®Planning appeal decision
Land West Of Wokingham Road and East Of Lower Church Road, Sandhurst, GU47 8JB
erection of up to 150 dwellings, creation of new access off Wokingham Road, Sandhurst, and provision of public open space, landscaping, suitable alternative natural greenspace (SANG) and related infrastructure and new 20 space car park (all matters reserved except for details of vehicular access from Wokingham Road and to the car park from Lower Church Road)
- Authority
- Bracknell Forest Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Gould G
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, including the Blackwater Valley area of special landscape importance (the ASLI)
- The effect of the development on the setting of the grade II* listed St Michael's Church (the Church)
- Whether the development would provide safe and adequate access for motorised and non-motorised users of the public highway
- Whether there would be accessibility to local services and facilities for the occupiers of the development by a range of modes of transport
- The effects of the development on the integrity of the Thames Basin Heaths Special Protection Area (the SPA)
- The effects of the development on biodiversity, including protected species
- Whether the development would make adequate provision for affordable housing
- Whether the development would make adequate provision for transportation and community infrastructure
- Whether the development would make adequate provision for surface water drainage
What decided it
The very substantial harm to the character and appearance of the area caused by the development's incursion into open countryside on the west facing slope significantly and demonstrably outweighed its benefits.
The substantial social and economic benefits of housing delivery, affordable housing, SANG/POS/BNG provision and transport contributions were outweighed by the very substantial harm to the character and appearance of the area, such that under the tilted balance the adverse impacts significantly and demonstrably outweighed the benefits.
Framework references: 11, 48, 74, 126, 130, 174, 199, 202
Plan policies cited: Policy EN10(i), Policy EN20(i), Policy CS1(viii), Policy CS7(i), Policy CS9, Policy EN1, Policy EN8, Policy H5, Policy CS2, Policy CS23, Policy CS24, Policy CS6, Policy CS14, Policy CS16, Policy CS17, Policy M1, Policy M6, Policy M8, Policy CP1, Policy NRM6, Policy LP19, Policy LP37, Policy H8, Policy CS1, Policy EN3
Judgments cited: Wavendon Properties [2019] EWHC 1524 (Admin); Peel Investments [2020] EWCA Civ 1175
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.