Litton Hall Cottage. The. Litton Hall Barn. Queen's Arms (Inn) Manor. Cottage. Dubb Croft Barn. The Queen's Arms (Inn) C/51/22J.

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1 Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority Application Code: Committee Date: 10/10/2017 Location: Dubb, Black Ark Sheep Wash Potts Beck River Skirfare Armistead Potts Elbeck Foss View Elbeck Elbeck The Green Path Armistead s (um) TCB Bridge Amerdale Cotesworth Hall Hall LB Park Bottom (PO) Hall The Queen's Arms (Inn) Manor West Path (um) Sawyersgarth Sawyersgarth Path (um) Path (um) Dubb Hartley Top Water Depth Gauge Ford Crystal Beck Bridge Ford Fosse Beck Spring East Sinks Spring Path (um) Spring Armistead Potts Bridge TCB Hall Hall Hall The Park Bottom (PO) LB Queen's Arms (Inn) West Amerdale Manor Cotesworth Hartley Dubb Water Depth Gauge Ford FOR REFERENCE PURPOSES ONLY. NO FURTHER COPIES TO BE MADE Crown copyright and database rights 2017 Ordnance Survey Additional information: Yorkshire Dales National Park Authority

2 Schedule No:2 Application No: District: Parish: Applicant's Name: Grid Ref: Craven Mr & Mrs M Cowan, SD Received by YDNP: 28/06/2017 Officer: Peter Eggleton PROPOSAL: LOCATION: full planning permission for erection of single storey extension to existing dwelling Dubb, CONSULTEES PM PUBLIC RESPONSES The parish as a whole is fully supportive of this application. Mr & Mrs Cowan are valuable members of our small community and their expanding business is a valuable asset bringing in much needed business and employment. We hope you will look upon this application favourably. Two letters of support have been submitted. These suggest that the need for anyone trying to run a business from their home needs to have separate space to undertake that activity away from their personal lives and this should allow a more professional business to be undertaken and hopefully become more successful. The office space is important to the business. In the longer term, the accomodation will bring a decent sized family property to the village which will contribute to a properly mixed community as family houses are needed. RELEVANT PLANNING POLICIES L1(15) - Heritage assets L3(15) - Conversion of traditional buildings - building treatment W2(15) - Biodiversity enhancement BE1(15) - Business development sites SP1(15) - Presumption in favour of Sustainable Development SP2(15) - National Park Purposes SP4(15) - Development Quality OFFICER OBSERVATIONS REASON FOR COMMITTEE CONSIDERATION This application is reported to Committee as the Parish Council recommendation is contrary to the decision which the Head of Development Management proposes to take. 10 Oct 2017 Page: 11

3 Schedule No:2 APPLICATION SITE Dubb is a traditional building within the dale s and Walls Conservation Area. A public right of way runs to the south west of the site. RELEVANT PLANNING HISTORY In 1983 an application to convert the barn to residential use was refused due to a lack of associated land to service it. Two further applications were refused in 1995 as it was considered that the conversion would fail to preserve or enhance the character of the building and the area and would be contrary to housing policies. In 2002 permission was granted for the change of use to an office/workshop. In 2004 permission was granted for the partial re-building of the barn to create a holiday cottage subject to a legal agreement tying the use to the wider farm holding and limiting it to holiday let use. The agreement was revised (2006) to limit the use to short term holiday lets or a shorthold tenancy let to satisfy the Local Plan housing restrictions. It also prevented the property being sold off separately from the agricultural business. A revised agreement (2007) tied the building to Skirefare and other land, limiting the use of that cottage to holiday accommodation and restricting the barn to be used only by persons running the holiday cottage business. A 2009 agreement removed requirements with regard to the linking of the property to the other lands referred to previously. Pre-application advice was provided in 2015 advising that a proposed rear extension, which would provide for a new ground floor living room and the re-arrangement of the first floor to provide an office, would appear dominant and could not be said to be subservient to the host building. The previous Local Plan policy B15 ( conversions) stated that the building should be capable of conversion without changes to its external appearance that would detract from its contribution to the character of the area. It was advised that the extension would change the external appearance and character of the barn conversion and would result in a loss of character and a detrimental impact on the buildings contribution to the conservation area. PROPOSAL The proposal would is for a single storey side extension to be added to the west elevation of the property. This would provide a new bedroom measuring 3.2 by 4 metres internally. Internal alterations would be made to provide an office within an existing bedroom. The property is designed with bedrooms on the ground floor and living accommodation on the first floor. The property is used to run the holiday cottage letting business, Stonelands Holiday s, which is focussed on a range of converted buildings one kilometre to the south-east. KEY ISSUES -character and appearanc of the building and Conservation Area -wildlife -other issues CHARACTER AND APPEARANCE OF THE BUILDING AND CONSERVATION AREA Policy L3 of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Local Plan sets out the criteria against which alterations to traditional buildings are considered. It requires that buildings have the physical capacity to accommodate the new use without significant extension or alteration, and all ancillary storage and services are accommodation in existing buildings rather than through the provision of new ancillary buildings. 10 Oct 2017 Page: 12

4 Schedule No:2 This barn conversion was accepted under previous policy provisions but this general requirement has not altered. Accepting new additions, after the initial conversion has been accepted, would undermine the policy. The building has a simple form and has been successfully converted, despite some re-building, as it retains its character as a traditional barn despite its residential use. The proposal would result in a large extension that would dominate the appearance of the western elevation. The gable has a simple form with a central high level forking hole. The lean-to element to the front of the property reflects the simple form of traditional additions to historic barns. This proposal would represent an entirely uncharacteristic addition to a barn that would be at odds with its traditional design. It would detract from the simplicity of the side elevation which is clearly apparent in the street scene and in views from the public footpath. Its asymmetrical roof form would introduce a further uncharacteristic design feature. It would represent poor design in this context and would conflict with the design requirements of policy SP4. Although it is proposed to build the extension out of matching materials, this approach would suggest that it had some relationship with the historic form and character of the building. This would result in design tension given that the materials would be reflective of the historic character of the barn whilst its form, design and the changes to the floor plan would be entirely at odds with this character. Overall, it would detract significantly from the character and appearance of this barn which is a prominent feature within the area. The existing barn makes a positive contribution to the dale s and Walls Conservation Area. The loss of the original simple form and high quality design of the barn and the introduction of an addition of uncharacteristic proportions that has been poorly conceived and would be overly dominant, would destroy the original form and proportions of the property and would detract from the character of the area. The National Park Authority has a statutory duty to pay special attention to the desirability of preserving or enhancing the character or appearance of the conservation area. This duty is also set out in policy L1 which only accepts development that would preserve or enhance the character of appearance of the conservation area. The harm to the character of this building and its prominent position within the conservation area would result in harm to the heritage asset which is the conservation area. Accepting development that would result in harm to the conservation area, particularly by allowing a form of development that could be repeated, would undermine the policy and conflict with the statutory duty set out in legislation. The proposal would also conflict with policies SP1(i) and SP2 as it would not conserve or enhance the historic environment or satisfy one of the main purposes of the National Park which is to conserve and enhance natural beauty, wildlife and cultural heritage. WILDLIFE Policy W2 (biodiversity enhancement) of the Local Plan, requires that new development that would have an impact on biodiversity make a proportionate on-site contribution to wildlife enhancement, in accordance with Table 7 on page 89 of the Local Plan. In this case, the enhancement measures would be in the form of the provision of bat or bird boxes and could be required by condition. OTHER MATTERS The applicants advise that a designated office is required in order to effectively manage their business. This has up until now, been carried out in part of the master bedroom. This 10 Oct 2017 Page: 13

5 RECOMMENDATION It is recommended that permission is refused for the following reason: Schedule No:2 is considered as being far from ideal as it requires access through the bedroom and requires the keeping of files, a desk, computer, telephone etc which cramps the bedroom space. It is also inconvenient as clients calling for keys or receipts or other information need to enter the office at times. The new office would be close to the front door and be dedicated to the business. Alternatives have been suggested to the applicants such as a garden room office or lightweight lean-to addition to the rear. These have been dismissed as being inconvenient due to the lack of an internal link from the house, the limited amount of space that would be achieved, poorer access for customers and the loss of valuable garden space. Supporting businesses within the National Park gains support from policy BE1 of the Local Plan and also the economic objectives of the National Planning Practice Framework (NPPF). The evidence provided however does not suggest that the only way to manage this business is dependent on the provision of the extra accommodation exactly as proposed or that it could not be achieved without the permanent alteration of this barn conversion. ANALYSIS AND MATERIAL CONSIDERATIONS The proposal is considered to result in significant harm to the character and appearance of this barn conversion and the surrounding area. It fails to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area. It would undermine the Local Plan policies with regard to achieving the highest standard in barn conversions in order to preserve their historic interest and significance. It would therefore conflict with policies SP1, SP2, SP4, L1 and L3 of the Local Plan. It would result in some benefits to the applicants and their business. This gains some support from the economic objectives of policy BE1. Although it has not been suggested that the business could not operate without this accommodation, its more efficient running and the maintenance of high quality holiday accommodation would bring some public benefits. The NPPF is clear that any harm to a heritage asset, such as a conservation area, should be weighed against the public benefits of the proposal. The proposal would result in harm to the conservation area. The harm would be less than substantial, as described in paragraph 134 of the guidance, but the public benefits would not be sufficient to outweigh this harm. The matters in favour of the proposal overall, including the support from the Parish Council and other local residents, would fall significantly short of outweighing the harm that would result, including the conflict with the local plan policies and the design and heritage aspirations of the NPPF. 1. In the opinion of the Local Planning Authority the proposal would result in significant harm to the character and appearance of the building and would fail to preserve or enhance the character or appearance of the conservation area. It would undermine Local Plan policies with regard to achieving the highest standard of design in order to preserve the historic interest and significance of the Yorkshire Dales barns which are a 'special quality' of the National Park. It would conflict with policies SP1, SP2, SP4, L1 and L3 of the Yorkshire Dales National Park Local Plan , the Statutory Purposes of the National Park and the heritage and design requirements of the National Planning Policy 10 Oct 2017 Page: 14

6 Framework. Schedule No:2 10 Oct 2017 Page: 15