PLANS to build a modern house in the garden of a Victorian property,  which were described by a neighbour as a “brooding monster”, have been rejected.

The owners of one of four flats in the building on North Berwick’s West Bay Road wanted to move into a more “energy-efficient” house.

But plans for the new two-storey development, on a largely unused private garden area to the rear and side of the property, received 26 objections amid concerns that it would be out of place in the town’s conservation area.

READ MORE: Dozens object to plans for ‘modern’ house in North Berwick garden

At a meeting of East Lothian Council’s planning committee on Tuesday,  planning officers recommended the scheme be refused, concluding that the proposed house’s “contemporary” style was out of character for the street; there was not enough garden ground connected to it; and it would be overbearing to the neighbouring house.


An agent for the applicants, however, disputed that view, arguing that the decision was based on “subjective judgement rather than policy”.


But the committee heard the concerns of neighbours next door, who said that the new home would be “a huge two-storey brooding monster right next to our garden”.


Applicants Gary Henderson and Linda Stone had already been granted permission to extend their property with a balcony but it was said in a planning statement that they had decided it would be more beneficial to build a new “more energy-efficient” home in the garden rather than stay in the flat itself.


In a report to the committee, planning officers said of the house: “It would in terms of its design and external finishes be of a contemporary form and finish that would be very different in character and appearance to the form and appearance of the other houses and buildings of West Bay Road.

'Large void'

“Its flat-roofed boxed form and appearance, and its use of modern non-traditional materials, would be at odds with the built form of this part of West Bay Road.

“Consequently, the proposed house would not be of a design or appearance that would be sympathetic to its setting or well-integrated into its surroundings. Instead, it would be of a form and character inappropriate for this part of the North Berwick Conservation Area.”

Ward councillor Jeremy Findlay acknowledged that the street had a mix of housing of different ages and style, and said that, while he had no issue with the design of the proposed building, he did agree that the garden space left would not provide enough amenity to its residents.

Councillor Kenny McLeod, however, supported the application, saying that the land where the house would be built stood out as a vacant space on the street.

He said: “There is a large void in that area that is completely out of place and could be used as a home.”

The committee voted by nine votes to one to refuse the planning application, with only Mr McLeod voting in support.