The Old Telephone Exchange, Masonic Hall and Adjoining Land, Elmsleigh Road, Staines Upon Thames, TW18 4PH

Planning appeal 3280090 at The Old Telephone Exchange, Masonic Hall and Adjoining Land, Elmsleigh Road, Staines Upon Thames, TW18 4PH (Spelthorne Borough Council) was allowed on 17 January 2022 by Inspector Worden M, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area.

the demolition of the former Masonic Hall and redevelopment of site to provide 206 dwellings together with car and cycle parking, hard and soft landscaping and other associated works

Authority: Spelthorne Borough Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Inquiry
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Worden M
Postcode: TW18 4PH

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

the effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the area
the effect of the proposal on the living conditions of the occupants of nearby properties with regard to car parking

What decided it

The absence of overall harm to character and appearance or to neighbours' living conditions from car parking, combined with the significant weight attached to housing delivery in an area lacking a five year housing land supply, decided the appeal in favour of the appellant.

The significant weight attached to housing delivery, brownfield regeneration and other benefits, together with the finding of no overall harm to character and appearance or living conditions, tipped the balance decisively in favour of granting permission.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies: Policy A10Policy EN1Policy CC3
National Planning Policy Framework: Paragraph 130Paragraph 111Paragraph 57

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.

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The decision letter

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More decisions in Spelthorne Borough Council

The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2022

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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.