Sunderland dental practice refused permission to expand over design, parking and safety fears

Fulwell Dental practice at 162 Fulwell Road in the St Peter’s ward applied for planning permission to build a two-storey extension into a rear yard area to make way for new facilities.

Original plans included a new ‘consulting room’, disabled toilet, a new waiting area and a meeting room on the ground floor, as well as a new staff area, waiting area and office space on the first floor.

However amended plans instead proposed a ground floor garage space, a small porch projecting into the space to the side of the extension and an additional office, meeting room and store on the first floor.

The applicant was listed in planning documents as Lynwood Healthcare Ltd with the number of employees on site expected to remain the same.

During consultation on the plans however, one objection was submitted raising concerns about existing parking issues in the area being “exacerbated” by the development.

Sunderland City Council transportation officers shared a similar view and said the scheme would reduce parking and “intensify” traffic associated with the site, creating “further overspill onto the surrounding streets which have parking restrictions in place”.

It was also noted that the development would “preclude the future use” of part of the rear yard for parking, with the development “considered to involve the loss of two car parking spaces”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department refused it on February 15, 2023.

One reason for refusal, set out in a council decision report, included the “attraction of vehicles to the site without adequate off-street parking, leading to traffic congestion within the vicinity of the site, to the detriment of highway and pedestrian safety”.

Other refusal reasons focused on the “height, massing and positioning” of the two-storey extension, with council planners stating the development would introduce an “overdominant and obtrusive element into the street scene”.

It was also noted that the extension would have an “overbearing impact and result in a loss of light and outlook from the rear windows and yard area” of a neighbour.

According to the Fulwell Dental website, the practice offers NHS care, with the exceptions of orthodontics and sedation, as well as emergency and out-of-hours care.

The applicant has the right to challenge the council’s refusal decision by lodging an appeal with the Secretary of State.

For more information on the plan or council ruling, visit Sunderland City Council’s online planning portal and search reference: 22/02394/FUL