From Bungalow to Flats?

 We have previously observed, sometimes with concern, how housing densities within our district have gradually increased through time.  Extensions to homes do not, of course, inevitably mean additional members of a household, but they sometimes do, and as a result lower the square footage of garden space.  An additional car may be introduced and these vehicles end up on the roadside.  Small houses can therefore end up as large houses, long rear gardens may on occasions sprout an additional dwelling with a  narrow and sometimes awkward vehicular access; and older bungalows are replaced by a semi-detached home, two detached properties, or even a trio of connected town houses on three levels.

Not a particularly stunning map; but this is Hatfield Road in c1922.  The land to the south of
the road was part of Hill End Farm; on the north it was Beaumonts Farm.  The first plots to
be pegged out fall between two adjacent maps, but by 1922 there were already three houses
in build.
COURTESY NATIONAL LIBRARY OF SCOTLAND

Focus now on Hatfield Road east of Beechwood Avenue.  We should tell the story of this road from the beginning.   North of the main road was Beaumonts Farm, not developed until c1930. Historically the south side was largely the boundary of Hill End Farm.  The farm was partially absorbed into the curtilage of Hill End Asylum in 1899 and the remainder of the farm acquired in 1915? even though all of the additional land would not be required for hospital purposes.  The residue was therefore sold for development in 1920, and this included land bordering Hatfield Road, westwards to the top of the rise before reaching Beaumont Avenue – at this point Beaumonts Farm crossed Hatfield Road towards Camp.

Plots were laid out and the first twelve to be released were westwards of the present Longacres, formerly a track leading to the Hill End Brickworks.  The plots varied in width, but all were very long – so long, in fact, that it was possible for a developer to acquire a significant portion of these back gardens in the 1960s in order to lay a new road, Pinewood Close, to access houses it built on its south side.

Originally the plots extended from Hatfield Road at the bottom of the picture to the extreme
top edge. Pinewood Close and a line of homes on the far side swallowed up nearly 50% of
the rear gardens.  The bungalow which is the subject of the planning applications has a
blue parasol in the back garden.
COURTESY GOOGLE EARTH

Purchasers had the choice of home size and design, and all were detached or semi-detached two storey houses, or bungalows.  This typical mix was reflected in the initial tranche completed c1923.

Six homes subsequently replaced three 1920s properties. The bungalow which is the subject
of the planning application is to the right beyond the edge of the photo.
COURTESY GOOGLE STREETVIEW.

Numbers 384, 386 and 388 were replaced by six new two storey homes.  The previous, number 382, is one of the original 1920s bungalows, partly hidden behind a substantial front boundary tree screen.  Readers might recall this property was the subject of previous planning applications. In 2018 there were to be one 4-bed flat and three 2-bed flats. A year later this was replaced by an application for eight 2-bed flats. The latter was refused but subsequently granted on appeal.  Of course, if granted this would not be the first flats along this part of Hatfield Road.  On the eastern side of Longacres is an extensive development between Cedarwood Drive and Hatfield Road, mainly on the former site of Hardy House.

The bungalow, first erected in 1923, had only two occupiers between then and 1975.  Note the
bus shelter and lamp post in front of the boundary wall.
COURTESY GOOGLE STREETVIEW.

Having now gained appeal permission to build at 382, instead, the developer recently chose instead to submit a fresh application in which the number of floors increased to three, plus the dormer roof level and the previous semi-basement floor.  If the authority saw fit to refuse permission last time, presumably they would do so again, but who knows; the bill for appeals is born by the council!  

All of the comments submitted by nearby residents recently focus on the issue of parking and the consequent additional traffic flows.  Some of them relate to school traffic, but other respondents  wondered where cars would be parked on the site.  In the first application a total of six places would be provided.  No update was submitted for the current application, but noting the development would contain a total of eighteen bedrooms it would not be unreasonable to expect at least that number of vehicles, whether or not there were on-site marked-out spaces for them. 

A side elevation of the current application for alteration of the previous proposal. 
It extends from a sub-basement (lower ground floor), three further floors and a roof
floor.
COURTESY ST ALBANS DISTRICT COUNCIL

The site sits behind a lamp post and a bus shelter; would this make it the third occasion this bus shelter would be moved?  Or would vehicular access be restricted to Pinewood Close only?

Taken together, the three applications already the example suggests   that progressive attempts are made quite widely to shoehorn more development from existing plots and as a result lessen the open spaces available on them to keep the street scene buildings and their respective open spaces in proportion.  We would probably wish to protect this benefit, although what might we think if we were one of those residents who wish themselves to expand?

But then, we should acknowledge everyone need a home in which to live.