Units 1 & 2, Hampton Court Trading Estate, Summer Road, Thames Ditton, Surrey, KT7 0RG

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• the effect on the character and appearance of the area
• whether the proposal would provide an appropriate standard of external amenity space for the proposed occupiers
• whether the proposed development would be satisfactorily integrated into the local community
• the effect on the setting of Hampton Court Palace
• the effect on highway safety
• whether there are any other benefits of the proposal, including the housing land supply position, that would lead to a determination other than in accordance with the terms of the development plan

What decided it

The lack of a five-year housing supply of housing land, which engaged the tilted balance in paragraph 11(d) of the Framework, combined with the proposal's compliance with the development plan taken as a whole and the significant housing benefits, decisively favoured granting permission.

The limited harm to the character and appearance of the area from the southern elevation of Block A was substantially outweighed by the significant benefits of delivering 78 new residential units on previously developed land with a housing mix weighted towards smaller properties, the provision of B1 floorspace, and the clear deficiency in five-year housing land supply, applying the tilted balance.