An appeal has been launched against the decision of planning officers at Bolton Council to reject proposals to convert a garage into a habitable room and build a dormer at the front of a property.

The plans were launched for a semi-dethatched bungalow on Lichfield Close, Farnworth, earlier this year.

The home would have gone from two-bedrooms to four if it had been approved.

The garage door would have been replaced with a window.

The applicants stated that similar transformations to the one they were applying for had taken place nearby including on Colchester Drive.

They said the conversion envisaged would not be  “harmful to the character and appearance of the area.”

However total of 12 letters were sent from eight neighbours objecting to the proposals.

They said it would be “out of keeping with the character of the area” and the bungalows had “been standing a long time and all look the same along the street.”

Others said it would lead to "inadequate parking provision."

Bolton Council's planning officers said benefits would not outweigh the harms when they rejected the plans.
They said: “Once complete, the additional living accommodation would better suit the personal needs of the applicant and their family and improve their living conditions.

"However, these considerations do not outweigh the significant harm identified.

"The public comments and concern in respect of the harm to the character and appearance of the area is noted." 

A further report on the decision said the proposal "would appear as an obtrusive and a discordant feature within the street and would materially harm the character and appearance of the host building and the local area.”

However an appeal has been launched against the decision by planning officers to reject the plans.

This has now been launched with the local authority.