20, North Street, Heckmondwike, WF16 0AY

1. 1.The proposed first-floor rear extension, by reason of its flat-roofed form, would appear visually incongruous and unsympathetic to the host dwelling. The flat roof fails to reflect the architectural character and roof form of the existing property, resulting in a dominant and unbalanced addition when viewed from the rear. As such, the extension would detract from the appearance of the dwelling and represents poor quality design, contrary Policy LP24 of the Kirklees Local Plan, KDP1 & KDP 2 of the House Extensions & Alterations SPD and Chapter 12 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
2. 2.The proposed rear dormer, when considered in combination with the proposed first-floor rear extension with its flat roof form, would result in poor design and incongruous arrangement. The cumulative impact of the competing roof forms, massing and alignment would create a visually discordant and poorly integrated rear elevation, detracting from the architectural coherence and appearance of the host dwelling. As such, the development represents poor quality design detracting from visual amenity of the property and area, contrary to Policy LP24 of the Kirklees Local Plan, KDP1 & KDP 2 of the House Extensions & Alterations SPD and Chapter 12 of the National Planning Policy Framework.
3. 3.The proposal balcony would result in unacceptable overlooking of the adjoining property and cannot be sufficiently mitigated without resulting in additional overshadowing and overbearing to the detriment of the adjoining occupants. To permit the proposals would be contrary to Policy LP24 of the Kirklees Local Plan, KDP5 & KDP6 of the House Extensions & Alterations SPD and Chapter 12 of the National Planning Policy Framework. Plans and specifications schedule: - Plan Type Reference Web ID Date Received Location plan - 1127417 19/02/2026 Existing plans 2629-1 1127418 19/02/2026 Proposed plans 2629-2 1127419 19/02/2026 Climate change statement - 1127422 19/02/2026 Pursuant to article 35 (2) of the Town and Country Planning (Development Management Procedure) Order 2015 and guidance in the National Planning Policy Framework, the Local Planning Authority have, where possible, made a pre-application advice service available, complied with the Kirklees Development Management Charter 2024 and otherwise actively engaged with the applicant in dealing with the application. The proposals plans raise concerns in terms of the design of the first floor rear extension and dormer, with the use of a large flat roof form together with the impact of the proposed balcony. Amended plans have not been sought. There is a fall back of the previous approval which is the maximum that would be supported. Development within a Coal Mining Area DEVELOPMENT HIGH RISK AREA - INFORMATIVE NOTE The proposed development lies within an area that has been defined by the Mining Remediation Authority as containing coal mining features at surface or shallow depth. These features may include: mine entries (shafts and adits); shallow coal workings; geological features (fissures and break lines); mine gas and former surface mining sites. Although such features are seldom readily visible, they can often be present and problems can occur, particularly as a result of new development taking place. Any form of development over or within the influencing distance of a mine entry can be dangerous and raises significant land stability and public safety risks. As a general precautionary principle, the Mining Remediation Authority considers that the building over or within the influencing distance of a mine entry should be avoided. In exceptional circumstance where this is unavoidable, expert advice must be sought to ensure a suitable engineering design which takes account of all relevant safety and environmental risk factors, including mine gas and mine-water.

From the council's decision notice.

Postcode

WF16 0AY

Application type

Full

Scale / size

Small

Date validated

19 February 2026

Consultation expiry

13 April 2026

Consultation start

19 February 2026

Consultation end

13 April 2026

Target decision date

16 April 2026

Agent address

14, Granton Road, Leeds, LS7 3LZ

Statutory period

56 days

Documents

5