Councillors will discuss concern about the speed of a fire response in an East Lothian town saw plans for a garden shed.
The owners of a house on Dunbar beach front applied for permission to build the shed, as well as a bin store, planters and fencing but faced eight objections from neighbouring residents and the local community council.
A meeting of East Lothian planning committee heard from local councillor Donna Collins that people living in a listed flatted building behind the house were concerned that if the shed ever caught fire it would spark a blaze in their homes.
Councillor Collins told the committee: “If there is an incendiary incident you could have five or ten minutes then the rest of the building is away.”
“Because of Dunbar having a retained fire station and a longer response time then there is that risk and I think all the residents of Beach House would be happier if the shed was moved a metre north or to a different part of the garden.”
Applicant Chamberlain Bell Developments submitted the part retrospective proposals for the garden of East Beach House, on Lamer Street, which is a modern home built on the site of a derelict amusement arcade in front of listed Beach House.
Concerns had been raised that work on the shed had started before permission was granted however the applicants said they had been involved in a number of planning applications with the council involving their house and the surrounding landscaping over time and had believed the shed had already been approved.
Jacquie (CORR)Bell, speaking on behalf of Dunbar Community Council who objected to the application, told the committee the retrospective aspect of the application was a concern as well as the neighbours’ issue with the shed being so close to their property.
And she said the size of the shed was bigger than a normal garden shed would be.
She said: “There are major concerns about a fire risk due to the construction materials of the shed and its proximity to a neighbouring property. It is very close to the living room of 15b (in the Beach House) and blocking possible exit routes from there in the event of a fire.
“The resident of 15b has lived in their home for over 40 years and are distressed by the position of the new shed structure which could be moved to another position on the site to protect their amenity without detriment to the amenity of the applicant.”
However planning convenor and fellow Dunbar councillor Norman Hampshire said garden sheds were allowed as part of planning policy if they were a metre away from neighbouring properties and any fire concerns were not a consideration for the committee.
He said: “The issue around the removal of ceilings and fireproof material is not something we can control here. These are all legal matters that need to be dealt with separately but I am hopeful the neighbours and the applicant can work together and make that area safer.
“But the position of the shed meets our policy and there are many garden shed all over East Lothian which are within a metre of neighbouring properties and we cannot take a different position here.”
Dunbar has a retained fire station which is covered by on call crew. On their Facebook page they say their firefighters all carry pagers and live within ‘five minutes’ of the station itself.
By Marie Sharp Local Democracy Reporter
