®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Pirton Road, Holwell, Hertfordshire, SG5 3SS
residential development of land for housing (3-4 dwellings)
- Authority
- North Hertfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Griffiths S
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the site is suitable for residential development, having regard to its location, the proposed land use and the amount of development proposed
What decided it
The site's location on the edge of the village in open countryside with poor access to services and facilities by sustainable transport modes, combined with the lack of affordable housing and modest scale of benefits, meant the significant sustainability and environmental harms were not outweighed by the housing supply shortfall.
The tilted balance under NPPF paragraph 11(d) was applied, but the significant harm to countryside character, landscape, and sustainability objectives was not outweighed by the modest economic and social benefits of the small-scale development with no affordable housing contribution
Framework references: 8, 11
Plan policies cited: Policy 6 (Rural Areas Beyond the Green Belt) of the Saved Policies of the North Hertfordshire District Local Plan No.2 with Alterations (2007), Policy CGB1 (Rural Areas Beyond the Green Belt) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016), Policy NE1 (Landscape) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016), Policy SP1 (Sustainable Development in North Hertfordshire) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016), Policy SP2 (Countryside and Green Belt) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016), Policy SP6 (Sustainable Transport) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016), Policy SP8 (Housing) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016), Policy T1 (Assessment of Transport Matters) of the North Hertfordshire Local Plan Proposed Submission (as amended by Main Modifications) (2016)
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.