®Planning appeal decision
Former Hotel Felix, Whitehouse Lane, Girton, CAMBRIDGE, CB3 0LX
demolition of existing buildings and erection of a care home (Use Class C2) with external amenity space, access, parking, landscaping and other associated works
- Authority
- South Cambridgeshire District Council
- Appeal type
- major · Planning Appeal
- Procedure
- Inquiry
- Development
- community-institutional · Major dwellings
- Inspector
- Nunn M
Main issues, as the Inspector framed them
- the effect of the proposal on the Green Belt, including openness
- the effect on the character and appearance of the area
- whether the loss of the non-designated heritage asset is justified
- the need for the care home facility
- whether the harm by reason of inappropriateness, and any other harm, is clearly outweighed by other considerations, so as to amount to the very special circumstances required to justify development within the Green Belt
What decided it
The substantial and clearly demonstrated need for additional care and dementia beds, combined with the other identified benefits, clearly outweighed the Green Belt and heritage harm so as to amount to very special circumstances.
The benefits of the scheme (care home need, dementia centre provision, design and landscaping, biodiversity net gain, economic benefits and sustainable location) clearly outweighed the definitional Green Belt harm, the negligible harm to openness and the harm from loss of a non-designated heritage asset, amounting to very special circumstances justifying inappropriate development in the Green Belt.
Framework references: 149, 147, 148, 137, 203, 126, 8, 56, 57
Plan policies cited: Policy S/4, Policy S/7, Policy NH/8, Policy NH/9, Policy NH/14
Judgments cited: Turner v Secretary of State for Communities and Local Government [2016] EWCA Civ 466; R (Liverpool Open and Green Spaces Community Interest Co) v Liverpool City Council [2020] EWCA Civ 861
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.