Friday September 22nd 2023
Owner of house on Dundas Street, Bonnyrigg, wants to put a driveway in front garden.
Written by Local Democracy Reporter, Marie Sharp
A homeowner has hit out after he was refused permission to turn his front garden into a driveway after planners ruled it was too short.
Robert Gyorgy, from Dundas Street, Bonnyrigg, Midlothian, wanted to create the parking space at the front on his mid-terraced home arguing that neighbouring properties had been able to do it.
However planners ruled the proposed driveway, which would be 4.6 metres long was too short and could lead to vehicles overhanging the pavement creating a hazard for pedestrians.
In an appeal to Midlothian Council’s Local Review Body, Mr Gyorgy pointed to other houses on the street where similar work has been carried out.
And he said he was the only one on the street not allowed to introduce the change.
However refusing planning permission for the driveway, the council’s planning officers said that while some homes on the street had been allowed to create the parking spaces, some did not have planning approval.
And they ruled the proposed space in front of Mr Gyorgy’s home would be ‘substandard’ due to the lack of length.
Officers said standard driveways required to be 6 metres long to ensure vehicles could fully fit into them.
Refusing planning permission they said: “Following a site visit and measurements taken, the resulting driveway would be approximately 4.6 metres which is much less than the standard 6 metre length, which is the expected length of a driveway, and may result in parked vehicles overhanging and obstructing the public footway, resulting in pedestrians, wheelchairs and pushchairs having to use the carriageway to get past.
“This is clearly undesirable and would not be in the interests of improving road safety.”
The review body will hear the appeal at a meeting next week.
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