Controversial redevelopment of home is set to be approved

Applicant Richard Evers wants to extend Beenhams Cottage, a modern-style building in Railway Lane, by building a two-storey side and rear extension and a first-floor front extension.

But some Littlemore residents said they were concerned the extension would lead to traffic problems and the impact it would have on the Littlemore conservation area.

The application will be examined by councillors at Oxford City Council’s East Area planning committee tomorrow and the local authority’s officers have recommended it be approved.

The house, which was built in the early 1960s, was denied planning permission in 1959 before being approved on appeal the following year. In 2012, permission was granted for it to be demolished and three new homes built on the site, leading to concerns about congestion. But those plans were dropped in favour of the extension.

City councillor for Littlemore John Tanner said: “We have known that this site was going to be developed for a long time. It is important that we get more housing for Oxford people but this is already a very busy traffic junction.

“I want to make sure that the concerns that residents have about traffic are fully considered.”

The existing building is painted white and is in what city council officer Tim Hunter described in his report as a “tired looking” condition.

The extension would have zinc cladding and aluminium windows, and timber panelling would be added to the body of the house as well as stonework to the front wall.

Medhurst Way resident Maggie Willis objected to this element of the application, saying: “The roof profile and materials, particularly zinc cladding, are totally out of keeping with the majority of buildings in this historic corner of Littlemore.

“The proposed access is on a bend, with reduced visibility for traffic from the corner with Sandford Road.”

But other residents expressed their support for the plans, Ruth McNamara, of Sandford Road, said she considered the plans for the house “to be a vast improvement on its current condition”.

The work would also create a cantilevered porch to the south-west corner of the building.

Planning officer Mr Hunter said: “The application has produced evidence to show that the traditional context into which this building needs to fit has been properly considered.

“The development will form an acceptable visual relationship with the existing building and Littlemore Conservation Area.

“Officers have considered carefully all objections to these proposals. Officers have come to the view that the objections do not amount, individually or cumulatively, to a reason for refusal and that all the issues that have been raised have been adequately addressed and the relevant bodies consulted.”