Warrington Borough Council is asking local people to have their say on new guidelines for house extensions.
The Council has launched a consultation on proposals to introduce a revised House Extensions Supplementary Planning Document (SPD), which will assist householders and their agents when planning extensions and alterations to houses.
The document will illustrate the criteria which will be usually applied by the Council in assessing proposals for house extensions. It will benefit local residents, ward councillors and parish councils who may be interested in developments in their area, providing advice on designing domestic extensions in a way which will ensure that the character and amenity of a neighbourhood is maintained.
The Council’s current House Extension Guidelines were adopted in 2003. While a useful and well-used document, it is now out-of-date and requires revision to better reflect current national and local policies.
This clarity will improve assurances to applicants on the likely acceptability of proposals before submission and, in turn, will allow officers and Councillors (through Development Management Committee) to make more robust decisions.
The existing, current document contains a lot of guidance that remains relevant and it is not the Council’s intention to re-write the whole document, but to make revisions that bring it up-to-date.
Warrington Borough Council’s Cabinet Member for environment, public protection and climate change, Cllr Judith Guthrie, said: “Revising our House Extensions SPD will bring a number of benefits for local people. By providing more up-to-date guidelines, we will give those who submit applications greater clarity over whether their proposals meet the criteria.
“At the same time, it gives us the opportunity to better reflect issues that are being dealt with on a daily basis by our Development Management Team, and will give all those involved confidence that the right decisions continue to be made.
“This is an important document as it will support the work our officers do with residents and the recommendations they make to ensure good quality, sustainable development. Please help us make sure the guidance fully meets the needs of local people by getting involved in the consultation and letting us know your views.”
The council is now consulting with the public on the revised House Extensions Supplementary Planning Document (SPD). You can make comments about the document by emailing localplan@warrington.gov.uk, or by writing to: Planning Policy and Programmes Team, Warrington Borough Council, East Annex, Town Hall, Sankey Street, Warrington, WA1 1UH
The council will be collating the feedback and documenting the various themes of people’s responses. The final consultation report will inform the final version of the SPD which will be presented to the Cabinet of the Council later in the year for final approval.
The consultation is now open and runs until Sunday 14 March 2021. For more information, to read the document in full and have your say, visit warrington.gov.uk/HouseExtensionsSPD
If you have any questions, please call 01925 442826 or email localplan@warrington.gov.uk. The team aims to respond to specific question by email within five working days, during the consultation period.
