a
Design and Access Statement

Garage Development at 

Vine House
6 Hampstead Square
Hampstead Village
London
NW3 1AB

1. 		SITE

1.1.	Vine House is a three-storey residential dwelling on the northern edge of Hampstead Square. The building is Grade II listed and is a substantial dwelling house in yellow 		stock brick with red brick dressings.

1.2		To the rear (north) of the main building is a detached, single-storey, white painted, brick outbuilding with a half-hipped slate roof. This abuts the tall, red brick wall which 		marks the boundary with the adjacent property to the north; No. 9b Holford Road. The outbuilding contains a garage with a space for one car and three smaller 		rooms, one of which is a WC. The outbuilding is at the end of the property’s driveway, which leads from Holford Road, at the north-east corner of the application site.

1.3		A timber and plastic car port structure is attached to the outbuildings and the boundary wall. The structure comprises of a mono-pitched sloping roof which, on it’s lowest 		side, is supported by three posts. The eaves of the structure slightly overlap the tiled roof of the single storey extension to the main building.

1.4		The application site is within the Hampstead Conservation Area. It is also within an Archaeological Priority Area.

2. 		THE PROPOSAL

2.1		The proposal is for the demolition and replacement of the existing outbuilding to include a garage and kitchen on the ground floor with living area, bedroom and bathroom on 		the first floor.

2.2		The existing outbuilding has a footprint of 31 square metres and measures approximately 10 meters long and 4.3 metres high. The replacement outbuilding would occupy a 		similar position to the existing and would not be sited any further to the east. It would be the same length but it would have a footprint of 40 square meters and it would 		measure 5.8 metres high.

2.3		The replacement outbuilding would have a larger footprint because whereas the southern wall of the existing building is at an angle to the rear (northern) wall of the main 		building, the southern wall of the replacement building would be perpendicular with the northern wall of the main building.

2.4		The proposal involves lowering the ground level between the outbuilding and the main building by approximately 330 millimeters so that the external ground level is level 		with Vine House, and to allow the back door to have a level threshold. The junction between the ground level and Vine House would not change because the existing path is 		separated from the building by a drainage channel.

2.5		The proposal also involves reducing the gradient of the driveway to meet the lowered garage floor level.

2.6		This new proposal concerns previous planning consents 2015/4748/P and 2015/5275/L ( detailed above in points 2.1, 2.2, 2.3, 2.4, 2.5) and seeks to amend the exterior 		finish of the building to painted, horizontal, feather edged, timber boarding. This would be in keeping with the immediate local area which boasts many examples of painted 		horizontal, feather edged, timber boarding to ancillary buildings within the curtiledge of notable Grade II listed buildings as well as on the Grade II listed buildings 		themselves.  Evidence of just some of these examples, situated in Well Walk, Church Row and Holly Mount have been provided in photo format. 

		It is important that the outbuilding remains subservient to the main residence; the proposed windows are casements rather than Georgian sashes to avoid challenging the 		main building.

2.7		This proposal also seeks to amend the layout of the internal accommodation to provide, on the ground floor; a larger garage and kitchen in place of the office and on the first 		floor; a living area, bedroom and bathroom. This would subsequently provide the ancillary accommodation with it’s own entrance and increase the present proposed floor 		space to meet nationally described space standards (These require a one-bed unit to provide 37 metres square of floor space whereas the current 		proposal provides only 30 square metres).

3. HERITAGE & DESIGN CONSIDERATIONS

3.1		The current building appears to have been extended and altered over time and does not contribute positively to the setting of the listed building. It is also not uncommon for 		an historic dwelling of this size to have an ancillary building within its grounds.

3.2		Although the proposed building would have increased height and bulk, it would still be relatively small scale when viewed against the main building and the design is not 		over-stated. The windows complement the fenestration pattern on the main building which also helps the proposed outbuilding to appear subservient to the main building; 		appropriate for an ancillary building of this type. 

3.3		The slate, pitched roof and horizontal, feather edge timber boarding is appropriate to the conservation area. Many Grade II dwellings in close proximity to Vine House use 		the same timber boarding as an exterior finish.  The proposed building aims to preserve and enhance the character and appearance of the Hampstead Conservation Area 		and also preserve the listed building in its setting as well as preserve any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.

4. IMPACT ON THE VISUAL AND RESIDENTIAL AMENITIES OF THE OCCUPIERS OF NEARBY AND NEIGHBOURING RESIDENTIAL PROPERTIES

4.1		The main residential property that is likely to be affected by the proposal is the neighbouring property to the north, no. 9b Holford Road.  All other residential properties are 		sufficiently removed from the application site so as not to be unacceptably affected by the proposal.

4.2		Whilst the replacement outbuilding would be larger and taller than the existing, the extremely high wall on the northern boundary of the application site means the 		replacement outbuilding would not be visible from 9b Holford Road, which limits the impact on this property. Due to the high wall the proposed outbuilding would not cause 		any overlooking or loss of privacy to No.9b.

4.3		Furthermore the replacement outbuilding would not generate significant levels of noise and it not considered that the additional comings and goings 		associated with the living accommodation would be significant; taking into account the size of the main building and the activity likely to be associated with a dwelling of this 		size.

5. 	TRANSPORT CONSIDERATIONS

5.1		The proposal would not alter the level of parking availability at the application site and the proposal would not cause additional parking demand at the application site or in 		the wider area (a controlled parking zone) because the living accommodation would be ancillary to the main dwelling rather than being an independent, self-contained unit.

6.	CONCLUSION
		The proposed new outbuilding now reaches the nationally described space standards which the previous application (2015/4748/P and 2015/5275/L) did not. The design 		and exterior finish of the building would be in keeping with the appearance and character of the Hampstead Conservation area and other notable Grade II listed buildings 		in the vicinity.  The works would also preserve the listed building and its setting as well as any features of special architectural or historic interest which it possesses.  The 		impact on neighbouring properties is negligible and so too are any transport implications for the neighbouring property and local area.