[luckylady]

Just received approval from planning to convert the old milking parlour attached to the farmhouse into an extension  .  Conditions apply of course and most of them are understandable but one condition states that we have to put in dark wooden windows to maintain the 'current character' of the building.  The 'current character' of the building consists of rotten window and door frames with peeling red/black/green paint (previous owners neglect not ours  ) and the farmhouse it is attached to has traditional cream four paned windows.  So, what we are wondering is what logic is this planning officer using?  Has anyone else had any ridiculous illogical conditions applied to their approved plans? 

[lachlanandmarcus]

It might be that they want to maintain a contrast between the house and the former working building element. On our listed building we have permission to convert the attached barn and steading but they have to be just pointed stonework whereas the house has to be lime harled for that reason - to maintain the clarity of the two different parts of the building.


I can kind of understand it if that's what they are aiming for.


Interestingly our planning permission specified for the house we can only paint the windows and front door dark green or white, I asked if the dark green was the estate colours from the estate it belonged to before WWII, but it appeared to be just what they thought of as tasteful.....:-)))

[doganjo]

I got a phone call from a new planning officer, after I had been granted a temp habitation certificate and had been living in my house for 2 months.  She wanted the chimney stack to come through the apex instead of through the roof line as in the plans.  She said it was in keeping with the other houses in the area.  I looked out my window and saw 5 out of 7 houses with chimneys through the roof and asked her if she realised it would mean moving the fireplace.  She replied that if that was what was necessary I had to do it.  I then asked her if she would pay for the demolition and rebuilding in that case and she flew off the handle.  She hadn't seen the certificate in my file and I apparently had no business applying for temporary habitation.   

I asked to be put through to her boss as it was him who had suggested it so I didn't have to rent the cottage any longer, and she hung up. So I called him and explained what just happened, he apologized and said a full certificate and an apology would be in the post. 

Little tin gods! 

[Lesley Silvester]

Not planning office but when buying a house a few years back, the mortgage company made certain stipulations. Rewiring and have the house checked and, if necessary, treated for woodworm I could understand, but why did we have to replace the old Belfast sink with a stainless steel one?

[Orinoco]

So far I like our conservation officer and feel he is tryig to help but says first things have to be in keeping then we can make parts stand out as modern as the floor to ceiling windows obviously were not of the original 'design' so we could clearly show them as a modern addition as at the end of the day a barn was built / repaired with what was at hand at the time, so a mismatch of era's is acceptable.  All good unless you are new to grade 2 and thought you knew what they wanted.  Wish there was a book.

[Moleskins]

I was told of a conservatory which was turned down due to 'excessive fenestration'
Which I assume means too many windows - in a conservatory.
You couldn't make it up, some of the stupid things these people come up with, they are even worse than the building control officers.