®Planning appeal decision
Land South of Eversley Road and East of Marsh Lane, Eversley Cross, Hook, RG27 0NQ
Planning appeal 3273529 at Land South of Eversley Road and East of Marsh Lane, Eversley Cross, Hook, RG27 0NQ (Hart District Council) was allowed on 15 October 2021 by Inspector Longmuir J, by written representations. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: The desirability of providing the proposed SANG and the implications for the SANG provision within Hart District.
Change of use from agricultural land to 16.0 hectares of public open space and habitat land with associated landscaping including a circular walkway, hedge planting and boundary works, new access works, cycle and car parking, height restrictor barrier, interpretation point, benches and bins to facilitate a Suitable Alternative Natural Greenspace (SANG)
- Authority
- Hart District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- leisure-sport · Change of use
- Inspector
- Longmuir J
- Postcode
- RG27 0NQ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The desirability of providing the proposed SANG and the implications for the SANG provision within Hart District
- the accessibility of the proposed SANG
- the effects of the proposal in terms of landscape and biodiversity
- the significance of the loss of agricultural land
What decided it
The provision of SANG to address a locational gap in provision, support the SPA mitigation strategy, and remove a potential constraint to future housing growth, combined with landscape and biodiversity enhancements that achieve the purpose of Policy NBE1 despite technical non-compliance with its size threshold, outweighed the limited harm from loss of low-grade agricultural land.
The conflict with Policy NBE1 was given limited weight because the proposal's purpose—to protect and enhance the countryside—aligns with the policy's intent, and the significant benefits of SANG provision, landscape enhancement, biodiversity improvement, recreational and health benefits, and removal of a constraint to future housing growth together mean the proposal accords with the Development Plan taken as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy NBE3Policy NBE4Policy NBE1Policy NBE2Policy INF3Policy GEN1
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 179Paragraph 182Paragraph 104Paragraph 105Paragraph 110Paragraph 174Paragraph 98Paragraph 8Paragraph 56Paragraph 219Paragraph 230Paragraph 221Paragraph 248
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.