®Planning appeal decision
St Martins Lane Hotel, 45 St Martins Lane, London, WC2N 4HX
Planning appeal 3270370 at St Martins Lane Hotel, 45 St Martins Lane, London, WC2N 4HX (City of Westminster Council) was dismissed on 16 July 2021 by Inspector Small M, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to nearby listed buildings and the adjacent Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden Conservation Areas, and whether any harm caused is outweighed by any benefits of the proposal, including the need to site the installations in the location proposed having regard to the potential availability of alternative sites.
Installation of 3 roofpods accommodating 6 antenna apertures (2 per roofpod), 1 pole-mounted transmission dish, 8 equipment cabinets, GRP shrouding, and ancillary development
- Authority
- City of Westminster Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- telecoms · Other minor developments
- Inspector
- Small M
- Postcode
- WC2N 4HX
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the proposed development on the character and appearance of the area, with particular regard to nearby listed buildings and the adjacent Trafalgar Square and Covent Garden Conservation Areas, and whether any harm caused is outweighed by any benefits of the proposal, including the need to site the installations in the location proposed having regard to the potential availability of alternative sites
What decided it
The public benefits of the proposal do not outweigh the less than substantial harm to the significance of designated heritage assets, and there is no clear and convincing justification for that harm, particularly given the inadequate assessment of alternative sites.
The demonstrable social and economic benefits of 5G rollout and network coverage were outweighed by the less than substantial harm to the significance of listed buildings, as the appellant had not adequately demonstrated that alternative sites would provide insufficient coverage.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy 19 (A)Policy 38 (B)Policy 39 (B)Policy 39 (I)Policy 40 (A)Policy 40 (D)Policy 39 (K)
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 196
How the Inspector dealt with each one is set out in the app, in order: the development plan, national policy, housing land supply, other considerations and the planning balance, beside the letter.
See how each was appliedThe decision letter
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
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The main issues, what decided it, the planning balance and the policies and judgments listed as cited are read from the published letter by Town Planner Pro and are our summary, not the Inspector’s words; the letter itself is the record. Contains public sector information licensed under the Open Government Licence v3.0. Research, not advice.