21 Burridge Road, Burridge, SOUTHAMPTON, SO31 1BY

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the site is a suitable location for the proposed housing development
• the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
• its effect on the living conditions of future occupiers of the proposed dwellings and existing occupiers of dwellings in Burridge Road with regard to arrangements for refuse and recycling

What decided it

The proposal fails to satisfy three mandatory criteria of Local Plan Policy DSP40 (suitable location, character and appearance, and living conditions), and the adverse impacts of unsustainable location, harm to character and countryside encroachment, and unacceptable refuse arrangements substantially and demonstrably outweigh the modest housing benefit.

The modest contribution to housing supply and associated social, economic and environmental benefits of four well-designed dwellings carried moderate weight in favour, but the substantial harm from unsustainable location conflicting with spatial strategy, material harm to character and appearance through countryside encroachment, and unacceptable amenity implications for refuse and recycling substantially and demonstrably outweighed these benefits, such that the presumption in favour of sustainable development did not apply.