®Planning appeal decision
Former Chalk Pit, land adjacent Lys Mill, Cobditch Hill, Nr Watlington, Oxfordshire, OX49 5EP
erection of a dwelling and re-wilding of surrounding 14 hectares of arable farmland. This
- Authority
- South Oxfordshire District Council
- Appeal type
- minor · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Written Representations
- Development
- residential · Minor Dwellings
- Inspector
- Davies H
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the appeal site would be a suitable location for new housing, having regard to the spatial strategy of the local plan
- The effect of the proposal on the character and appearance of the site and the surrounding area, with particular regard to the extent to which it would conserve or enhance the natural beauty of the Chilterns Area of Outstanding Natural Beauty (AONB)
- Whether the proposal would achieve acceptable levels of carbon emissions
What decided it
The significant harm to the character and appearance of the Chilterns AONB caused by the prominent hilltop dwelling in an open, unspoiled landscape, combined with the site's unsuitability for housing under the spatial strategy, outweighed the rewilding benefits and other material considerations.
The rewilding benefits and the appellant's vision for the site were outweighed by the significant harm to the AONB and the conflict with development plan policy requiring housing to be located in sustainable settlements
Framework references: 176, 80, 11
Plan policies cited: Policy STRAT1, Policy TRAN2, Policy TRAN5, Policy H1, Policy DES1, Policy DES2, Policy ENV1, Policy ENV12, Policy DES10
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.