®Planning appeal decision
51-55 Cromwell Road & 1-2 Queensberry Mews West, London, SW7 2EH
‘internal reconfiguration and refurbishment of hostel for long stays during the academic year and short stays out of the academic year; construction of mansard roof extension, and rear infill and closet wing extensions; creation of new internal level within rear closet wings; alterations to front and rear of 51-55 Cromwell Road; demolition and rebuild of mews property at 1-2 Queensberry Mews West to provide bedrooms and ancillary space’ without complying with conditions attached to planning permission Ref PP/23/02670, dated 15 June 2023
- Authority
- Royal Borough of Kensington and Chelsea
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Hearing
- Development
- residential · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Bowyer J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposed alterations to the Mews Building on the character and appearance of the host building, Queensberry Mews West and the Queen's Gate Conservation Area
- the effect of the proposed alterations to the Mews Building on the significance of the Grade II listed building known as Nos 127-134 Queen's Gate SW7
- the effect of the proposed alterations to the Mews Building on the living conditions of the occupiers of neighbouring dwellings in respect of noise and disturbance on occupation of the development
What decided it
The cumulative public benefits of the additional hostel accommodation and green roof, assessed against the very limited heritage harm, outweighed the conflict with heritage policies and triggered the presumption in favour of sustainable development under paragraph 11(d) of the Framework.
The very limited, less than substantial harm to the Queen's Gate Conservation Area, to which the Inspector gave considerable importance and weight, was outweighed by the cumulative additional public benefits of the appeal scheme (housing supply contribution and green roof), such that the adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits and permission was granted.
Framework references: 11
Plan policies cited: Policy CE2, Policy CD1, Policy CD2, Policy CD3, Policy CD4, Policy CD5, Policy CD9, Policy CD10, Policy CD12, Policy CD15, Policy GB8, Policy H01
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.