Posted by Helge Frandsen After 11 years in the area, with both our boys attending Columbia Primary School (which is excellent) and unable to afford a larger house nearby, it seemed a good idea to extend upwards. I'm sure that families on the estate are only too aware that there are limits as to how the houses can be re-arranged to accommodate kids - there simply isn't sufficient space. We already have seen five neighbours (two of them next door) leave the area. We knew that getting approval for our plans was going to be difficult. The area planning officer Kathy Phillipson is well known for objecting to even small alterations to the houses. We tried to circumvent this by reducing our proposals to the extent that they would not be vissble from the opposite side of the street. And we're in Wellington Row where the Council blocks already dominate the street. But the Council isn't having it. However it has perhaps been more dissapointing that further obstacles have been put in our way by local residents who don't even live in Wellington Row. We wonder what sort of place they want JHE to be - I suppose that if you consider that maintaining dead uniformity of houses should be given priority over allowing families to stay in the area it won't be long before there will be no embarassing bouncy castle on the green at the village fete. Anyway, if anyone else having been toying with the idea of extending their house we would be more than happy to share our experience with them.
on April 30, 2001, 4:35 pm
Our application for a mansard roof extension was refused by the LBTH planning committe in their meeting 30 April.
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Thankyou