8 Southdown Road
Westbury on Trym
Bristol
BS9 3NN
15 December 2024
Westbury on Trym
Bristol
BS9 3NN
15 December 2024
Dear Planning Officer
Planning Application 24/02332/F:
Proposed Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of a replacement dwelling
Proposed Demolition of existing dwelling and erection of a replacement dwelling
The Society wishes to make comment on the latest application to demolish the existing house, which has caused substantial concern in the area.
Having secured planning permission for significant alterations and extensions to the existing dwelling, it makes no sense to now seek to demolish the existing and rebuild. National Planning Policy Guidance requires that decisions should apply a presumption in favour of sustainable development.
The agent argues that this development will be sustainable as it involves the replacement of an existing dwelling within an established residential area and the new home would be far more energy efficient ‘given the date of the construction of the original dwelling’.
Whilst the development will apparently meet the council’s sustainable development policies for new houses, this does not make the development ’sustainable’. Indeed, quite the reverse as the energy expended in demolition and reconstruction of the building and the embodied energy in the manufacturing of the materials required to rebuild the house would far exceed those that reuse of the existing building would require.
The agent also argues that the refurbishment and extension of the existing house will provide employment and will not lead to anything over and above the extant consents. Of course the extant permissions will themselves provide employment.
It seems absurd to be building a new house with exactly the same design as the old house – it will be a sham and whilst it might in theory have the appearance of the existing house, it would certainly not have the same character. Furthermore, we doubt whether the workmanship is unlikely to be of the same quality as the existing house.
We think it would be contrary to the guidance on sustainable development as set out in the NPPF to approve this application.
Yours sincerely
Andrew Renshaw MRTPI
On behalf of the Westbury on Trym Society
