Solihull councillors encouraged to block historic barn four-bed home plan

Solihull planners are being urged to block the conversion of a listed barn into a home as it “fails both green belt and heritage tests”. The application for the barn plan at Barn Barretts Lane Farm will go before Solihull Council’s planning committee later this week and looks set to be rejected.

Applicant Brendan Connor submitted the plan to the council for the barn to become a four-bedroom home. The application is for it to include a kitchen, dining room and living room; sitting room and principal bedroom with dressing room and ensuite.

The Grade II listed timber framed barn, which has fallen into disrepair, is estimated to date back to between 1937 and 1948. The applicant argues the plans would be "fully compliant" with the National Planning Policy Framework, English Heritage Guidelines and Solihull Council policies.

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The applicant adds: “Considering the current state of the building these proposals will both preserve and enhance the special architectural features to the extent that they ‘do not harm’.” Council officers in their report to the committee highlight it would be “larger extensions and alterations” to the L-shaped building.

Officers stress the proposed extensions “significantly increase the bulk, massing and volume of the existing building” and are described as “disproportionate additions” to the original building. Officers, who recommend refusal of the application, write the proposed development would harm the “designated heritage assets” at the Balsall Common farm.

“This harm would not be outweighed by any public benefits produced by the proposal,” officers say. “The proposal constitutes inappropriate development that is harmful to the openness of the green belt,” officers added.

Listed building consent - a tool used to ensure changes to listed buildings are appropriate and sympathetic to their character - is also applied for in a separate application, but officers recommend refusal for that too for the same reasons. The barn plan will go before the committee meeting taking place at the Civic Suite on Wednesday, (July 10).

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