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Extension plan allowed despite objections of local resident and community council

Scaffolding erected at Celebration Cottage as part of work on a first floor extension which has now been approved (pic: Monmouthshire County Council planning)

A SOLICITOR will be allowed to retain, and complete, a first floor extension to his country home – despite the objections of his neighbour and local community council. 

Scaffolding has already been erected at Celebration Cottage, which is in the open countryside at Ponthir north of Newport. Work started in February this year, but hasn’t yet been completed. 

However the work began without planning permission in place, and Newport-based solicitor Nathan Hennah submitted an application in April, which was considered by Monmouthshire County Council’s planning committee when it met on July 4. 

As well as the extension it is also planned to create a hardstanding parking area at the back of the house with room for three cars, which doesn’t require planning permission. 

Neighbour Steve Baldwin had to hold back tears as he outlined his objections to the committee and why he believed councillors should reject it – and how he’d been caused “stress” due to a previous legal case around the property and planning permission. 

He said his family had lived in the village for some 300 years, and it had been his home for his entire life, and that he sought to “appropriately and sensitively” renovate what was his grandfather’s house – which he said wasn’t the approach taken at Celebration Cottage. 

He said: “It has had no less than four extensions in my lifetime alone and has more than doubled in size.” 

As well as objecting to the current extension Mr Baldwin said “common sense” would suggest the house is out of keeping and said a pool house had also been added in the past year. 

He said: “I ask you, who would want to use this property afterwards? Most people wanting a rural home would expect some form of garden and not for it to be covered in concrete.” 

Mr Baldwin said the council had previously decided not to defend a judicial review related to the property and said “that caused me stress and a loss of work”.

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He said the extended cottage would have impact the “green and verdant landscape” his family had lived in for 300 years and said: “No other house in the area has been extended to such ridiculous proportions”. 

Holding back tears Mr Baldwin said: “I’m sorry this is a huge issue for me and has caused a huge amount of distress.” 

He said cars coming past his house “all hours of the day and night” would impact him due to noise and light pollution. 

Llangybi Fawr Community Council had also objected due to the overall size of the extension, the issue of parking and loss of privacy. 

The area’s county councillor, Conservative Fay Bromfield urged the other members of the planning committee to refuse the application. 

She said it was “already a large property” and that it would be “clearly seen from the road”. 

But Conservative member for Pen y Fal, Maureen Powell, said she couldn’t agree with her colleague said: “You do see great big houses like this in the countryside.” 

She added when the committee had visited the house the scaffolding gave the impression the extension is larger than it is, but it could been seen it wouldn’t be significantly higher than the house already is. 

Planning officer Andrew Jones said the council’s policy is that extensions in the countryside “should be modest and respect or enhance the appearance of the existing dwelling”. 

He said Celebration Cottage hasn’t had any extensions since 2006, when the policy was adopted, meaning an extension that would increase its size by up to 30 per cent could be considered, and that the first floor extension would result in a volume increase of approximately 24 per cent. 

The committee approved the application, with conditions, with 11 voting in favour and one against, with two councillors having abstained. 

Conservative member for Mitchell Troy and Trellech, Jayne McKenna – who wasn’t able to vote as a poor internet connection from her home meant she wasn’t visible on screen for the full discussion – said she didn’t consider the extension out of character but said: “I’d like to point out to the applicant there is a planning process in place.”

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