®Planning appeal decision
Land West of Kingfisher Grove, Three Mile Cross, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 1LZ
Planning appeal 3304042 at Land West of Kingfisher Grove, Three Mile Cross, Reading, Berkshire, RG7 1LZ (Wokingham Borough Council) was allowed on 31 January 2023 by Inspector Rollings G, following an inquiry. The main issue, as the Inspector framed it: Whether the proposed development can be safely accommodated with regard to the proximity of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) site at Burghfield.
an outline planning application for the proposed erection of 49 affordable dwellings, with new publicly accessible open space and access (access to be considered)
- Authority
- Wokingham Borough Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- residential · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Rollings G
- Postcode
- RG7 1LZ
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- Whether the proposed development can be safely accommodated with regard to the proximity of the Atomic Weapons Establishment (AWE) site at Burghfield
- The effect of the proposal on the landscape character and appearance of the area
- Whether the proposed development would provide appropriate accessibility for future occupiers
What decided it
The absence of a five-year housing land supply engaged the tilted balance, meaning the significant benefits of the wholly affordable housing scheme outweighed the identified landscape and accessibility harms.
The significant weight given to affordable housing delivery and the NPPF paragraph 11 presumption, together with moderate weight for other benefits, outweighed the significant harm from poor accessibility and moderate harm from landscape impact, such that adverse impacts did not significantly and demonstrably outweigh the benefits when assessed against the Framework as a whole.
What the Inspector cited
- Development plan policies
- Policy TB04Policy CP1Policy CP2Policy CP3Policy CP5Policy CP6Policy CP7Policy CP8Policy CP9Policy CP11Policy CP17Policy CC01Policy CC02Policy CC03Policy TB08Policy TB21Neighbourhood Plan Policy 1Neighbourhood Plan Policy 2Neighbourhood Plan Policy 4
- National Planning Policy Framework
- Paragraph 11Paragraph 57Paragraph 64Paragraph 95Paragraph 180
- Judgments
- Crest Nicholson v West Berkshire Council [2021] EWHC 289 (Admin)
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 appliedThe decision letter
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With an account
What an account adds to this decision
More decisions in Wokingham Borough Council
The authority’s record since 2016 · every decision in 2023
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- Dismissed14 March 20233308965101 and 101A Pound Lane, Sonning, Wokingham, RG4 6GG
- Dismissed20 February 20233300302Bartletts Farmhouse, Swallowfield Road, Arborfield, Berkshire, RG2 9JX
- Allowed24 January 20233301608R Young Art, 1 Southgate House, Alexandra Court, Denmark Street, Wokingham, Berkshire, RG40 2SL
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.