Single-storey house extension at Bigbreck Cottage, Birsay

“Item: Planning Committee: March 2026. Proposed Extension of House at Bigbreck Cottage, Birsay. Report by Director of Infrastructure and Organisational Development. 1.Overview 1.1.A householder planning application is submitted to erect a single storey extension to a house. Consultation bodies have raised no concerns, and no representations have been received.”

“Page 5. oEU policy. oA proposed local development plan or proposed supplementary guidance. oCommunity plans. oThe environmental impact of the proposal. oThe design of the proposed development and its relationship to its surroundings. oAccess, provision of infrastructure and planning history of the site. oViews of statutory and other consultees. oLegitimate public concern or support expressed on relevant planning matters.”

“8.Assessment Background and Proposal 8.1.The site is in a rural location in Birsay, as indicated on the Site Plan attached as Appendix 2 to this report. The house is located immediately adjacent to the main public road. 8.2.The existing house is one and a half storeys in height, with mainly rendered walls, with some timber cladding, and a flat tiled roof.”

“Page 7. 8.5.Policy 1 ‘Criteria for All Development’ of the Local Development Plan requires development to be designed to take in consideration the location and wider landscape and preserve the amenity of the surrounding area, and Policy 2 ‘Design’ requires that proposals to reinforce the distinctive identity of Orkney’s built environment and be sympathetic to the character of the local area.”

“8.8.In terms of the potential for underlying archaeology, and in terms of the advice provided by the Islands Archaeologist, it is relevant that the footprint of the proposed development generally follows that of existing domestic outbuildings, and a standard foundation is proposed. Based on the design, scale and immediate adjacency to the house within a previously worked part of the curtilage, no archaeological planning condition is required in this case.”

“25/423/HH Proposed Extension of House at Bigbreck Cottage, Birsay After consideration of a report by the Director of Infrastructure and Organisational Development, copies of which had been circulated, and after hearing a report from the Service Manager (Development Management), the Committee: Noted: 2.1.”

“Page 2745. • National Planning Framework 4: o Policy 16 – Quality homes. • Orkney Local Development Plan 2017: o Policy 1 – Criteria for All Development. o Policy 2 – Design. That planning permission be granted in respect of the proposed extension of a house at Bigbreck Cottage, Birsay, subject to the undernoted condition: 01.”