PLANNERS are to visit the site of a proposed extension to a Ceredigion seaside village bungalow which officers had recommended be refused.
At the April meeting of Ceredigion County council’s development management committee members were recommended to refuse an application by Jonathan Pritchard for alterations and extensions to a two-bed bungalow at 51 Heol Y Graig, Aberporth.
An officer report said: “The proposal at hand is for a first-floor extension to the extant bungalow alongside a rear wrap around extension on the ground floor which would replace the existing garage and conservatory.
“The proposed first-floor extension unlike the previously approved rear dormers within Heol Y Graig is for a vertically perceptible ‘Roof Lift’ extension which would raise the overall profile of the property by some 150 per cent, which would entail the dramatic re-characterisation of an existing bungalow to a two-storey property.
“The proposed first-floor roof lift extension would raise the profile of the property from some 4 metres tall to some 6-6.5 metres tall from the ground level with the eaves of the proposed extension exceeding the existing ridgeline by about 0.3 metres. Fenestration on the proposed extension would include two diamond shaped windows at a 20-degree angle on the front elevation aiming to enable fenestration on the limited space available between the extant roof and the proposed roofing of the first-floor extension.”
It says the introduction of such an extension, in a street “overwhelmingly categorised by bungalows,” would be contrary to policy.
At the April meeting, applicant Mr Pritchard said he had lived at Heol Y Graig for 21 years and had “given a lot of thought about how to maximise the footprint” of his property, the scheme welcomed by neighbours.
He disputed the officer report claims of a 150 per cent increase, saying it amounted to a 50 per cent one, adding his bungalow had “one of the lowest pitches” in the street, with many other bungalows having been granted extensions previously, a street of bungalows with no particular “architectural merit”.
At the request of local member Cllr Gethin Davies for a Site Inspection Panel site visit, members agreed to the visit before making any decision.
