19/02145/FUL

44 Southmoor Road Oxford OX2 6RD

5 September 2019

Erection of a part single part two storey rear extension to basement and ground floor. Alterations to front light well to provide access including a new external stair and external door to the basement.

The proposed works to the basement effectively create a separate, independent one-bedroom apartment; clarification should be sought on the proposed use of this apartment, i.e. whether it will be ancillary accommodation, or independently occupied. In the latter case, issues such as parking and waste and re-cycling bin storage should be addressed. It is stated that the front lightwell is to be ‘adapted’, but little detail of the adaptation is shown, and none of the alterations evidently necessary to the dwarf wall and existing railings at the front of the property, which will affect the streetscape, of particular relevance in this Conservation Area. The practicality of the proposed cycle parking, at the foot of, and beneath a steep set of stairs, defies credibility, and no indication of capacity is shown. We would question the appropriateness of the proposed timber cladding to the new elements at the rear of the premises; this material would be out of keeping with the prevailing materials used in the neighbourhood. Careful consideration should be given to all these issues, and satisfactory solutions presented, before consent is granted.