Plot 17, 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 Inspector's conclusion that the proposals, taken against each main issue, complied with the development plan as a whole, including because the Council could not demonstrate a five year supply of Gypsy and Traveller pitches and there was a pressing need for sites.

The benefits of reasonable access to services, acceptable living conditions, and meeting a pressing and urgent need for Gypsy and Traveller pitches outweighed the limited, localised harm to countryside character (mitigable by landscaping) and the limited weight attributed to the intentional unauthorised development, resulting in overall accordance with the development plan.