Civic Voice – the national charity for the civic movement with 75,000 members – has submitted a consultation response urging the Government to think harder about the plans it has to allow developers to change buildings on our high streets without requiring full planning permission.
The proposals, introduced in the consultation 'Planning Reform – Supporting the high street and increasing the delivery of new homes' proposes to allow additional storeys to be built above certain commercial or residential buildings, up to a maximum of 5 storeys.
Civic Voice, therefore, objects to the option to allow premises to extend to the roofline of the highest building in a terrace unless full consideration of the 'design, siting and external appearance of the upward extension and its impact on amenity and character of the area' can be fully considered by the local authority and is included in the final legislation.
Civic Voice believes that it is essential to ensure a proposed upward extension under PD amounts to 'good design, adds to the overall quality of the area… is visually attractive as a result of good architecture, responds to the local character and history of the area and maintains a strong sense of place', as required by the NPPF and as outlined in Paras. 1.25 - 1.26 of the consultation.