Land on south side of Church Lane, Birdham, Chichester, West Sussex, PO20 7AT

the erection of 25 no. dwellings comprising 17 open market and 8 affordable units with access, landscaping open space and associated works

Authority: Chichester District Council
Appeal type: major · Planning Appeal
Procedure: Hearing
Development: residential · Major dwellings
Inspector: Orr H

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

Whether the development represents major development in the Chichester Harbour Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (the CHAONB)
The effect of the development on the character and appearance of the area, with reference to the CHAONB

What decided it

The significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and the CHAONB, as major development in an AONB, outweighed the limited benefits and was not justified by exceptional circumstances.

The limited benefits of housing delivery (including affordable housing) and economic activity were significantly and demonstrably outweighed by the significant harm to the character and appearance of the area and the CHAONB.

Framework references: 11, 176, 177

Plan policies cited: Policy 2, Policy 33, Policy 43, Policy 45, Policy 47, Policy 48, Policy 12, Policy 13, Policy 15

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.

Then the development plan position, the housing land supply as an Inspector last accepted it, and every appeal decided around the site with its letter.

Every English appeal since 2016, with the letter behind it wherever the Inspectorate published one. Searched by meaning as well as by words, with the key case law counted live across the letters.

Casework that chases the deadlines. Applications, appeals and conditions with their statutory dates.

The judgement stays yours. The tool gathers the material and dates it.