Shawfield Farm Cottage , Shawfield Lane, ROCHDALE, OL12 6BP

a subterranean garage

Authority: Rochdale Metropolitan Borough Council
Appeal type: householder · Householder (HAS)
Procedure: Written Representations
Development: residential · Householder developments
Inspector: Johnson W

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

whether the development would be inappropriate development in the Green Belt
the effect of the development on the openness of the Green Belt
if the development is inappropriate development in the Green Belt, whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances necessary to justify the development

What decided it

The presence of an extant previous scheme approved for open air parking, combined with the visual improvements offered by the proposed subterranean garage design, constituted very special circumstances that clearly outweighed the harm to Green Belt openness.

Framework references: 148, 149

Plan policies cited: Policy G4 of the Rochdale Adopted Core Strategy 2016

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.

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