136 Bassett Avenue, SOUTHAMPTON, SO16 7EZ

for prior approval of proposed new dwellings on a detached block of flats

Authority: Southampton City Council
Appeal type: minor · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Minor Dwellings
Inspector: Rennie S

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

The effect of the proposal on the visual amenity of the area from the external appearance of the building as proposed
The effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupiers of existing properties regarding issues such as outlook, loss of privacy or overbearing effect
The effect of the proposal on highways and transport issues
The effect of the development on the Special Protection Area (SPA) of the Solent Coastline

What decided it

The proposal would be harmful to the visual amenities and character of the area by appearing incongruous and overly prominent in a street scene dominated by two-storey houses, contrary to NPPF paragraph 120(e).

The housing benefit of the proposal was acknowledged but outweighed by the harmful visual impact on the character and appearance of the street scene.

Framework references: 120, 130, 57

Read the decision letter on the Inspectorate’s site

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.

What an account adds

Draw a red line around your site and the appraisal follows.

Heritage. Listed buildings by grade and distance, conservation areas, scheduled monuments, registered parks and gardens, heritage at risk.
Landscape and environment. Green belt, national parks and national landscapes, SSSIs, ancient woodland, SPA, SAC and Ramsar sites, nutrient catchments.
Flooding. Flood zones 2 and 3, surface water, and both again with climate change.
Transport. The 800 metre station catchment and service frequency, bus stops with their weekday frequency, the cycle network, and the Framework’s transport tests measured for the site.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.