Homeowners at a row of Victorian cottages are furious after neighbours erected a dormer and ground floor extension without planning consent in a conservation area.
Residents in Overleigh Road, Handbridge, have described rear alterations at the 1884 property as ‘a monstrosity’.
The matter was reported to planning enforcement at Cheshire West and Chester Council (CWaC) but no action was taken as two retrospective planning applications have subsequently been lodged, with decisions awaited. The ground floor extension is the enlargement of an existing one.
Simon Dangar, a financial advisor from Farndon, who owns the next door property where he has a tenant, said: “None of the residents had any notification this work was going to start. It’s all been without planning consent although retrospective planning has been applied for. It totally ruins what is an historical row of cottages built by Grosvenor Estates and Grosvenor still own three properties next door to it.
“I’m horrified that anyone would think that ‘that’ is going to get retrospective planning permission.”
Mr Dangar’s own house features a smaller extension but explaining his objection, he commented: “The size of the rear extension is not in keeping with any other properties in this street or area.”
He has never met the new owners, who have not yet moved in, but alleges steel girders erected across the top of the house have ‘gone into next door’s roofspace’ and says the dormer will take away light from rear gardens. He believes an internal chimney breast has also been removed.
“How they will ever put that right again is beyond me,” added Mr Danger, who understands an Article 4 Direction relating to the properties means planning consent is required even for minor changes such as installing different windows.
Neighbour Beryl Colley-Davies has seen tour buses packed with tourists slow down outside the historic properties because it is ‘a point of interest’. Her nephew Paul Colley-Davies said the rooftop changes went against the rule that you ‘don’t break a ridge line’.
The Chronicle has asked SDA Architecture & Surveying, the agents for applicants Mr and Mrs Dear, for a comment and is awaiting a response.
Alison Knight, head of places strategy for CWaC, said: “The council has received an application for retrospective planning permission and this will be given consideration in due course.”
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