Councillor labels conservatory guidelines unacceptable

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A council policy on the construction of conservatories in Wansbeck, Northumberland looks set to be abandoned following local opposition.

Councillor Jimmy Sawyer, who represents Ashington College’s ward, suggested the rule in question “beggars belief”. In order to preserve uniformity, the local authority had been refusing all glass extensions being built at the front of terraced houses on certain streets, according to newspostleader.co.uk.

“One resident was refused because nobody else in that street had one. That’s absolutely ridiculous. That means everybody in that street can never ever have a conservatory,” remarked Councillor Sawyer.

Northumberland County Council’s south-east area planning committee requested a review of the policy and is now keen to scrap it. This means people in the neighbourhood may soon be able to follow through with plans for glass extensions with conservatory blinds without official interference.

It is not the only conservatory-related policy hitting the headlines recently, with the so-called conservatory tax taking up plenty of column inches. People were going to be asked to spend an extra ten per cent on top of new extension plans on sustainability measures as part of the Green Deal scheme.

Prime Minister David Cameron has said he will block the policy, but newstatesman.com blogger Joey Gardiner suggested the U-turn has left the government’s flagship green policy in tatters at a time when there is a real need to look at making old homes more energy-efficient.