The existing 5 large, detached houses sit in a triangular shaped piece of land enclosed by Cross Street, Corner Farm Close and No. 1 Ashurst Road. On the opposite side of Cross Road is a terraced row of shops and a line of detached and semi-detached houses. A narrow strip of land on the western side of Corner Farm Close is used for car parking, presumably by commuters travelling from the adjoining station. To the north and east of the site is predominantly housing but the shops opposite mark the start of the small shopping centre at the heart of the village.

Appearance

Despite conceding that it is part of the immediate context, the Council would have me ignore the terrace on the opposite side of Cross Road. Its function may be different to the houses opposite but it contributes to the mixed character of this part of Cross Road. Winding one’s way through the heart of the village from the west, the bank, shops, restaurant and the terrace inevitably influence one’s perception of the area. Similarly when approaching from other direction, one cannot ignore the row of shops and the contribution it makes to the street scene.

The proposed building would have a long frontage to Cross Road but would include sufficient articulation, in my view, to appear as 4 separate blocks when viewed from up or down the street. To my mind, it would not appear as a continuous block but would respect the existing rhythm in Cross Road. Walking along Cross Road the existing views between the houses would be lost but, in this regard, the proposed building would be no different to the terrace.

Although taller than the houses and shops the difference would not be significant and the proposed building would sit at a lower level. Further, the proposed building would be on roughly the same building line as the existing houses on Cross Road. Seen from the bottom of Corner Farm Close the building would be taller and more obvious than the existing houses but it would be viewed in the context of the row of shops which would be at a higher level. 8. Although the type of housing would be different, the site would remain in residential use. The Council do not object to flats on the site and are content with the detailed design of the building. I consider that it would respect the surrounding built form and complement the street scene in Cross Road.