®Planning appeal decision
Parkside, Henley-on-Thames, rg9 1tx
the erection of 8 apartments with associated access and landscaping
- Authority
- South Oxfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Longmuir J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area, including the settings of the Henley Conservation Area and the listed Friar Park Lodge and Friar Park, in terms of the loss of trees
- the effect of the proposed building on the character and appearance of the area in terms of its presence, scale, height and massing
- the effect of the proposal on the biodiversity of the appeal site, part of a priority habitat
What decided it
The very significant impact of the loss of a large number of mature and semi-mature trees, particularly the 13 Category B specimens, which would substantially harm the character and appearance of the area and the settings of heritage assets, outweighed the benefits of housing delivery despite the shortfall in five-year housing land supply.
The benefits of 8 new dwellings and economic and social contributions were outweighed by the very significant harm to trees and character, combined with design and biodiversity impacts, such that the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits when assessed against the Framework taken as a whole.
Framework references: 11, 126, 130, 131, 174, 179, 199, 200, 202, 8
Plan policies cited: Policy DSQ1 of the Joint Henley and Harpsden Neighbourhood Plan Final Submission Version, Policy ENV1 of the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan, Policy ENV2 of the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan, Policy DES1 of the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan, Policy DES2 of the emerging South Oxfordshire Local Plan, Policy D1 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, Policy C4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, Policy C9 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, Policy G2 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, Policy G4 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan 2011, Policy CSB1 of the Core Strategy, saved Policy C6 of the South Oxfordshire Local Plan
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.