A Stafford Borough councillor has been given retrospective permission to continue using an annex as a separate house by fellow elected members.

Planning officers at Stafford Borough Council had recommended Tony Pearce's retrospective change of use application be refused because it failed to provide sufficient on-site parking provision and would further intensify the demand for on-street parking in North Castle Street, Stafford.

Staffordshire Highways also recommended the application be rejected.

A report to the borough council's planning committee said: "The submitted application fails to provide a plan showing off-highway parking/cycle parking to serve the development proposal to separate the annex into a separate dwelling and retain any parking for the existing dwelling."

But in a submission to Wednesday's Stafford Borough Council planning committee meeting (July 8), Cllr Tony Pearce said the annex at the Castletown property had been occupied for the past six years.

He was not present but his statement was read out at the meeting.

It said: "The building which is the subject of this application is not a newly constructed dwelling; the annex has existed for approximately 20 years and has a long history of residential occupation.

The applicant has occupied the annex as his main home continuously since 2020.

"In that year works were undertaken which incorporated the former garage and the two bedrooms above into accommodation; these works included the installation of a staircase within the former garage and are documented through the council's building control records.

"The application before members does not involve the construction of a new dwelling or introduction of new residential use into the area, it seeks to regularise an established arrangement.

"We acknowledge the concerns raised by the highway authority, however I ask members to consider the circumstances of the site.

"The former garage has never been practically capable of accommodating a modern vehicle – at approximately 2.5m wide it is too narrow for modern cars to fit within its walls.

"There is an off-street parking space in front of the annex, together with access to a residents' parking scheme and informal parking adjacent to the annex.

"We understand that prior to the changes in planning enforcement legislation, which came into effect in April 2024, the relevant period for unauthorised material change of use for a single dwellinghouse was four years.

"The current residential arrangement commenced in 2020, prior to those legislative changes."

Five planning committee members voted in favour of allowing retrospective consent, while three voted against.

The number of bedrooms and required parking spaces was questioned.

Cllr Scott Spencer said: "If it is two bedrooms it only needs one space, but if it has three it needs two spaces.

"What are we counting this building as – a two-bedroom property or a three-bedroom property?"

The meeting was told the proposal was labelled as a two-bedroom property.

Cllr Spencer said: "Looking at Google Maps, it looks like there is definitely one space available for the annex.

"If the annex is two-bedroom it only needs to have one space."

But Cllr Bryan Cross said: "It does say in the report there could be three bedrooms in each dwelling if they utilise it to that effect.

"There's two at the moment, but there could be three.

"It also surprised me that it was a retrospective application by a borough councillor."