The Area Planning Committee (North) met to consider a planning application relating to Cemetery House, and to review the minutes of their previous meeting.

Planning Application: Cemetery House, Pelton

The committee was scheduled to consider planning application DM/25/00146/FPA for Cemetery House, Pelton, Chester-le-Street, DH2 1NQ. The application, submitted by Mr & Mrs Ian & Emma Collinson, requests permission for:

• Demolition of existing rear additions
• Erection of a two-storey extension, projecting 6.9m beyond the original northern wall, measuring 9.15m in width, 5.4m to the eaves and 8.5m at the highest point, finished in matching brickwork and slate roof.
• Replacement of the existing hipped roof with a dual pitched alternative, 8.75m in height to the ridge (approximately 1.35m higher than the existing roof).

According to the report pack, the application was being brought to the committee at the request of Councillor Danny Wood, because he felt that the visual amenity impacts of the proposals should be fully considered by elected members. Pelton Parish Council also requested that the application be reported to the committee, because local councillors are in support of the proposal.

Site Context

Cemetery House is a detached, two-storey dwelling on the western edge of Pelton Cemetery. The site is owned by the council and was formerly occupied by the grounds keeper. The dwelling is brick built with a slate roof, with extensions to the rear and an enclosed garden to the front. Access is taken from Front Street via an unadopted single width track.

Holy Trinity Church (Grade II Listed Building) is located approximately 160m to the east. Residential bungalows are situated to the west, with a modern housing estate to the north west. Directly to the north of the site is an enclosed parcel of grassed land, which is also council owned. The site lies within a Low-Risk Coalfield Development Area.

A separate application, reference DM/24/00694/FPA, is under consideration for the change of use of the parcel of land to the north of the site from open space to garden, with the erection of a detached double garage and driveway to serve the dwelling.

Planning Policy Considerations

The report pack outlined that the application would need to be considered against the National Planning Policy Framework (NPPF) and the County Durham Plan (CDP). The relevant policies included:

• Policy 6 (Development on Unallocated Sites): Supports development on sites not allocated in the Plan or Neighbourhood Plan, but which are either within the built-up area or outside the built up area but well related to a settlement.
• Policy 21 (Delivering Sustainable Transport): Requires all development to deliver sustainable transport.
• Policy 29 (Sustainable Design): Requires all development proposals to achieve well designed buildings and places.
• Policy 31 (Amenity and Pollution): Sets out that development will be permitted where it can be demonstrated that there will be no unacceptable impact on health, living or working conditions or the natural environment.
• Policy 41 (Biodiversity and Geodiversity): States that proposals for new development will not be permitted if significant harm to biodiversity or geodiversity resulting from the development cannot be avoided, or appropriately mitigated, or as a last resort, compensated for.
• Policy 43 (Protected Species and Nationally and Locally Protected Sites): Advises that development proposals that would adversely impact upon nationally protected sites will only be permitted where the benefits clearly outweigh the impacts.
• Policy 44 (Historic Environment): Requires developments to contribute positively to the built and historic environment and seek opportunities to enhance and, where appropriate, better reveal the significance and understanding of heritage assets.

The Residential Amenity Standards SPD (2023), the Parking and Accessibility SPD (2023) and the Design Code SPD (2024) were also listed as relevant.

Consultation Responses

Pelton Parish Council fully supported the application. The Highways Authority raised no objections. The Design and Conservation Officer commented that the development is unlikely to impact the setting of the Grade II Listed Church (Holy Trinity Church), but that the proposed extension is of significant scale and would result in the legibility of the existing building being lost. The Ecology Officer raised no objections, subject to the conditioning of the Method Statement appended to the Bat Report. No comments or objections were received from the public, following neighbour notification letters.

Applicant's Statement

The applicant's statement in the report pack said that Cemetery House has sat empty for too many years and has significantly declined in recent years, requiring significant investment to bring the building back to a habitable state and make it functional as a family home. The applicants are purchasing the building and land around it from the council and need to secure planning permission for their proposed works and for the change of use of the land being sold with the property.

The statement also said that the proposed extension would consolidate a series of unsympathetic extensions added to the rear of the house over the years and provide a more comprehensive design approach to the rear. The extension would not project any further past the furthest part of the existing built footprint of the dwelling to the rear and would be set in from the side elevation at the request of the planning officers. The roof to the property would be altered as part of the consolidation works to the rear with a ridge height increase of 1.4m; however, the eaves height stays unchanged.

The applicant's statement also said,

The dwelling has been left empty for too long and it a property which can provide the shell for a renovated family home in Pelton which would align with the Councils own ‘Bringing Empty Homes Back Into Use’ initiative. Where the applicants and planning officers have disagreed with the size of the proposed works, we have worked proactively over the application process and made compromises during the application process to refine the design to include elements which have been requested. It is wholly believed that the design put forward in this application is more than appropriate and fully complies with the requirements of Policy 29 of the County Durham Plan and also the Residential Amenity Standards SPD and it is hoped that members of the planning committee can provide their support and get this property utilised as a family home.

Planning Considerations

The report pack stated that the main planning issues relate to the principle of development, impact of the scheme upon the character and appearance of the host building/area, residential amenity, highway safety and ecological issues.

The report pack stated that the proposed development is considered to adequately preserve residential amenity, highway safety and ecological issues, but that the proposed scheme, by virtue of its scale, mass and design, would have an overbearing and visually intrusive impact upon the character and appearance of the host property and its setting within the street scene.

Recommendation

The report pack recommended that the application be refused.

Minutes from the Meeting on 27 March 2025

The committee was scheduled to review the minutes of the meeting held on 27 March 2025. The minutes include a discussion of application DM/24/03213/FPA for the erection of 32 affordable dwellings with associated infrastructure, landscaping and ancillary works at Land At Greenwood Avenue, Burnhope DH7 0AN.