Cottage plans in East Lothian knocked back over fears it would 'block out the sun'

A bid to replace a cottage in a conservation village with a bigger home has been thrown out after councillors said it would block out the sun from neighbouring homes.

The plans to demolish a house on Goose Green Road, Gullane, and replace it with a new single storey cottage with a roof terrace, were refused by planners despite being almost identical to a similar proposal approved seven years ago.

A report to East Lothian Council’s Local Review Body said the plans were less than a metre higher than the previously approved plans for the site.

However it said the change to the design meant it would block sunlight from neighbours.

At a meeting of the council’s Local Review Body this week councillors backed a decision by officers to refuse permission for the new house, which would replace a home on the site which was described as having fallen into “a bit of a state”.

Only Councillor Kenny McLeod supported the applicant’s appeal after telling the meeting that looking towards the site from Goose Green he was not convinced the additional height of the new home was excessive.

And he said: “The place is in an absolute state and something should be done, I think I will be going against officers recommendations because of the state of the place.”

Agents for the applicants had challenged claims the higher design would impact on the light on neighbouring cottages as a “gross exaggeration”.

However Councillor Shona McIntosh warned against allowing the application on the basis that the site was in a bad condition and said the officer’s findings over the impact on sunlight had to be given serious consideration.

She said: “We have sat before with our former chief planner warning us we shouldn’t take decisions based on the state the current property has got into because that could be an incentive to developers to leave things neglected so applications will go through so we have to be really careful about that. The site does require some work, I just don’t think it is this work.

“The sunlight is the key for me. We have a really clear sunlight test and methodology that planners apply and this failed the test and I think that should matter.”

Fellow review body member Councillor Donna Collins said: “The new build is going to be double the height of the cottage in front and will look as if it is sitting on the shoulders of the cottage. To me that is an overwhelming development.

“At that height it will be affecting the sunlight of the cottage next door. Yes I am sympathetic the building is in a bit of a state and it needs some work but if we start saying we need to do something because it is a bit of a mess then developers could start leaving things just to get stuff done.”

The Local Review Body rejected the appeal by three votes to one with councillors Andy Forrest, McIntosh and Collins voting against it and Councillor McLeod in favour.