Leeds council planners have told a housing developer they have used wrong type of roofing slate on a prestigious £8 million housing development in Wortley.
Priestley Homes had applied to the council for retrospective application for new roof tiles to seven dwellings at its Cliff Oaks development in Fawcett Lane, Wortley.
But council planners have this week refused their retrospective application, saying they have used black modern concrete roof tiles instead of ‘Spanish slate in dark grey,’ which was approved during the original planning consent.
In a letter to planners on behalf of Priestley Homes, Andrew Windress, director of planning consultancy ID Planning, admitted that the townhouses have now been built – and that ‘due to a miscommunication between the contractor and architect, different roof tiles have been installed that do not accord with those approved under permissions’.
Mr Windress argued the black slates are appropriate for the new-build townhouses of the wider Cliff Oaks Development as they complement the original slate roofs of the adjacent Grade II listed Cliff House, which was gutted by fire several years ago, and stable block developments.
But Mr Windress concluded: “It is not considered that the roof tiles cause any visual harm and do not represent an incongruous feature in the wider Cliff Oaks development. We therefore consider that the roof tiles as built are not materially harmful and retrospective permission can be granted for their retention.”
But a council planning officer’s report described the development as a ‘row of high quality dwellings with a contemporary design and character which in turn would emphasise the neighbouring Grade II Listed Cliff House, considered the focal point of the development site’.
The report refused the application and concluded: “It is considered the development, as built, fails to accord with [National Planning Policy Framework], creating visual harm with a clear deviation from the approved materials which in turn is harmful to both the development of the terrace properties themselves and crucially the neighbouring Grade II Listed Cliff House.”
Developers have six months to appeal to the Secretary of State against the decision.
A Breach of Condition Notice was first served on the developers on 14 December 2022.
The full council report and planning application can be read here.
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