Land to the West of St Annes Drive and South of London Road, Wokingham, RG40 1PB

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the Green Route and local area, with reference to protected trees, amongst other matters
• The effect of the proposal on the Spatial Development Strategy for the area, with particular reference to the separation between Wokingham and Bracknell
• The effect on the supply of Affordable Housing and housing land
• Whether the proposal makes adequate provision for infrastructure, on and off-site services, amenities and financial contributions to mitigate the impacts of the development on the local area
• The planning balance

What decided it

The Council's inability to demonstrate a 5 year housing land supply triggered the tilted balance, under which the limited identified harms did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits, particularly the affordable housing provision.

The significant weight given to affordable housing provision, moderate weight to the housing land supply contribution and limited weight to economic benefits outweighed the limited weight attached to harm to the Green Route/local character and to the Spatial Development Strategy, so the presumption in favour of sustainable development tipped the balance in favour of the proposal despite conflict with the development plan as a whole.