®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Reading Road, Hook, RG27 9DB
the erection of 20 affordable dwellings on an entry-level exception site with vehicular access from Reading Road alongside landscaping, public open space, internal roads, parking and associated drainage infrastructure
- Authority
- Hart District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Parsons J
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposal would be appropriately located, having regard to the spatial settlement strategy under the development plan
- The provision and affordability of entry level housing within Hart, having regard to existing provision and affordability
- Residents' accessibility to services and facilities, having regard to sustainable transport measures
What decided it
The proposal's conflict with the spatial strategy of the development plan, which directs development to larger settlements and allocations in the interests of sustainable development, cannot be outweighed by the benefits of entry-level housing provision where the plan is meeting its overall housing requirements and the strategy policies are not out-of-date.
The considerable benefits of the scheme, including significant contribution to entry-level housing demand, affordable housing provision, good accessibility to services and facilities, construction jobs, local economic benefits, landscaped public open space and improved connectivity, were outweighed by the conflict with the spatial strategy of the development plan and the primacy of the plan-led system.
Framework references: 11, 57, 72, 104, 105
Plan policies cited: Policy SD1, Policy SS1, Policy H3, Policy NBE1, Policy HK1, Policy INF3
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.