Now, about that greenhouse! Owner had no option but to remove it after inspector described it as 'alien'

Deprived of sunshine and warmth - the emerging seedlings will just have to tough it out in winter's bitter winds now that the greenhouse has been removed

A GREENHOUSE in Scartho has been removed after an independent planning backed North East Lincolnshire' refusal to grant planning consent.  

It was in April last year that the council turned down the application after neighbours complained that its location at the front - not the rear - of a property was unsightly  and inappropriate so close to the roadway in Beckhythe Close.

There were also concerns that it might be subject to vandalism and could cause injury if an out-of-control cyclist collided with it.

The decision by planning committee members to turn down the application was made against the recommendation of officers.

After its owner appealed, the inspector made a site inspection on January 2 this year after which he ruled in favour of the objectors.

Says his report: " The main issue is the effect of the development on the character and appearance of the surrounding area.

"Beckhythe Close comprises a cul-de-sac of bungalows with front gardens that are open to the road with an absence of front boundary treatments. 

"The appeal site comprises an almost triangular-shaped plot of land on the opposite side of  Beckhythe Close from the appellant’s dwelling. 

"It forms part of a larger landscaped verge along one side of the road which creates a verdant character. 

"A greenhouse, of a typical design, has been erected on a concrete slab adjacent to the road.

"At the time of my site visit, some vegetation surrounded the greenhouse. However, it was low in height and there was an absence of  vegetation along the roadside.

"The greenhouse is not visible from the entrance to Beckhythe Close due to the intervening distance, the curved design of the road and the presence of  vegetation. 

"However, it is visually prominent when viewed from the road adjacent to the bungalows. 

"Although small in scale, the greenhouse appears incongruous and alien in the road and erodes the road’s verdant and open character. 

"Although views of the greenhouse are restricted to Beckhythe Close, this does not outweigh the harm I have identified to the character and appearance of the road.

"While greenhouses are features commonly associated with residential dwellings, they are not usually sited forward of a dwelling’s principal elevation or outside  a dwelling’s residential curtilage.

"Consequently, the greenhouse’s siting appears visually detached and isolated from the appellant’s dwelling.

"Although comprising a glazed structure, it would not be transparent throughout the year as it would be filled with growing plants. 

"Therefore, the prominence of the structure would likely be more discernible during the summer.

"Notwithstanding this, at the time of my site visit, the greenhouse was empty of  plants and still appeared visually prominent from the road.

"I acknowledge that the council’s decision to refuse the application was made against the recommendation of its planning officers. 

"However, the main issue is one that is a matter of judgement.

"Council members are entitled not to accept the professional advice of its officers so long as a case can be made for the contrary view."

                                             

Storm in a teacup? The banned greenhouse

The Grimsby News says: It is hard not to feel some sympathy for the appellant. Admittedly, the location was somewhat imaginative, not to say quirky, but, throughout last spring and summer, his greenhouse surely added visual interest to the street. Did the objectors not take any delight in watching the plants grow and flourish? Perhaps, if they had been less hostile, they might have been offered some of the tomatoes or other produce. Now that the structure has gone, what has been left? Predominantly a view of a fence. Where is the charm in that?