PLANS for a barn conversion to a building in Grappenhall have been approved.

An application for the work at The Cottage, on Bellhouse Lane, came before the development management committee at its Town Hall meeting last Wednesday.

According to a report to the committee, the application site is a part single/part two storey brick construction barn/workshop within the curtilage of a mid-19th century Grade II listed building known as The Cottage.

“The application site is curtilage listed and situated in an established primarily residential area just to the north and outside of the Grappenhall Village Conservation Area,” it added.

“Planning permission is sought to convert the barn into a one bedroomed dwelling providing accommodation over two floors.

“To the ground floor it is proposed to create a kitchen and WC from the single storey elements and to the one and a half storey part, create a dining/hallway, staircase and a separate living room with the addition of a new window and patio doors, the existing ceiling would be removed to reveal a vaulted roof with two proposed skylights to each external roof plane and one to the rear roof plane adjacent to the blank elevation of the community centre. To the first floor it is proposed to create one double bedroom with ensuite.”

An application for listed building consent for the work at the site also came before the committee.

A report to the committee said: “The barn is within the curtilage of The Cottage and is curtilage listed.

“The law provides that buildings and other structures that pre-date July 1948 and are within the curtilage of a listed building are to be treated as part of the listed building.

“The principle Victorian cottage and barn each continue to be used for purposes subordinate to and dependent on the domestic use of the listed house and have been in such use since before the date of listing in 1984.

“The barn is therefore within the curtilage of the principal listed building and is to be treated as part of the listed building.”

The application for the barn conversion was approved subject conditions, with delegated powers provided to the development manager to amend condition 14 to provide ‘additional clarity’ in relation to the location of the ‘shared access’ – and the application for listed building consent was approved subject to conditions.