®Planning appeal decision
Berkhamsted Golf Club, The Common, BERKHAMSTED, HP4 2QB
without planning permission, the creation of a new vehicle parking area
- Authority
- Dacorum Borough Council
- Appeal type
- enforcement · Enforcement Notice
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Boffin D
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the vehicular parking area constitutes inappropriate development in the Green Belt, having regard to the effect on the openness and purposes of the Green Belt, the Framework and relevant development plan policies
- The effect of the development on the landscape and scenic beauty of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
- The effect of the development on biodiversity
- Whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations. If so, whether this amounts to the very special circumstances required to justify the development
What decided it
The harm to the Green Belt (substantial weight) and AONB landscape (great weight) was not clearly outweighed by the economic and recreational benefits to the golf club, and the fallback position of the 2021 permission (which would have lesser impact) limited the weight of those benefits.
The substantial weight given to harm to Green Belt openness and purposes, combined with great weight to harm to AONB landscape and scenic beauty, was not clearly outweighed by the considerable weight of economic benefits, employment provision, and recreational facility provision, particularly given the availability of the fallback position of the 2021 permission with lesser impact.
Framework references: 11, 88, 147, 148, 149, 150, 174, 176, 177, 219
Plan policies cited: Policy CS5, Policy CS24, Policy CS25, Policy CS26, Policy 97, Policy 102
The main issues and the deciding factor are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.