East Lothian house plans branded 'brooding monster' by shocked neighbour

Plans to build a modern house in the garden of a Victorian home in North Berwick have been rejected after a neighbour described it as a 'brooding monster'.

The owners of one of four flats in the former house, on West Bay Road, said they wanted to move into a more 'energy efficient' house.

But plans for the new two-storey East Lothian property received 26 objections amid concerns it would be out of place in the seaside town’s conservation area.

READ MORE: The creepy moment East Lothian doctor realised her neighbours had installed CCTV

A meeting of the council's planning committee heard officers recommended the plans for refusal saying it's 'contemporary' style was out of character for the street, there was not enough garden ground connected to it and it would be overbearing to the neighbour house.

An agent for the applicants, however, disputed their view arguing the decision was based on 'subjective judgement rather than policy".

But the committee heard the concerns of neighbours next door who said the new home would be "a huge two-storey brooding monster right next to our garden."

The flat owners had already been granted permission to extend their property with a balcony but said they had decided it would be more beneficial to build a new ‘more energy efficient’ home in the garden rather than stay in the flat itself.

In a report to the committee, officers said of the house: “It would in terms of its design and external finishes be of a contemporary form and finish that would be very different in character and appearance to the from and appearance of the other houses and buildings of West Bay Road.

“Its flat roofed boxed form and appearance and its use of modern non-traditional materials would be at odds with the built form of this part of West Bay Road.

“Consequently, the proposed house would not be of a design or appearance that would be sympathetic to its setting or well-integrated into its surroundings. Instead it would be of a form and character inappropriate for this part of the North Berwick Conservation Area.”

Ward councillor Jeremy Findlay acknowledged the street had a mix of housing of different ages and style and said while he had no issue with the design of the proposed building he did agree the garden space left would not provide enough amenity to its residents.

Councillor Kenny McLeod, however, supported the application says the land where the house would be built stood out as a vacant space on the street.

He said: "There is a large void in that area that is completely out of place and could be used as a home."

The committee voted by nine votes to one to refuse the planning application with only Councillor McLeod voting in support.

Sign up to Edinburgh Live newsletters for more headlines straight to your inbox