Leamington homeowners' plans to render front and rear of house are thrown out by council committee despite support from neighbours

Neighbours of the property in Risdale Close had backed the plans but planning officers at Warwick District Council admitted they were concerned that by allowing the change, a precedent could be set and other applications could follow - both in the immediate area and further afield.

The council’s development services manager, Gary Fisher, told this week’s planning committee: “There are relatively few streets where you have that uniformity of character to the extent that you do in this particular street and the concern from your officers is that by introducing these changes to this particular property would impact on that visual character and that might set a precedent about what might happen on other properties within the street.

“Other future proposals in other areas where members might want to protect that streetscene character could be impacted upon by granting planning permission.”

Those living in ten of the other 13 homes in the Leamington cul-de-sac wrote in support of the proposals and their views were summed up by Rachel Turner who lived opposite the house in question.

She wrote: “I am writing to support the application to render the front and back of number 4 Risdale Close by our neighbours.

“The house has been unlived in and not maintained for at least the past three years, we've had no neighbours and had to look at the empty house and skip for this time.

“We fully support the proposal to render the house, it will look fantastic and much better than the rest of the street.

“Given that many other houses in the area are clad in wood and/or render - houses on Beverley Road, Woodcote Road and Borrowdale Road - it seems only right you grant the permission here as well.”

Cllr James Kennedy (Green, Kenilworth Park Hill) had pushed for permission to be granted but his proposal was rejected.

He said: “It is not in a conservation area and other properties are being developed in this way in the neighbourhood. There are no objections from neighbours or Royal Leamington Spa Town Council and this would lead to the enhancement of the property.”

An alternative proposal put forward by Cllr Terry Morris (Con, Warwick Saltisford) called for the plans to be refused and this was approved by seven votes to none with four councillors abstaining.