The proposal included cladding the building in smooth white-painted render. The council had no issue with this provided the materials used were approved. The refusal notice was aimed at the proposed works to the roof. The inspector found the building an unprepossessing and starkly prominent cubic structure and noted that its flat roof could be clearly seen from public spaces.
Although the new roof would raise the building's profile, he remarked that the works would enable the removal of an unsightly timber-covered water tank. The pitched roof would soften the building's sharp and angular profile and improve its appearance in the conservation area, he judged. The plans would make it less prominent and allow it to merge with its surroundings, he opined.
DCS Number 100-069-469
Inspector Anthony Vaughan; Hearing.
