NETFLIX star Ashley Walters has finally won permission to extend his home following a two-year battle with the council.
Top Boy actor Mr Walters, 41, has been given the green light to alter his chalet bungalow in Kent following a long-running saga with local officials.
Mr Walters, a former member of the So Solid Crew, first submitted extension plans in 2022, but Canterbury City Council (CCC) planning officers rejected two separate applications.
He appealed both of these, but the refusals were upheld.
But new plans, drawn up by Invent Architecture, have now been greenlit, KentOnline reports.
A council officer said of the new plans: “There would be no unacceptable overbearing impact as the proposal is largely retained in line with the existing front and rear building lines with the roof pitching away from neighbouring occupiers.”
Mr Walters previously said he wanted to extend his home because his two daughters were getting taller.
The new plans will see the chalet bungalow extended, but its scale has been toned down since the earlier application.
The first floor extension will have its height increased by just half a metre.
Planning officers recommended that the new balcony has privacy screens because it may overlook neighbouring back gardens.
Under the original plans, Mr Walters had wanted to build a two-storey front extension plus a single-storey extension at the rear, along with a balcony.
Following a visit to the property in January, the inspector said: “The main issue is the effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the dwelling and wider area.”
While he noted some of the proposed features are “no doubt designed to minimise the size and scale of the works, and thus their visual effect”, he added that “the result would nevertheless be a significantly larger building”.
The inspector wrote: “The principal and side elevations would have a much greater overall massing, that would noticeably contrast with the immediately neighbouring bungalows.
“Once extended, the building would have a strident, discordant and overpowering appearance.
“As a result, it would dominate and significantly harm this part of the street scene.”
Mr Walters has previously told KentOnline he had wanted to extend his home because his two daughters were getting taller.
He said: “It’s about making it slightly bigger in height because it’s a bungalow conversion.
“The top floor is essentially in the roof, which means you’re kind of ducking, and as the kids grow they’ll be banging heads on the ceiling.
“So we are just trying to make that a bit higher.”
Mr Walters added he was a “big fan” of the area and his kids were settled in school and currently had no intention of moving his family back to London.
However, he said: “It’s highly likely that if we can’t get it the way we want to, we’ll have to move out of this part of Kent.
“We would just have to find somewhere else locally that suits our needs.”
You’ll need planning permission for certain types of extension, and it could get rejected by your local planning authority if you don’t stick to the rules.
Andrew Cann, director of Planning Direct, a planning consultancy based in the East of England, said there are ways to appeal if your initial application for an extension is rejected.
“Your home extension can be rejected because it is too large, is not in character with the area or it cause harm to neighbours – such as overshadowing or overlooking,” he said.
In order to appeal, you’ll need to prepare a Statement of Case.
This is a document setting out why you believe the extension should be granted in planning policy terms – an expert can help you with this, but they will charge.
This is sent along with an appeal form to the Planning Inspectorate.
This is a government body independent of your local council, which will check whether the planning authority which refused you was correct to do so.
There is normally no fee to submit a planning appeal to the Planning Inspectorate.
The main cost is the fee you’ll need to give a consultant or solicitor to prepare and manage it on your behalf – the amount will depend on the case.
The truth is, there is no guarantee to winning your appeal – and you should be wary of any solicitor or consultant that promises you a victory.
“Any one consultant who says an appeal will definitely be won should be avoided” said Andrew.
That said, there are some tips that can help you on your way to a win. “Take a look around – if other nearby homeowners have made similar changes, the chances are you will win,” said Andrew.
Another thing to look out for is that your application may have been refused on a technicality or just because of a missing detail.
“Sometimes it is worth re-applying with a modified version if the council only wants small changes. A re-application is free within a year of the first refusal,” said Andrew.
But if an appeal is mishandled and refused this can “blight” the property and you will not get permission in future.
There are some challenges when you are looking to appeal.
You must establish that the extension complies with local planning policy and importantly does not harm others
