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Allowed25 August 20223294860

BioPark, Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3AX

Planning appeal 3294860 at BioPark, Broadwater Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL7 3AX (Welwyn Hatfield Council) was allowed on 25 August 2022 by Inspector Boniface M, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: whether the proposed design is acceptable and the effect on the character and appearance of the area.

Demolition of existing buildings and construction of 289 residential units (Use Class C3) and community hub (Use Class E/F.2), with public realm and open space, landscaping, access, associated car and cycle parking, refuse and recycling storage and supporting infrastructure

Authority
Welwyn Hatfield Council
Appeal type
major · Planning Appeal
Procedure
Inquiry
Development
residential · Major dwellings
Inspector
Boniface M
Postcode
AL7 3AX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

  • whether the proposed design is acceptable and the effect on the character and appearance of the area
  • whether the development would provide suitable housing in terms of tenure and mix

What decided it

The severe shortfall in the Council's five-year housing land supply rendered the most important policies out of date, engaging the tilted balance, and the substantial benefit of delivering much-needed market and affordable housing was found to clearly outweigh the limited identified harms.

The substantial benefits of housing delivery, biodiversity net gain, economic activity and open space provision clearly outweighed the limited weight conflict with Policy H7 and any less-than-substantial heritage harm (taken at its highest), such that planning permission should be granted.

What the Inspector cited

Development plan policies
Policy D1Policy D2Policy EMP2Policy SP 9Policy SADM 15Policy H7Policy SP 7Policy H2Policy M14Policy SP 4Policy SADM 2Policy SADM 3Policy SD1Policy R2Policy R3Policy R5Policy R7Policy R11Policy R17Policy R19Policy R20Policy SADM 11Policy SADM 12Policy SADM 13Policy SADM 14Policy SADM 16Policy SADM 18Policy D4Policy D8Policy H10Policy M5Policy M6Policy SP 1Policy SP 10

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.

See how each was applied

The decision letter

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More decisions in Welwyn Hatfield

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

  1. Dismissed5 October 20266009892
    2A Whitehill, Welwyn, AL6 9AF
  2. Dismissed5 May 20266001208
    Unit B Fretherne Road, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, United Kingdom, AL8 6PZ
  3. Allowed1 April 20266003711
    17 Thrush Avenue, Hatfield, AL10 8QU
  4. Dismissed4 February 20263372741
    Cromer Hyde Farm, Marford Road, Lemsford, Welwyn Garden City, Hertfordshire, AL8 7XD
  5. Allowed11 August 20253363798
    5 Lady Grove, Welwyn Garden City, AL7 4DS

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.

In the app this decision sits on the map beside every appeal around it, with its letter to read and the main issues, policies and judgments cited picked out.