A home owner has been given permission to enlarge his bungalow in Woodingdean.
An official report recommended refusing permission for the proposed changes to the two-bedroom semi-detached bungalow in Chalkland Rise.
But Brighton and Hove City Council Planning Committee backed Andy Lloyd who wants to replace his conservatory with a ground floor and loft extension.
Mr Lloyd, 41, a security systems engineer and father of two, said that his extension would make his property almost identical to the one next door.
Councillor Dee Simson told the planning committee: “His extension is not being built for profit.
“It’s being built to give his family the room they need to be able to live in the community that he loves and that clearly supports him.”
The council received ten letters in support of his plans including three from near neighbours.
But the official planning report said that the size and design of the extension would have an adverse impact on neighbours’ homes, one property in particular.
Yet the meeting was told that the neighbour in question supported Mr Lloyd’s proposals.
Former planning committee chairman Councillor Lynda Hyde said that Mr Lloyd could build a less satisfactory extension without the need for permission.
And Councillor Geoffrey Bowden said: “There is a letter of support from the neighbour the planners say will be impeded by this development.”
Mr Lloyd was given permission on condition that he uses appropriate materials and starts work on the extension within three years.
