E.B.C. Planning Application 2007/2164 - 5 Hinchley Way

Appeal Ref. APP/K3605/A/08/2076667

It is possible that you have received advice from Elmbridge B.C. that an appeal has been lodged against rejection of the application for the building permission for 8 semi-detached houses on the site of Grantchester House.  Unfortunately it was not possible to locally obtain a copy of the appellant’s Statement of Claim* in support of the appeal until last week and hence 2 weeks of that permitted in which to register objections has been lost.  The appellant’s submission has now been studied and we offer our comments below.

*To see a copy of the Statement of Claim, click here. (PDF format)

Overview

The Statement of Claim essentially seeks to justify that the property is (a) no longer viable as an educational establishment for pre-school purposes and (b) chooses to simply dismiss other grounds for objection relating to the site development plans cited in the Planning Officer’s report.

a.    No additional evidence for change of use is provided beyond that previously submitted in the original planning application.  No significant evidence is provided of marketing that has been undertaken, nor has evidence been provided that the asking price was set at a realistic market level.

b.    On the development proposals, references from the Planning Officer’s report are taken selectively to the exclusion of critical comments.  On this basis the claim is made that the application is both acceptable and appropriate.  No attempt is made to address the concerns referenced in the Planning Officer’s report, nor the many other concerns expressed in public submissions.

In summary, it is our view that the appellant has not demonstrated adequate reason why the decision to reject the application should be reversed.

Our Recommendations

It is our view that the strength of local opinion against the development proposal expressed in comments submitted at the time of the original planning application, which will be made available to the designated Planning Inspector, should be re-enforced by further letters to the Inspectorate.  It is not necessary to fully re-state the grounds quoted in the original submission; however any new factors considered pertinent and not previously submitted may be added.  In this respect, we have the following observations to make.

Because of the elapsed time since closure of the school it is recognised that the possibility of Grantchester House being retained for such purpose is diminishing.  In the event that 5 Hinchley Way cannot be restored to its original use, then sympathetic redevelopment for housing purposes is probably the next best alternative.  However, the development proposals put forward in this Planning Application are totally unacceptable for all the reasons outlined in previously submitted comment.  Any new proposals must take proper and full account of relevant policies/guidelines and be sympathetic to the character of the local environment.  In particular they should respect the design layout features of the original 1930’s development which would be completely destroyed by intrusive construction within the distinctive garden enclosure that is formed by existing properties and that would impact 25 households.  i.e. Any development of the Grantchester House site should be restricted within the existing building lines, front and rear, of properties on Hinchley Way and new properties should be in sympathy with existing styles.

Additionally, there is the inevitability that permission will ultimately be granted for a significant number of properties of all sizes/styles on the nearby ex-Government site (Planning Application Ref. 2008/1240).  This will mean that this area of Elmbridge will have more than enough new housing, thus making the exploitation by cramped development of such inappropriate sites as Grantchester House totally unnecessary.

What you can do to help!

We strongly urge that letters of objection be submitted to the inspectorate urging that due regard be made to your earlier submission and, should you wish to do so, the addition of any additional points you would like to be considered, including reference to what you might consider to be a possible acceptable alternative.

Submissions can be made on-line by visiting www.planningportal.gov.uk/pcs and linking to the Appeal Ref. No. shown at the top of this note.  Alternatively, submissions can be made in writing, but 3 copies should be submitted, and these should be sent to the Planning Inspectorate, Room 3/19, Temple Quay House, 2 The Square, Temple Quay, Bristol BS1 6PN.  Note that submissions must be received by the Inspectorate no later than 28^th. July.

Steering Committee Contacts

Steering committee members (with phone numbers) are as follows:

Chair: Don Beardshall (8398-6278)

Guy de Ferrer (8972-9962)

Richard Evans (8398-8417)

Chris Krestovnikoff & Jana Sivcova (8398-3033)

The committee is conscious that the current Grantchester House application is somewhat different to those previously handled and anyone with particular interest in helping to run the current campaign are invited to contact us.