Roof Terrace

Local Council: Bromley

Appeal Result: Allowed (Permission Granted)

Description: Formation of a roof terrace.

Refusal Stated: "The proposed roof terrace which due to its size and siting has a detrimental impact on the amenities that the occupants of neighbouring residential properties might reasonably expect to continue to enjoy, resulting loss of privacy and unacceptable in noise and disturbance and associated with the use of the roof terrace, thereby contrary to Policies 6 and 37 of the Bromley Local Plan."

Background: A high proportion of roof terrace developments are rejected by councils, usually due to a predisposed bias against such schemes. There are often unfounded fears that roof terraces and balconies will result in antisocial behaviour and a loss of privacy for neighbouring properties. However, in our experience, this is rarely the case, as existing windows (views) often mean no additional overlooking is created, and these spaces are generally modest additions, making them unlikely to host large social gatherings. The Planning Inspectorate typically takes a much more balanced approach, which is why we advised the client to appeal this decision. After producing a detailed report highlighting all the relevant facts and redressing the policy quoted by Bromley, LSE made a compelling argument that led to the Inspectorate granting permission for the development. A fantastic result for our client, who gained some much-needed private amenity space.