Plot 03, Sunset Park Homes, Whitfield, BRACKLEY, NN13 5TD

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• Whether the proposed increase in the number of caravans, including any cumulative effects, is acceptable having regard to the location of the site within the countryside and the proximity to services and facilities in the surrounding area.
• The effect of the proposals, including any cumulative effects, on the character and appearance of the surrounding countryside.
• Whether the proposed site would provide suitable living conditions for future occupants with particular regard to amenity space and privacy.
• Whether in the absence of any provision for touring caravans the proposed site would be suitable for Gypsies and Travellers.
• The need for and supply of Gypsy and Traveller sites within Buckinghamshire, including whether there is a five year supply of Gypsy and Traveller sites.
• The availability of alternative sites.
• The accommodation needs and personal circumstances of the appellants.
• The Gypsy and Traveller status of the occupants of the site.

What decided it

The proposals were found to comply with the development plan as a whole, given only localised and mitigable harm to the countryside, acceptable living conditions, and a pressing and urgent need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches, outweighing the limited weight attributed to the intentional unauthorised development.

The environmental, social and economic sustainability of the proposals and the pressing need for pitches outweighed the limited weight given to intentional unauthorised development, resulting in overall compliance with the development plan as a whole.