed from the application. Another amendment to the application is the design of the rear extension has also been amended to address concerns. Also, its depth has been reduced to 4 metres from 4.25 metres.

Summary of Representations Received

Only comments on the amended application have been reported.

Amenity issues – considerable noise from recent work.
Appearance issues – there is a degree of overbuilding in the rear garden with the extension and the elevated summer house, the rear extension is visible from the street but only marginally larger than the existing structure, the summer house is large in relation to the garden but is visually close to the next property which reduces its impact.
Enforcement issues – removal of chimney.
Other issues – object to all the work, not happy with the way the owner has done just what he likes, extension encroaches onto their property.