26, Berachah Road, Torquay, TQ1 3AX

Main issues, as the Inspector framed them

• whether the proposed development would support a balanced and cohesive community in this area
• the effect of the proposed development on highway and pedestrian safety, with particular regard to parking provision and refuse bin storage
• the effect of the proposed development on the living conditions of neighbouring residential properties with particular regard to privacy and noise and disturbance
• whether the proposal would provide suitable living conditions for future occupiers with regard to daylight, outlook, noise and disturbance, garden space and refuse bin storage, and whether the proposal would prejudice future development and is capable of providing sustained, appropriate living conditions for future occupiers

What decided it

The site's location in an accessible, mixed-use urban area with available public transport and parking, combined with the absence of substantive evidence of harm to community balance, highway safety, or living conditions of neighbours or future occupiers, justified allowing the appeal.

The modest contribution to housing land supply and support from the Council's Housing Specialist and Senior Environmental Health Officer outweighed any concerns about the loss of a potential commercial use or the concentration of HMOs in the area.