RESIDENTS of St Peter’s Avenue in Knutsford have lost their fight to stop the building of a new house they say will be out of keeping with the area.

Plans by Michael Lawless for a three-bedroom house in the garden of 2 St Peter’s Avenue were approved by Cheshire East Council despite opposition from residents in the road and Knutsford Town Council.

Mr Lawless is set to remove part of a single-storey building at the side of the current house to enable the building of the new property, which will include a first floor study, and master bedroom, two extra bedrooms and a garage at ground floor level.

Residents said the new property would be out of scale and out of character with others in the area, and have an adverse impact on the nearby St John’s Road Conservation Area.

Knutsford Town Council objected to the proposal, which it said would result in plot ratios for the existing and proposed dwelling not in keeping with the surrounding area, contrary to the Neighbourhood Plan, and the application failed to consider the Knutsford Design Guide as required by the Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan.

A resident of St Peter’s Avenue said: “This proposed development would create a highly dense, cramped and over-developed site with a continuous build form, not in keeping with the surrounding area of St Peters Avenue.

“The development proposal would contravene the Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan policy by further division of the site and by building in a garden, resulting in loss of garden land and the open neighbourhood aspect.”

Knutsford Guardian:

The plot earmarked for the new house is outlined in red

A fellow resident of the road said: “The overall result of squeezing a further detached house into what is left of a garden after demolishing the edge of the existing property is to create too high a density for the area, especially for detached houses.

“The Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan also directs to ensure the proposed scheme is of a similar scale and mass to the existing dwelling. The proposed new infill has a footprint of less than 50 per cent of the current existing dwelling.

“This application proposes building a contemporary, upside-down living design, with large glass frontage and a flat-roofed two-storey wing projecting from the north side, in the midst of primarily period properties abutting the St John’s Road Conservation Area.

“There are no other similar flat-roofed designs in the surrounding area.”

Another resident added: “The proposed development appears ugly, and is out of scale and out of character with the other properties in and around the area.

“It is an extremely modern design in a road of houses constructed in the 1900s and 1930s.

“This development proposes a flat roof - there are no flat roofs on any residential property nearby. This is out of keeping with the area and does not contribute positively to an area's character and identity.

“The proposed development will impact adversely on the nearby St Johns Road conservation area.”

A planning officer said: “Overall it is considered that the height, scale and form of the proposed building are appropriate for the area, and would relate well to the adjoining properties on St Peter’s Avenue.

“The design of the new dwelling has responded to the character of the area to create a locally distinctive design. It is therefore considered to comply with policies of the Knutsford Neighbourhood Plan.”

The applicant said: “The scale and massing of the proposed dwelling reflects that of the adjacent properties, but remains subordinate to them and to the large semi-detached houses opposite.

“The dwelling will be an innovative design undertaken in a manner sensitive to the character of the town. The dwelling will contribute positively to the existing character, scale and context within which the site sits.”