Archived on 6/5/2022

Proposed Development: 72 Cranston [Refused]

NandP
14 Mar '21

We would like to let you know about a proposed development at 72 Cranston Road. The deadline for responding is Tuesday, 16 March so not much time!

The applicant is looking for planning permission to:

  • Split a family home into two flats
  • Extend the property by 8m into the back garden
  • Build a large, unconventional, 2 storey building in the back garden

Here is the link to the planning application:
https://planning.lewisham.gov.uk/online-applications/applicationDetails.do?activeTab=summary&keyVal=_LEWIS_DCAPR_108227

We are one of the neighbouring properties and are concerned for the following reasons:

  • Conversion from a family home into 2 flats
  • Overdevelopment of the site
  • Impact of the outbuilding on properties on Cranston, Loxton, Colfe and Como roads.
  • Size of the extension into the garden
  • Alterations to the front elevation including two front doors
  • Car parking (it’s already an issue on this road)
  • Not being in character with the other homes in this terrace
  • Potential for it to be used as an unlicensed HMO
  • Use of the self-build exception

If you live within the area, please take a look at the planning documents and respond ASAP.

blushingsnail
15 Mar '21

What a bizarre proposal - split and extend a 3-bedroom house to create two flats and build a whacking great 2-storey annex in the garden to provide extra space for the ground floor flat, to make up for the space it lost by converting the house into two flats.

NandP
16 Mar '21

Seems strange alright!

ForestHull
25 May '21

After receiving a whopping 15 objections, and 1 comment in support, this application was robustly refused back in April for a number of reasons, the first four of which are:

Fran_487
25 May '21

And rightly so. Am I reading those plans correctly… two bedrooms with no windows? I think that renders them unable to claim them as bedrooms at all?

“I’ll just show you to your cell… I mean, room.”

ForestHull
25 May '21

I think you are right - there’s a lightwell, but that looks to be on the other side of a door for the ground floor bedroom at least. Also two showers in the ground floor 3 bedroom flat - but no bathroom?

starman
25 May '21

No windows are all the rage. The Britannia Hotel in Manchester charges £150 per night for a room with no windows.

Fran_487
25 May '21

A super-quick and otherwise uninformed Google search claims the following:

Whether you’re taking in lodgers or letting the whole property, it can be tempting to market a windowless room as a bedroom to make a little extra money. However, without a suitable window in the bedroom, it cannot be a legal dwelling.

This means that you cannot legally use this room as a “spare room” to offer to lodgers, nor are you legally allowed to include it in the bedroom count while advertising the property. If the windowless room is in addition to two other bedrooms in the property, you can market it as “2 bedroom + studio” or “2 bedroom + office” but you cannot market it as being a 3 bedroom property.

ForestHull
3 Jun '21

You’re not wrong!

No indication of expected price per night if this gets the go ahead though :slight_smile: