Planning appeal decision
6 Fountains Crescent, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5LL
Planning appeal 6011096 at 6 Fountains Crescent, Houghton-le-Spring, DH4 5LL (Sunderland) was dismissed on 24 July 2026 by Inspector N McGurk, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area.
a retrospective application for the current rendering of the main house and outbuilding
- Authority
- Sunderland
- Appeal type
- householder · Householder
- Procedure
- Written
- Development
- residential
- Inspector
- N McGurk
- Postcode
- DH4 5LL
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area
What decided it
The conspicuous bright white render is out of keeping with the brick and tiled roof uniformity of the area and, given the prominent siting of the property, severely harms the character and appearance of the locality.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy BH1
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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What an account adds to this decision


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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.
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