Land At Knightsbridge Drive, Newbury Road, Headley, Hampshire, RG19 8JZ

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the use would result in a sustainable pattern of development, with particular reference to accessibility to services and integration with the local community
• the effect on the character and appearance of the area, including on existing trees
• the effect on biodiversity
• the effect on the setting of the designated heritage asset of Knightsbridge House
• whether the proposal would result in a suitable living environment for future occupiers, with particular reference to noise levels
• the need for and provision of sites

What decided it

The identified need for further traveller pitches, the lack of a five-year supply of deliverable sites, and the settled-base benefits for the households outweighed the limited harms to character, biodiversity and heritage setting.

The localised, moderate-weight harms to character and appearance and biodiversity, and the less-than-substantial (lower end) harm to the setting of Knightsbridge House, were outweighed by the public benefits of meeting an identified need for traveller pitches and providing a settled base for the households, so the balance favoured allowing the appeal.