Loading document...
APPLICATION DETAILS Tickle Close Land Adjacent to Arbory Vicarage, Main Road, Ballabeg Application for Minor Change to Planning Approval Tickle Close Ltd • Applicant Horncastle Thomas Limited • Agent DESIGN INTRODUCTION Tickle Close is a vacant plot of land adjacent to Arbory Vicarage, off the Main Road, in Ballabeg. The land lies between Arbory vicarage to the East, Vicarage Close to the West, Farmland to the North, and is accessed from the Main Road between two dwellings to the South. The land has an extensive planning history. Most recently, on 15th June 2022 it was granted Approval at appeal (AP22/0004) for the erection of 3 detached dwellings (20/01390/B), initially refused 7th January 2022. We were appointed by the applicant, a new owner of the site, to review the approved proposals and seek to alter the floor plans and make some minor changes to the external appearance in line with their development aspirations, whilst retaining the number and location of the houses.
2.4
DESCRIPTION • CONTEXT The approved planning application included:
2.7 DESIGN PRINCIPLES + NATURE OF PROPOSALS
PLANNING HISTORY
As stated, the aim in approaching a redesign of the layouts was to increase the ground floor living space to better balance with the 4 bedrooms. The proposal is to reduce the area of the garage to provide a good external storage area that would accommodate those things usually found in a domestic garage, diy equipment and materials, a work bench, paint tins, an area for bicycle storage, play equipment storage, lawn mower and garden tools etc.
25/10149/AIR Information in relation to Condition 3 and 5 of 20/01390/B and AP22/0004 detailing tree protection plan Pending (as of 06.02.2026)
AP22/0004 Erection of 3 detached dwellings Approved at appeal 15.06.2022
Reducing this space released sufficient area to rearrange the living spaces on the ground floor to significantly improve the amenity of the inhabitants.
20/01390/B Erection of 3 detached dwellings Refused 07.01.2022
Existing & Proposed Site Plans + Proposed Plot 1/ 2/ 3 have been included in this Minor Change Application
2.1
No changes are proposed to the siting of the properties and all of the information concerning the Arboricultural surveys and entrance visibility splay etc remains unchanged
A hallway can be included that links the front door to the kitchen/ dining space without having to walk through the living space, this is helped further by enclosing the space previously used as an open porch; separate WC and utility can be provided in the space left between the kitchen and the rear of the 'garage'; a more compact staircase fits between the living and dining spaces, also allowing an incidental connecting space that could be used as a small office, a gaming space, storage space etc. On the floor above this space corresponds to the main bedroom en-suite. The location of the stair allows for a more spacious-feeling landing and accommodates three equal sized bedrooms as well as the master bedroom.
AP18/0058 Appeal against the refusal of erection of a detached dwelling Approved at appeal 06.03.2019
2.5
DESCRIPTION • APPROVED FORM + MATERIALS The 'as approved' houses have a simple gable-end-on form with render finish, anthracite uPVC windows, composite doors and a slate pitched roof. The front doors are approximately central to the front elevation with an open porch. The internal layout is organised around a central staircase. Set around the staircase there is a small entrance hall, living room, dining room, kitchen, utility, WC and a single garage. With the garage integrated into a compact ground floor plan, this element occupies a significant proportion of the footprint. The 'gable-end-on' orientation of the houses and the central position of the staircase results in a long, narrow, poorly proportioned living room, which is also the only access to the rear kitchen and dining room. Due to the depth of the garage and staircase, the kitchen and dining areas are narrow. On the first floor, there are 4 bedrooms around a central landing, one shared bathroom and an en-suite to the master bedroom. DESCRIPTION • BACKGROUND + NEED The new owner of the site is seeking to better balance the relatively generous bedrooms and the compact, less generous living space on the ground floor.
18/00134/B Erection of a detached dwelling Refused 05.12.2018 10/00137/A Approval in principle for erection of three dwellings Permitted 20.05.2010 10/01246/B Erection of a detached dwelling Permitted 02.12.2010
Some additional area on plots 1+2 has been added as a result of slight enlargement of the front bays to 'line up' with the rest of the house, the approach that had been taken on the (as-approved) handed layout of plot 3.
10/01244/B Erection of a detached dwelling
The as-approved bay projections to plots 1+2 would have been 1.2m deep x 2.4m wide. The internal space formed would not function well within the living room, and only serve to exaggerate the long and narrow space.
This Minor Change Application seeks approval for the items set out in the schedule on the next page, summarised thus:
In all three plots, the covered open porch areas are proposed to be enclosed to further simplify the layouts and construction and improve the living spaces and amenity of the occupants.
2.6
As well as allowing an improvement to the living spaces, the plot 1+2 master bedrooms are thereby allowed a modest but appropriate increase in floor area.
06/01500/A Approval in principle for the erection of a two storey apartment building, with car parking, turning area and garage. Duration of consent extended to 14/12/10 by the Director under delegated authority on 04/09/08 Permitted 15.12.2006
It could be said that these differences in layout were intended to differentiate plot 3 from plots 1+2 but the applicant feels that the benefits of improving the layouts in these ways significantly outweighs any compromise in their visible differences. The individuality of the houses would instead be indicated by the use of colour on the doors.
The garage occupies a significant proportion of the ground floor and, although often included in the parking provision of a development, these spaces are very rarely used for the purpose of parking a vehicle. They become an underused space, and a poor use of a compact footprint.
98/00484/A Approval in principle for replacement vicarage within the grounds of existing vicarage, The Vicarage, Arbory Church, Ballabeg, Arbory Permitted 14.09.1998
2.2
Alongside the stone cladding proposed to the front elevation ground floor areas, the introduction of a colour range to replace the anthracite doors should be seen as an overall enhancement of the character of the development.
The amended layout recognises that the outside space will actually be used to provide the 2 parking spaces required in Appendix 7 of the Strategic Plan (ie 2 spaces per residential unit). On that basis, the 'garage' space would be reduced in area and used as external storage and work space, allowing more space for the habitable rooms of the dwelling.
The approved scheme is for three houses along the width of the plot with parking to to the front, vehicle access being between two houses in front of the proposed development, on the Main Road. Each plot has approval for 4 bedrooms, 1 bathroom, 1 en-suite, a garage, living room, dining room, kitchen and WC. The changes will improve the quality of the internal spaces, and outward appearance.
RELEVANT PLANNING POLICY The items in this application are compliant with the Flowchart for Minor Changes Applications, under which, each minor change must:
The addition of ASHP and solar panels promotes use of clean energy and provides a low energy, heating, and hot water solution.
2 parking spaces would be provided in front of each dwelling; the narrow nature of the plots does not allow for one of the spaces to be behind the front of the dwelling. However, the parking spaces are sited away from the single aspect of the living spaces, thereby not detracting from the dwellings' outlook or otherwise materially detracting from the character of the proposed development.
2.3
AMOUNT: The as-approved building footprints are:
Plot 1+2: 91m² Plot 3: 92m²
The new owners also seek to augment the simple appearance of the properties by adding an area of stone cladding to the ground floor, and then giving each house a more individual character through omitting the standard anthracite coloured doors, replacing these in carefully chosen individual colours (illustrative colours shown on the elevations drawings - tbc).
The proposed new building footprints are: Plot 1/ 2/ 3: 94m² Plot 1+2 increase in footprint: 3.3% Plot 3 increase in footprint: 2.2% Note that no change is proposed to the position of the houses
ISSUE FEB 2026
horncastle:thomas
©
369_Ballabeg • Arbory • Tickle Close Ltd at A3
a r c h i t e c t s + d e s i g n e r s
Copyright in submitted documents remains with their authors. Request removal
View as Markdown