- Decision
- allowed, 23 September 2026
- Decided by
- Planning Inspector: S Sharp
- Authority
- Bournemouth Christchurch and Poole (South West)
- Appeal reference
- 6008491
- Application reference
- P/26/00457/FUL
- Procedure
- written representations
- Development
- Side roof-level terrace with obscure-glazed screens to a flat
- Site context
- inside settlement
- Green Belt
- No
- Framework applied
- August 2026 NPPF
- Determinative policies
- P3, DP3
- Development plan policies
- Bournemouth Core Strategy 2012 CS41
- Main issues
- character and appearance; living conditions
Summary
A small side roof terrace to a Bournemouth flat was allowed. It was a lightweight addition in an area that already has visible roof terraces, and with obscure screening the overlooking affected only non-habitable rooms. The Inspector checked local policy CS41 for consistency against L2, DP3 and P3, and applied HE4(2) to the adjoining conservation area (DL ¶¶19–20).
What made the difference
The neighbour's facing windows served non-habitable spaces, and the terrace was too small for parties (DL ¶¶11–12, 15). The letter shows the pattern of testing local-plan consistency with the new codes (L2/DP3/P3) instead of applying them directly.
Policy findings
Policy codes are those of the National Planning Policy Framework (August 2026) unless a development plan is named.
| Policy | Finding | Weight | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| DP3 | pass | lightweight minor addition; roof terraces already visible locally; CS41 consistent with L2 and DP3 (DL 6-8, 19) | |
| P3 | pass | overlooking only of non-habitable rooms and a small part of garden; noise not harmful given small terrace and existing larger terrace (DL 12, 15, 19) | |
| HE4(2) | pass | adjoining Southbourne Grove CA — no harm to significance (DL 20) |
Key facts
- 1.2 m obscure-glazed screen facing No 11; condition securing Privacy Level 3 glazing
- No 11's side glazing serves non-habitable spaces
Sources
This note is one of the decisions behind the NPPF 2026 Navigator, which shows how each Framework test has been applied across all the decisions in the database. Also available as Markdown.