Porches aren’t too controversial, are they? A porch is just a small front extension to provide you with somewhere to take your shoes off and to stop the wind howling through your front door.
Most porches are permitted development, but Mr Patel built his porch just a little too high – the height limit is 3m and he built it to 3.65m. But it was an attractive porch – set back from the street, with a small footprint and built in brick with a pitched roof.
Harrow council wanted to take enforcement action against him. We advised him to submit a retrospective planning application. When that was refused, we appealed the refusal and were delighted to win. The council had said that the porch looked out of place on the streetscene, but we showed that lots of the houses along the street had similar porches and the development did not look out of place.
