18/02754/FUL and 18/02755/LBC

50 Church Way Oxford OX4 4EF

23 November 2018

 Erection of an orangery to north east elevation.

 These applications are considered together. What is now proposed is a small orangery close to the main Villa but separate to it and clearly subservient to it visually from wherever it may be viewed. The present proposal has resulted from discussions with the LPA which advised that an earlier proposal was too prominent in views from the adjacent roads and would result in less than substantial harm not outweighed by increase in amenity. The present proposal has responded to these conclusions. The principal changes are that the orangery is now proposed to be significantly lower than the earlier version (the overall ridge height is lowered by 930mm.), it is smaller and it has been moved away from adjoining the Villa to being nearer to the north wall along Meadow Lane. Its roof design is now less prominent.

OCS accepts that the judgment of the balance between harm and benefit resulting from the proposal remains largely subjective. However, in our judgment the harm done is now significantly less than that that would have resulted from the earlier proposal that was in itself considered by the LPA as “less than substantial”. We also believe that the increase in amenity to the occupants of the Villa resulting from the increase in light to the principal room on the north east side of the Villa and the retention of access to the orangery by well-chair could now be argued to outweigh any residual harm done by the proposal. Accordingly, we support this revised proposal.