A planning battle over ‘visually intrusive’ new carports on the edge of an Isle of Wight village has gone to appeal.
Mr J. Knight and Mrs N. Moore are contesting the council’s refusal of their revised applications for carports at 1 and 2 St Catherines Cottages in Niton.
The former applicant’s plan (25/00598/HOU) shows a carport and store while Mrs Moore applied for a carport and garage (25/00597/HOU).
Planners rejected both proposals in June, concluding they would ‘result in a visually intrusive, dominant and prominent addition within the site which would have a serious adverse impact on, and would fail to conserve or enhance, the character of the site and surrounding area and Isle of Wight National Landscape’.
Previous bids to construct carports at the sites were turned by County Hall in January, with one Niton resident complaining of “unacceptable creeping development”.
Mr Knight’s appeal statement from Phil Salmon Planning says:
“A balance has to be appropriately struck between allowing improvement to domestic car parking facilities, the incorporation of energy efficient solar cells, and the impact that the application proposals would have in the area.
“As a timber clad/timber framed structure, the carport and garage represents a relatively light structure as opposed to the more robust stone-built host property and neighbouring houses.
Article continues below this advertisement “The design is effective, functional and sympathetic to surrounding context. Existing and maturing hedgerows soften the impact of the proposed built form.”
Opposing the developments, Niton and Whitwell Parish Council previously said:
“Whilst we have no objection to people wishing to have a carport/storage area, it must be in keeping to the surrounding area especially in an IWNL. They are quite imposing, especially from the road and totally out of character to the existing buildings.
“We would also be concerned with any additional light pollution.”
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