Sunderland householder refused permission to build garages for rent in their back garden

Sunderland City Council’s planning department has refused an application for a property at Padgate Road in the St Anne’s ward.

The plans related to a section of rear garden linked to the property, with a bid to construct two garages “for rent by the public”.

Proposals included a “double arrangement” with separate garage doors, and each garage having an internal width of three metres and length of 6.8 metres.

During a council public consultation on the plan, one neighbour objection was received raising concerns about the development.

This included security concerns and claims the garages could “attract a lot of unwanted attention” and potential break-ins.

In a response in a council report, planning officers said this was not a material planning matter and that it “couldn’t be assumed that the garages would attract any unwanted attention or people looking in [the] garden”.

After considering the planning application and assessing it against planning policies, Sunderland City Council’s planning department refused it in early-September, 2023.

The reasons for refusal, set out in a council decision report, included the “introduction of a commercial use within a predominantly residential area”.

It was also noted that the plans would create highway safety issues due to the “restricted access to service vehicles for the nearby commercial premises and lack of manoeuvring space from the proposed garages”.

The council decision report said: “The surrounding land use is predominantly residential, albeit four commercial units to the rear fronting Hylton Road.

“It is considered that the pattern of land use is predominantly residential and this use intended would be on a commercial basis and as such would not reflect the other existing surrounding residential curtilages.

“It is therefore considered that the use in this location would not be acceptable in principle.”

The council decision report also said that “the land should be retained as residential curtilage in order to protect the amenity of the adjacent residents”.

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

More information on the planning application can be found by visiting Sunderland City Council’s planning portal website.