Cannock home plans return to council

A number of applications have been made over the years to develop land to the back of the Old Penkridge Road property and permission to build two detached homes was first granted in the 1980s.

In April 2019 plans to demolish the existing home and build two new properties were rejected by Cannock Chase Council, but in January 2020 the authority granted consent. A separate application to replace the existing house with a four-bedroom detached property and create a vehicle access to the rear of the site was passed in September 2019 and work relating to this proposal has begun, a report to Cannock Chase Council’s planning committee said.

The previous approval for the two properties to the rear of the site is due to expire in January 2023 however. A fresh application for two bungalows was submitted to Cannock Chase Council earlier this year.

Planning committee members deferred their decision on the latest plans last month so they could visit the site on Wednesday. But following the site visit the committee again deferred its decision, to give members more time to read the latest planning officers’ report.

There have been two objections to the latest application. One said: “The development will significantly negatively alter the local building layout by decreasing the green natural environment and replacing it with crammed buildings with small gardens which are out of character with the surrounding area.

“The bungalows are shoehorned on to the rear garden making them out of character. The buildings may meet standards but they will ruin the local environment and provide minimal benefit for local housing need.

“Plot 3 is elevated and will have direct views into our home. This will be a tandem development and will directly overlook my property.”

The applicant said that when their grandfather had bought the house and land in the 1940s “it included the right to build on the plots”. Their supporting statement added: “After the death of my grandfather in 1975 my father and mother purchased the property from my grandmother and our family moved into the property where we had a great childhood running around and playing in the large back garden, but my father always intended to develop the land at some point.

“When my parents started to struggle with the upkeep of the land and we saw the house itself was falling apart, cold, damp and extremely hard to heat due to the old construction techniques. We decided to pursue planning permission on the land at the back to finance the rebuild of a new eco-friendly warm and safe place for my parents to safely retire in.

“We finally got planning permission in 2018 to build two bungalows and in 2020 we also got planning permission to build a large 5-bedroom house on the land and permission to knock down the existing house and rebuild a new one for them. After talking to the neighbours though, the vast majority preferred the bungalows option, so we agreed to go down that route.

“Unfortunately, then Covid happened which disrupted the plans. And just as we were coming out of that in December 2020 my parents were involved in a serious head-on car crash which put all the building plans on hold whilst we nursed them back to health.

“We are not developers looking to cash in from the property but Old Penkridge Road’s longest residents, who are looking to realise plans of over 40 years and build our parents a safe and warm home to live out their lives amongst our family and friends.”